Five podiums, one Pole Position followed by race victory at “Road to Le Mans” and a well-earned third place in both the teams and drivers’ championship – that is Kessel Racing’s record in the 2024 Michelin Le Mans Cup. Two weeks after the season finale at Portimâo, the team is looking back at the highlights of the year.
Former champion Kessel Racing was represented with two Ferrari 296 GT3 with Fran Rueda driving together with Andrew Gilbert in the Swiss team’s starting number 74, whilst David Fumanelli shared the cockpit of the number 12 with Frédéric Jousset.
With a highly competitive championship, nobody knew what to expect for the first round in Spain – and the team went on to take second and fourth place. „The highlight was definitely the first podium at Barcelona after coming back from my injury”, reflects Andrew Gilbert. „We did not expect this result as it was difficult for me. I was racing in a new car, in a new championship alongside the LMP cars, and the podium was a mega start to the season.”
With these two great results, Kessel Racing became one of the main contenders for the top spots – and the Swiss squad did not disappoint. A further podium followed at Paul Ricard with the sister car coming home in fourth place.
Then it was time for „Road to Le Mans” – the race taking place ahead of the famous 24h Le Mans at one of the most prestigious tracks worldwide. The #12 Ferrari took Pole Position in qualifying only to go and win at Le Mans. „It was incredible to win at this iconic place”, says Frenchman Frédéric Jousset, who was also new to the championship in 2024. „The races were always crazy, but that was part of the excitement which you have to expect. But nothing of our successes would have been possible without the incredible David Fumanelli, who made us step on the podium most of the time.”
The Italian-French driver pairing would climb onto the podium two more times, also taking P3 at the season finale at Portimão. “It was great to end the season with a podium”, says David Fumanelli. „I think we showed a very competitive season, finishing in P5 in the championship. The final race was great as I had a crazy lap from the back of the grid going into P1 in class. It was a great feeling and a big thank you goes to my team and Frédéric for a good season.”
It was, however, the sister car with the number 74 that was most consistent over the season, securing a total of four podiums and finishing in third in the GT3 Drivers Championship. „It was our personal goal to finish in the Top-3″, says Fran Rueda. “We could have been a little bit better, as we were unlucky quite a few times. But I am very happy, also for Andrew. When you look back at how he was driving in the first round and as he is now, he is the one that has improved the most. He proofed that in qualifying in Portimão. It was an exciting season, and I am very pleased with the work we were doing together.”