FIA WEC, 6 Hours of Shanghai - Wrapping That One Up - GTE Pro

It may not have been overburdened with numbers of cars but GTE Pro never failed to entertain, and the season finale was no exception.

The development work undertaken by Aston Martin Racing, coupled with a regulatory leg up from the ACO transformed the Vantage GT2 from a fast but fragile beast to the almost ironclad racehorse that became the Vantage GTE.

The race win in Shanghai has been long coming and was, in the end, a dominant performance that might just launch another golden age for AMR.

2012 form might just transfer into 2013 growth, GTE badly needs that to happen and there could barely be a prettier and better sounding beast to deliver it!

Shanghai though saw the Aston finally cash in on all the various tweaks and waivers designed to create a real competitor – The opposition, today at least, had no answer to it and to a peerless display from Messrs Mucke and Turner.

Second on the day, but probably the saddest story post season, was the #77 Team Felbermayr Proton Porsche – Marc Lieb and Richard Lietz delivered their customarily classy attack but unlike Fuji a fortnight ago it wasn’t nearly enough here.

The truth, delivered privately by those that should know, is that the 997 GT3 RSR simply wasn’t the full package it needs to be in the current GTE company, close but no cigar and, it seems, even Porsche have accepted that, The Felbermayr Proton programme is one of the more high profile casualties of the factory’s decision to cease development of the current car – It seems doubtful that there will be a Porsche presence in GTE Pro in the WEC in 2013  

The Ferrari attack on the WEC was relentless from the start – But a three car GTE Pro attack was blunted when the Luxury racing team folded.

That left a two car effort from the AF Corse squad, a team for whom the phrase ‘factory backed’ seems ideally suited.

Too often though the Beretta/ Bertolini #71 car has been too far away from the required pace, only at Sebring did we see it really challenge.  A distant third place here was probably a neat encapsulation of their season – Not quite enough, too many mistakes (particularly by Olivier Beretta) AF Corse will want a more solid prospect for their back up car in 2013.

That said the #71 car scored valuable points in helping to secure both the GT Manufacturers and GTE Pro team titles.  There was little doubt though that the #51 car of Bruni and Fisichella was the ‘daddy’

Utterly dominant on its day(s) with great speed and unmatched fuel economy, at least until the ACO reeled in that advantage in the latter part of the season.  The titles were secured early enough for a troubled run and late retirement here not to be a real problem.  A thrown alternator belt and an oil leak (a stray metal fragment pierced an oil line) finished their season with a whimper – But with 4 wins in the year, including Le Mans, the team will still go away thinking ‘Mission Accomplished’

AF Corse will be back next year too – Good news for the fans, race lovers and all lovers of things Italian – Bad news for the opposition.