Season Review 2022: the story of autumn

With the arrival of autumn, the GT racing series embarked on their decisive phase, which decides the championship winners. In a year that saw the Prancing Horse collect 29 international titles, the Maranello brand’s cars reaped substantial rewards in the closing months.

October. The farewell to the public for the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup came at the Montmeló circuit in Barcelona. AF Corse took the Pro-Am class team winners’ laurel in the overall standings, while Andrea Bertolini, Louis Machiels and Stefano Costantini, who finished third in Catalonia in the AF Corse 488 GT3 Evo 2020, were crowned Pro-Am drivers champions in the Endurance Cup.

The Prancing Horse sealed two GTD Pro titles in the North American IMSA championship, Endurance Cup, the Petit Le Mans, the final round of the season contested at Road Atlanta. Davide Rigon and Daniel Serra, accompanied for the occasion by James Calado, finished seventh in the 488 GT3 Evo 2020 of Risi Competizione. However, the points won during a long dominated race earned Rigon and Serra the drivers’ title. At the same time, Risi claimed the team winners’ laurel.

November. Feelings travel fast on the Sakhir straights. The 488 GTEs of AF Corse put in a performance not for the fainthearted in the final round of the FIA WEC. Fuoco and Molina climbed the top step of the podium for the first time in the series. Pier Guidi and Calado set out to win a title, risked losing it, but finally claimed the world championship for the second year running. They also handed the Maranello manufacturer another constructors’ title. It was a heart-stopping finale, with Pier Guidi forced to tackle the last part of the race in fifth gear just to pass under the chequered flag.

December. The year ended with a one-two at the 12 Hours of the Gulf in Abu Dhabi, the fourth and final round of the Intercontinental GT Challenge. Antonio Fuoco, Alessandro Pier Guidi and James Calado, in the AF Corse Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020, triumphed on the Yas Marina track after 335 laps, having led for 194. The runner-up spot went to the sister car from the same team driven by Davide Rigon, Alessio Rovera and Nicklas Nielsen. A historic hat trick came in the AM class. Louis and Philippe Prette-Saada-Grunewald claimed the triumph. Having started from fifth, the trio built a final win after a long period of domination. Stanley-Fox-De Meeus-Costantini came second, with Sernagiotto-Cozzi-Hanna-Lancieri third.