2022 LMGTE Am Review: TF Sport's Golden Season

The 2022 FIA World Endurance Championship saw the biggest and best ever LMGTE Am campaign in its decade long history, with the level of competition and quality of racing perfectly reflected this popular and intensely completive category.

It was a season in which Aston Martin reigned supreme after its Vantage GTE took a 50% win rate over the course of the season, as eventual champions TF Sport claimed two triumphs, including a title defining Le Mans win, and a Northwest AMR victory at the season opening 1000 Miles of Sebring encounter.

That success came after a dominant display at Sebring in March, when Paul Dalla Lana, Nicki Thiim and WEC newcomer David Pittard claimed maximum points.

It was a fantastic drive by all three but the win also had some fortune, as Nicki Thiim did not complete his mandatory drive-time but was saved by a red flag after a local storm hit the Floridian track.

After the race Pittard was effusive in his praise for Dalla Lana, saying: “The Northwest AMR boys gave me an amazing car and probably one of the best race cars I've ever driven.

“Paul (Dalla Lana) did an amazing first stint again and to be fair he did a lot of hard work there and took a lot of the pressure off of me.”

Taking a solid second and making it a perfect day at Sebring for Aston Martin was the TF Sport crew of Ben Keating, Marco Sorensen and Florian Latorre.

Latorre was replaced after this event by Henrique Chaves who made his mark by instantly gelling with the team.

This contributed to a superb run at Le Mans where he, Keating and Sorensen took control of the class in the second half as the race developed.

“12 hours into the race I didn’t think we had a chance, “confessed a delighted Keating after that race.

“I back-loaded all of my drive time and when I got out after a triple stint with an hour and a half left I couldn’t believe we had an 80-second lead and that’s when I start to go ‘whoosh’ we might have a chance here.”

That result put TF Sport firmly on the front foot in the points standings. But if they thought it would be a stroll to the crown they were mistaken.

Prior to Le Mans, the Dempsey Proton Racing Porsche 911 RSR of Harry Tincknell, Christian Ried and Sebastian Priaulx took a masterful tactical win at the TotalEnergies 6 Hours of Spa.

It was Tincknell who capitalised on a late full course yellow and a clever fuel and tyre strategy to claim the first of two wins for the No.77 crew.

They followed that up with another excellent performance at Monza in July when they overcame the sensational pole sitting Iron Dames Ferrari trio of Rahel Frey, Michelle Gatting and Sarah Bovy.

Along with the close racing at the Autodromo, there also came a big fright!

Just as Henrique Chaves exited the pits and looked to be contributing to another big points haul for TF Sport, the sky-blue Aston Martin veered out of control entering the Roggia Chicane after a brake issue.

The resulting accident was exacerbated by one of the so-called ‘sausage kerbs’ in the run-off area and the Portuguese ace emerged unscathed from the resulting flip, but it meant the TF Sport crew’s points lead was chipped into by their rivals.

But the hero-to-zero-to hero again summer for TF Sport continued at Fuji Speedway when they completed a second win of the season. It turned out to be a decisive victory in the championship campaign, and one in which Keating, Sorensen and Chaves pulled off a conclusive win.

It all meant that at the final race in the Bapco 8 Hours of Bahrain they could afford to play the percentage game. This they did to an extent, and their fourth place was more than enough to seal the title deal.

Making it three wins for Porsche and Aston Martin apiece in Bahrain over the course of the season was the Team Project 1 crew of Matteo Cairoli, Nicholas Leutwiler and Mikkel Pedersen.

Their season had promised a huge amount, with Cairoli usually topping free practice sessions, but some bad luck and troubled races with retirements at Sebring and Le Mans, making a title bid impossible.

One of the standout stories of the 2022 season was the form of the Iron Dames Ferrari trio. They put in some superb performances, especially in the final three rounds at Monza, Fuji and Bahrain.

Two pole positions, set by Bovy, and a trio of podium positions in those three final rounds showcased excellent drives by all three drivers.

Bovy’s pole position at Monza ensured that she became the first female racer in WEC history to achieve such a feat .

Otherwise, it was generally a disappointing season for Ferrari entrants, although some strong performances came the way of the No.54 AF Corse Ferrari which was raced by former Super GT and Super Formula champion Nick Cassidy, along with Francesco Castellacci and Thomas Flohr.

LMGTE Am will be back as the sole GTE category in 2023. But one thing is for sure, the action and the intensity of competition will be just as strong, if not strong than it was this season.