No.54 AF Corse Ferrari take Fuji LMGTE Am victory
Davide Rigon, Thomas Flohr and Francesco Castellacci celebrated a conclusive win in the LMGTE Am category at Fuji Speedway.
The No.54 AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE Evo claimed its first win of the 2023 season as it surged to the front in the second half of the race.
Thomas Flohr survived an early contact with the No.33 Corvette Racing Chevrolet C8.R of pole sitter Ben Keating to hand over to teammate Francesco Castellacci in the second hour.
Castellacci was able to hunt down the Iron Dames Porsche 911 RSR 19 and establish the lead before handing over to Davide Rigon who took the checkered flag.
It was the No.54 AF Corse's second victory at Fuji after its 2017 success, and Rigon's first LMGTE Am category win since 2013.
First podium for the #54 AF Corse that crosses the line first and wins in the LMGTE Am class #WEC #6HFuji pic.twitter.com/Zzddrp2pnp
— FIA World Endurance Championship (@FIAWEC) September 10, 2023
The title winning No.33 Corvette Racing Chevrolet Corvette C8.R of Ben Keating, Nicolas Varrone and Nicky Catsburg placed second after eventful race.
Ben Keating collided with Thomas Flohr in the early stages and received a 10-second penalty for the altercation. But strong fuel saving work by Keating and rapid pace of Varrone and Catsburg ensured they took the runners-up position.
This came after the Kessel Racing Ferrari driven by Ritomo Miyata, Takeshi Kimura and Scott Huffaker was penalized post-race for a late full course yellow infraction, which demoted them to third place.
