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Vilander to Sub for Bird at Nürburgring

Toni Vilander to sub for Sam Bird at 6H Nürburgring…

Photo: Ferrari

Toni Vilander has been confirmed as Sam Bird’s replacement for next month’s Six Hours of Nürburgring, with the Finn set for his return to a regular-season FIA World Endurance Championship race.

Vilander, who won the 2014 WEC drivers’ title and competed full-time in the series from 2012-2015, will team up with Davide Rigon in the No. 71 AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE, which currently sits third in the GTE-Pro championship chase.

Bird is unable to take part in the fourth round of the season due to his Formula E commitments, with a double-header round in New York City taking place on the same weekend.

“I’m happy to be able to return to the FIA WEC with the 488 GTE of AF Corse team,” Vilander said. “This is my chance to cancel the disappointment of the 24 Hours of Le Mans as soon as possible.

“Car number 71 is in the top places of the championship standings, and I will give all I have to achieve the best possible result at Nürburgring, to help Ferrari in the manufacturers’ championship and Davide Rigon in the drivers’ ranking.”

Vilander is coming off a challenging last few weeks, with his No. 82 Risi Competizione Ferrari having crashed out at Le Mans and Risi announcing plans to skip at least the next three IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship races due to funding issues.

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John

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