Jonny Edgar carved his name into the history books by sweeping to a memorable LMGT3 drivers title, even as the Manthey Porsche machine of Yasser Shahin, Riccardo Pera, and Richard Lietz claimed a stunning double victory to close out the campaign. It was an absolute nail-biter for the TF Sport Corvette squad, particularly after Ben Keating picked up a penalty in the second hour for a Virtual Safety Car infraction that dumped the #33 car entirely out of the points positions.
Thankfully for the team, a flurry of penalties for their rivals and some blistering stints from Edgar clawed the Corvette back up the order through the mid-phase of the race to secure the LMGT3 world championship. TF Sport also captured the teams crown, adding a gorgeous new trophy to their 2022 WEC LMGTE Am title.
The opening hours of the race were absolute chaos. Proton Competition Ford Mustangs and Akkodis ASP Lexus squads diced fiercely for the lead before hitting trouble. Eric Powell jumped the pole-sitting #78 Lexus in the #77 Ford Mustang after five laps, but both cars quickly bled time to penalties. Powell copped two drive-throughs for track limits, while Tom Van Rompuy collected a pair of VSC infringements.
That drama briefly handed the lead to the #87 Akkodis ASP Lexus before Giammarco Levorato muscled the #88 Proton Ford Mustang to the front—despite an earlier power over use penalty. Meanwhile, Clemens Schmid was forced to park his Lexus out on track after flying debris punched through the radiator and sent temperatures skyrocketing.
The race flipped entirely during the fourth Virtual Safety Car period. The two title protagonists—the #92 The Bend Manthey Porsche and the #33 TF Sport Corvette—caught a massive break as the only entries yet to pit, launching them straight into first and second positions. Not content to sit back, Ben Tuck unleashed a spectacular charge in the #77 Proton Ford Mustang, lunging past the Porsche to snatch the lead back in the fifth hour.
Any lingering hopes for the American-entered machine vanished when Sebastien Priaulx tangled with the #7 Toyota, forcing the damaged Ford Mustang into the garage for repairs. That pivotal collision handed the initiative to the #92 Porsche, driven by Richard Lietz—marking his 100th WEC race in style—as he drove it home to take the chequered flag just 0.270 seconds clear of a flying #23 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage, where Eduardo Barrichello put in another standout performance alongside Gray Newell and Jonny Adam.
Yet when all was said and done, the absolute center of attention was the third-placed finisher. Edgar, Keating, and Catsburg crossed the line to seal the championship, adding yet another glowing chapter to the resume of a brilliant WEC young ace.
