P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Next year, the FIA World Endurance Championship’s LM GTE class — standing for ‘Grand Touring Endurance’ — will be replaced
The GTE class originated from the GT2 regulations and was used before the establishment of the WEC. Originally, there were two GT classes in ACO competition – GT1 and GT2 – with professional drivers in GT1 and amateurs or lower-ranked drivers in GT2. However, in 2011, due to increasing costs, the ACO decided to discontinue the GT1 class and solely continue with GT2, which was renamed GTE and split into pro and am divisions.
This GTE class was carried forward into the WEC when it started in 2012, alongside LMP1 and LMP2. It has remained in the series ever since and also found a place in American sportscar racing, with the united IMSA Sportscar Series adopting the same regulations for its ‘GTLM’ class.
For the 2016 season, the WEC regulations were updated to make the GTE cars faster than their GT3 counterparts, which they competed against in IMSA, the European Le Mans Series, and the Asian Le Mans Series.
However, in recent years, the GTE Pro class saw a decrease in car numbers, prompting the ACO to announce in 2021 that the class would be replaced in 2024 by a GT3-based class called LMGT3. As a result, GTE Pro was retired after the 2022 season, while GTE Am continued for 2023.
Aston Martin competed in the GTE class throughout its existence in the WEC, from 2012 to 2023, using two different Vantage cars. The first Vantage GTE car, derived from the original Vantage GT2, featured a naturally-aspirated V8 engine and was raced by the factory team. Aston Martin achieved its first GTE class win at Le Mans in 2014 with the “Dane Train” driver lineup. However, the aging Vantage GTE car struggled to secure wins in its later years.
