LM24: GTE-Am - Scuderia Corsa conquers all

The #62 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458 of Bill Sweedler, Townsend Bell and Jeff Segal won the GTE Am division at the 84th 24 Hours of Le Mans in crushing style, lapping all but one of its rivals.

Bell started a lowly ninth of 13 cars but, under the safety car start, was part of a group of Am cars that opted to pit for intermediates as the track dried out and made quiet progress as the Porsche cars dominated the early proceedings.

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But as the majority of those cars fell away from the fight for the lead into the night, Bell – who succeeded teammate Sweedler on Sunday morning – set a devastating pace to catch, overhaul and pull away from the leading #88 Abu Dhabi-Proton Racing Porsche.

“Amazing,” said Bell (right, below). “What a terrific race. The Ferrari was exceptional, and my teammates – Jeff and this guy [Sweedler] was so fast, he was a rocketship out there, an absolute rocketship. Not only did we win, but we won with a margin, which was more than you can ever hope for.”

Further stints from Segal and Sweedler left the Ferrari a lap clear of its rivals by mid-morning, and although the three backed off in each of their final shifts, Segal crossed the line with the best part of three minutes in hand over the second-place car.

The #83 AF Corse team was its closest challenger at the finish and made it a Ferrari 1-2, with 24 Hours veteran Emmanuel Collard charging in his final stint to claim second from the #88 car.

David Heinemeier Hansson faded toward the end in the #88, with he and teammates Patrick Long and Khaled Al Qubaisi finishing a subdued third, having led for much of the race.

The pole-sitting #61 Clearwater Racing Ferrari finished fourth, two laps down, with the Gulf Racing Porsche of Michael Wainright, Adam Carroll andBen Barker completing the top five.

Originally on Autosport.com