8Star Confirms Driver Lineup in GTE-Am

Photo: John Dagys

After winning the GTE-Am teams’ championship last year, 8Star Motorsports will return to the FIA World Endurance Championship in defense of its title, with a revised lineup for its Ferrari F458 Italia.

Team owner Enzo Potolicchio will be joined for the entire eight-round championship by Paolo Ruberti and Gianluca Roda. The Italian duo move over from Proton Competition’s Porsche outfit to join the AF Corse-run operation.

Potolicchio, who took top LMP2 class honors in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2012, satisfies the ACO’s new requirement of a Bronze-rated driver in each GTE-Am lineup, while former Porsche Cup winner Roda will be the designated Silver driver.

“Not many drivers have had the opportunity to win the World Championship two years in a row,” Potolicchio said. “The goal of repeating the victory achieved in 2012 Le Mans was cut short by a punctured tire after we were having a great weekend. For 2014, we have set our eyes on winning the 24 hours of Le Mans and repeating the team’s championship.”

8Star is the only U.S.-backed effort in the FIA WEC this year, and the only team representing North or South America, for that matter, after both Krohn Racing and Pecom Racing elected not to continue in the championship.

John Dagys

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