WEC LMGT3 Grades - penultimate report card before season finale

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We know you've already caught our WEC grading recap on the Hypercar class from earlier this week, now it's time to cover the LMGT3 class and hand out grades for the teams that have put in work for the inaugural season of this new WEC GT structure. 

The drivers' title is already wrapped up courtesy of Manthey PureRxcing, but there's still plenty to fight for with Bahrain left to go come November 2, never mind the other batch of teams that'll be looking to put a challenging season behind them and finish 2024 on a high note before turning the page to 2025.


A+ - Manthey PureRxcing

An absolute banger of a season for the Lithuanian outfit. A P2 finish at Fuji wrapped up the LMGT3 title a race ahead of schedule. Two wins, 5 total podium finishes and a drivers' title is nothing short of A+ material for these guys. I said it in the blog a few weeks ago, but there's just something about a Porsche 911 holding the title of world champion that feels right, no? The Manthey group have a long track record of success behind them and now they're adding another WEC title to their trophy case.

A - Manthey EMA, Team WRT, Heart of Racing

The A grades go to the teams still in contention for a podium finish in the season-long battle. Manthey EMA (90 points) sit P2 in the standings, and if it wasn't for four finishes outside of the points they would've been much closer to their sister car in the fight for the title. They're season was a roller coaster when you break it down - either they won the race or finished about 14th in class (15th/16th/1st/1st/12th/3rd/14th). That 1st place finish at Le Mans is the obvious standout. Team WRT (85 points) also have a win to their name from Imola and crossed the line P10 at Fuji. The last team that could finish either 2nd or 4th is everyone's favorite, the Heart of Racing (83 points). They followed up their COTA victory with a P9 finish at Fuji, and for their first year in the international circuit it's hard to ask for much more than at least having a punchers chance at securing a top-three finish with a race to go. 

B - Vista AF Corse, D'station Racing

The only other manufacturer to pull off a race victory in 2024, AF Corse were rewarded for their persistence when the No. 54 came out on top in Fuji for the second-straight season after dealing with a pair of retirements previously in the campaign. The No. 55 has been much more consistent with six points-scoring finishes out of seven races and they'll likely stay right where they are in P5 in the standings when all is said and done. D'Station have been sneaky consistent all year with a P3 finish in Qatar serving as their best result of the season to go along with five other top-10 finishes and only one race retirement, which came at COTA. 

C - Iron Dames, Untied Autosports, Proton Competition

The Iron Dames have run strong in 2024 but run into trouble at seemingly the worst times possible. Crossing the line fifth in Japan is great, which goes along with two other top-five finishes, but it's hard to believe that the Dames haven't been able to turn their efforts into a podium finish or a race victory yet. The No. 59 United McLaren have three 4th place finishes themselves, also falling just short of a podium result. Meanwhile the No. 95 did manage to secure a P3 finish in Brasil and has two other top 10 finishes on the stat sheet, one of those being P8 in Fuji. Again, solid overall. For the Proton Fords, their P3 accomplishment at Le Mans is easily the highlight for the team so far this season, while the No. 77 has four top 10 finishes themselves. Figuring out the first year of the GT3 Mustang has gone well, not incredible, not disastrous, but well. 

D - TF Sport, Akkodis ASP Team, Iron Lynx

It's been a season of struggles for the three teams grading out with a D. Starting with TF Sport, they've had to navigate the potholes of learning a brand new racing machine, but a P4 finish at Fuji for the No. 81 is something to build on. Akkodis welcomed the RC F to the WEC for the first time and have been met with plenty of pain, especially for the No. 87 as it currently sits dead last in the standings. The No. 78 has fared better with three top-10 finishes and a respectable P6 result at Le Mans. For the Iron Lynx, a lone P3 finish at Spa is the only source of points so far this season as their average finishing position per race comes out to a 12.6. It's hard to figure out what the Lynx are running into besides just an unreliable Lamborghini, could it have something to do with the Evo 2 just not being up to par? Possibly. Since being introduced in 2022 the Huracán GT3 EVO 2 has struggled to log race wins alongside other manufacturers, and 2024 has been no different in that regard.  


(photo credit - dailysportscar.com)

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