Iron Lynx to Run Both Factory Ferraris in Endurance Cup

Iron Lynx will run both factory-backed Ferrari entries in Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Endurance Cup this year, with Alessandro Pier Guidi returning to defend his drivers’ title and Formula 2 runner-up Callum Ilott making his sports car debut.

Iron Lynx has announced a 14-car global race program for 2021 including its GTWC Europe debut plus entries into the FIA World Endurance Championship and the European Le Mans Series, all with Ferrari machinery.

Ferrari expanded to a two-car effort last year run by AF Corse, which earned the Endurance Cup team’s title and delivered the drivers’ championship with Pier Guidi who was the only member of the crew to contest all four rounds of the season.

Pier Guidi will seek to defend his Endurance Cup crown this year sharing the No. 51 Iron Lynx Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020 with Nicklas Nielsen and Come Ledogar.

The sister No. 71 Iron Lynx machine will be driven by Davide Rigon, Antonio Fuoco and Ferrari Formula 1 test driver Ilott.

Nielsen drove alongside Pier Guidi at AF Corse last year but was forced to miss the Paul Ricard 1000km finale due to his focus on clinching the WEC GTE-Am championship on the same weekend.

Ledogar, who earned the GTE-Am pole for last year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, stepped in for the Paul Ricard race and won alongside Blomqvist and title-winner Pier Guidi.

Rigon drove the sister SMP Racing factory Ferrari in the 2020 Endurance Cup but will have two new co-drivers for the upcoming season.

Ilott arrives into GT competition having finished second to Mick Schumacher in last year’s FIA Formula 2 Championship.

The Brit will make his sports car debut alongside another Ferrari Driver Academy member in Fuoco, who is a reigning Italian GT champion. 

Sportscar365 understands that the Iron Lynx cars are the only Pro entries for Ferrari next season, while Prancing Horse entries in the other classes are yet to be announced. 

Legge, Molina Get ELMS Drives

Katherine Legge and Ferrari factory WEC driver Miguel Molina have been named in Iron Lynx’s expanded three-car setup for the ELMS season.

Experienced IMSA competitor Legge will join Rahel Frey and Manuela Gostner in the No. 83 Ferrari 488 GTE Evo, which was one of the two Iron Lynx entries in 2020.

It marks the first adjustment to the all-female ‘Iron Dames’ lineup, which has featured Michelle Gatting in previous European campaigns.

Gatting will continue to share a car with Frey and Gostner in the WEC in addition to a solo Ferrari Challenge Europe program with Iron Lynx.

The No. 80 Iron Lynx Ferrari, which is a new ELMS entry, will be driven by Molina, Matteo Cressoni and reigning Michelin Le Mans Cup champion Rino Mastronardi.

Molina is therefore set to compete in a dual GTE program between the European series and the WEC, which he is contesting with Daniel Serra in Ferrari’s GTE-Pro squad.

The third Iron Lynx ELMS entry is the No. 60 Ferrari for Paolo Ruberti, Claudio Schiavoni and Giorgio Sernagiotto, who has most recently raced for Cetilar Racing in LMP2.

Ruberti and Schiavoni will be joined by Raffaele Giammaria at Le Mans. Andrea Piccini will team up with his WEC teammates Cressoni and Mastronardi while Gostner, Frey and Gatting form the team’s third trio for the French endurance classic.

“We are thrilled to announce details of our most extensive motorsport season to date,” said team principal Piccini, who co-founded Iron Lynx with fellow racer Sergio Piannezola in 2017.

“2020 was an incredibly challenging year for the entire motorsport community around the world so we are delighted to have such a busy year ahead of us.

“After lots of hard work over the winter months, we do believe that our time has come, and this is tomorrow.”