WEC season 10: 6 Hours of Monza 2022 LMGTE PRO Race

Surprise first victory of the season for #64 Corvette C8.R

The LMGTE PRO race was also full of twists and turns between the three manufacturers: Chevrolet Corvette, Ferrari and Porsche.

📷 © Luc Warnotte: start of 6 Hours of Monza 2022.

Tandy started from front row but ceded the position in the first corner. Both AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE Evo took the lead ahead of Corvette C8.R #64.

The two Porsche 911 RSR-19 had to follow as we were suggesting in our last qualification report.

📷 © Luc Warnotte at 6 Hours of Monza 2022: Ferrari and Porsche squads.

#64 Corvette C8.R was sticking to the two Ferrari’s increasing distance with the two Porsches

📷 © Luc Warnotte at 6 Hours of Monza 2022: Ferrari #52 takes the lead.

After 17’, #52 Ferrari took the lead from #51 who pitted at the beginning of the first FCY.

📷 © Luc Warnotte at 6 Hours of Monza 2022: #51 Ferrari takes the lead

7 laps later #52 pitted and came back on track in P5 with #51 taking the lead back. Corvette C8.R #64 was second, with the two Porsches that were stuck to the American car.

📷 © Luc Warnotte at 6 Hours of Monza 2022: Ferrari #51 back on fourth.

A couple of laps later, Ferrari #52 was back in fourth after passing Porsche #91

📷 © Luc Warnotte at 6 Hours of Monza 2022: Ferrari #52 takes over both Porsche.

📷 © Luc Warnotte at 6 Hours of Monza 2022: Corvette #64 keep P2..

In 4 laps Ferrari #52 had passed the two Porsche. Corvette C8.R #64 would keep P2 for 23 laps. Early in the second hour of racing #52 Ferrari would take P2 again.

📷 © Luc Warnotte at 6 Hours of Monza 2022: Porsche #92 takes P3.

After 1 hour 30’ Porsche #92 passed Corvette #64 for P3 who had a long stop in pit.

📷 © Luc Warnotte at 6 Hours of Monza 2022: Porsche #91.

At lap 81, close to mid-race, Porsche #91 was taking the lead in favor of a staggered pit stop when the four other class contenders pitted under a safety car triggered by the Henrique Chaves #33 TF Sport crash.

When #91 pitted 12 laps later, the ranking saw the two Ferrari leading in front of the Corvette C8.R and the two Porsche. We were at mid-race, and each driver in the class was fully dedicated to attacking very heavily the curbs.

After four hours of racing, all LMGTE PRO cars were up again for a new round of pit stops. At Porsche, Kevin Estre was ready and took over from Michael Christensen. A bit later Gianmaria Bruni was taking over from Frederic Makowiecki.

📷 © Luc Warnotte at 6 Hours of Monza 2022: Ferrari #51 hit by penalty.

In the penultimate hour, the then leading #51 Ferrari of Alessandro Pier Guidi and James Calado was hit with a five-second stop/go penalty for failing to transfer data from their car after a pitstop.

📷 © Luc Warnotte at 6 Hours of Monza 2022: Ferrari #52

With 90 minutes to go, Fuoco and Miguel Molina with sister #52 Ferrari inherited the lead in front of Corvette C8.R #64. #51 Ferrari was dropping in P4, one lap, behind Porsche #92.

📷 © Luc Warnotte at 6 Hours of Monza 2022: With 67 minutes to go, the Corvette Racing team made a full tank of fuel during the last full-course caution period.

📷 © Luc Warnotte at 6 Hours of Monza 2022: Porsche #92.

A drive-through penalty for the #92 car at lap 165 dropped Estre and Michael Christensen to fourth, ahead of the sister #91 Porsche 911 RSR-19 of Gianmaria Bruni and Frederic Makowiecki.

📷 © Luc Warnotte at 6 Hours of Monza 2022: Ferrrari #51.

But Kevin Estre was not giving up and we saw a tough battle with multiple contacts between #52 Ferrari and #92 Porsche which ended to the advantage of the Ferrari ending in P3.

📷 © Luc Warnotte at 6 Hours of Monza 2022: Corvette Racing smart strategy ends with a win.

During the last 40 minutes, Tandy put pressure on the leading #52 still saving fuel to get to the finish without another stop. The strategy paid off. As Tandy admitted during the press conference, he was ready to end second and was astonished when both Ferraris peeled off into the pitlane for a splash-and-dash with 2 laps to go.

📷 © Luc Warnotte at 6 Hours of Monza 2022: Corvette Racing win the race.

📷 © Luc Warnotte at 6 Hours of Monza 2022: Milner-Tandy win the race.

Corvette Racing got their first win in the WEC championship with Milner and Tandy.

It is the first WEC win for Milner in Monza. Since both Tandy and Milner did not mark any point at Le Mans due to their DNF, they remain sixth in the 2022 FIA World Endurance Drivers Championship for LMGTE Drivers.

📷 © Luc Warnotte at 6 Hours of Monza 2022: Ferrari #52 ends P2.

📷 © Luc Warnotte at 6 Hours of Monza 2022: Bruni keeps P2 in Drivers Championship.

📷 © Luc Warnotte @ 6 Hours of Monza 2022.

Both Ferrari ended on the podium with #52 second - driven by Fuoco and Miguel Molina - and #51 of Alessandro Pier Guidi and James Calado third but remain first in the 2022 FIA World Endurance Drivers Championship for LMGTE Drivers, albeit only for 1 point ahead of Gianmaria Bruni.

📷 © Luc Warnotte at 6 Hours of Monza 2022: Kevin Estre and Michael Christensen are third in the championship, one point behind Gianmaria Bruni.