Sam Bird is set to return to AF Corse GTE Pro ranks for the FIA WEC races at Sebring and Le Mans towards the end of the current season.
This news was confirmed at the sixth annual Ferrari Competizioni GT awards ceremony yesterday, held at the Ferrari Style Centre in Maranello.
Bird will drive the #71 488 GTE EVO with full-season drivers Davide Rigon and Miguel Molina (who took over from Bird in the full-time #71 seat for the 19-20 season). Bird stepped away from a full-time role at AF Corse in the WEC due to clashes with his FIA Formula E Championship programme.
The awards ceremony (presented by two-time GT World Challenge America Champion Toni Vilander) where this news was revealed, saw more than 40 Ferrari ‘stars’ take the stage and receive awards and recognition for their achievements in 2019.
Among those receiving awards were:
– Luzich Racing for its title-winning ELMS campaign.
– Toni Vilander for his title with R. Ferri in Blancpain World Challenge America.
– Andrea Bertolini and Louis Machiels for their victory in the Blancpain GT World Challenge Europe in the Pro-Am class.
– Florian Scholze and Wolfgang Triller for the Am class title won with HB Racing in World Challenge Europe.
– Stephen Earle, for his third consecutive Iron class triumph in the Blancpain GT Sports Club.
– Sergio Pianezzola and Giacomo Piccini were regognised for retaining their Le Mans Cup title.
– 24H Series team Scuderia Praha, with Jiri Pisarik collected a prize on behalf of his 488 GT3 Josef Kral and Matteo Malucelli.
– Jean-Paul Pagny, Jean Bernard Bouvet and Thierry Perrier, winners of the Ultimate Cup.
– Bjorn Grossmann, received an award for victory in the SPX class of the German VLN series, held exclusively on the Nordschleife.
– Christian Hook, Manuel Lauck, Alexander Mattschull and Hendrik Still together with Michele Rinaldi had their Am class triumph in the Spa 24 celebrated.
– Mikkel Mac and Fabien Lavergne for their one-two in the Road to Le Mans with Luzich Racing.
– Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado and Daniel Serra were handed prizes for class wins at the Le Mans 24 Hours and Petit Le Mans joined by Giuseppe Risi from Risi Competizione.
