Where are they now? Part 2: 2014

LMP2

2014 saw French team Signatech Alpine retain the title they won in 2013.  Nelson Panciatici became a double champion and was joined in the celebration of the 2014 title by Paul Loup Chatin, who had won the LMPC title in 2013 and Britain’s Oliver Webb.

Nelson Panciatici

Panciatici moved up to the World Endurance Championship with the Signatech Alpine team in 2015. He helped to secure the first LMP2 WEC win for the team in Shanghai.  In 2016 he raced for Baxi DC Racing Alpine in the first six races of the WEC season.

Paul Loup Chatin

In 2015, Like Nelson Panciatici, Paul Loup Chatin moved up to the World Endurance Championship with the Signatech Alpine team, taking a win in Shanghai. 2016 saw a return to the ELMS ranks, racing for the new Panis Barthez Competition team.  He also raced in the WEC, replacing Nelson Panciatici for the final three races for Baxi DC Racing Alpine.

Oliver Webb

Oli Webb moved up to the World Endurance Championship competing with Team Sard Morand in LMP2 alongside 2013 ELMS Champion Pierre Ragues.  A season best of second at Spa-Francorchamps helped them to seventh overall. He also took an overall win in the Dubai24 at the start of 2015.  In 2016 Webb moved up to LMP1 racing and developing the Bykolles Racing Team CLM-AER and taking a win in China.

LMGTE

In 2014 the LMGTE class was a hard fought affair that went down to the final race in Portugal.  2013 champion Matt Griffin was racing for AF Corse with Duncan Cameron and Michele Rugolo and took four victories but they were beaten to the title by the SMP Racing Ferrari of 2013 ELMS GTC Champion Victor Shaitar, former FIA GT1 World Champion Andrea Bertolini and Russia’s Sergey Zlobin.

Sergey Zlobin

2014 was a good year for the Russian driver as he also won the FIA World Endurance Championship for LMP2 drivers.  Zlobin didn’t compete in 2015 or 2016 and is now involved with SMP Racing in a managerial role.

Viktor Shaitar

In 2015 Shaitar switched to the LMGTE Am category in the WEC driving with Aleksey Basov and Andrea Bertolini.  They swept to the world title with victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Germany and the USA.  In 2016 Shaitar moved back to LMP2, the highlight of the season being a podium finish at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.  However, a third title in four years was added to Viktor Shaitar’s CV when he and Aleksey Basov secured the inaugural Michelin GT3 Le Mans Cup Series Drivers’ title with four wins from five races.

Andrea Bertolini

The Italian took the LMGTE Am WEC title and 24 Hours of Le Mans class win with Viktor Shaitar in 2015.  In 2016 he moved to the ELMS with the JMW Motorsport team, racing with Rory Butcher and Rob Smith.  Finished the season as LMGTE Vice Champions after technical problems forced them out of the final race in Portugal after winning three times.

GTC

After dominating in 2013, SMP Racing returned in 2014 to defend their title.  Anton Ladygin, David Markozov and Olivier Beretta scored 5 podiums in 5 races to finish 15.5 points ahead of their nearest rivals.

Anton Ladygin

Ladygin moved up to LMP2 with SMP Racing in 2015 racing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with brother Kirill and Mikhail Aleshin.  He also competed in the first three races of the 2015 ELMS season in the AF Corse branded LMP2 with his brother and Aleshin, scoring a podium finish in Austria.  Anton Ladygin didn’t compete in 2016.

David Markozov

Markozov also moved up to LMP2 in 2015 competing at Le Mans in the SMP Racing BR01 with Nicolas Minassian and Maurizio Mediani.  The trio also competed in the ELMS that year finishing 8^th overall in the standings. Markozov returned to the WEC for one race in 2016 with Minassian and Mediani but didn’t reach the chequered flag.

Olivier Beretta

Former FIA GT, American Le Mans Series Champion and six times 24 Hours of Le Mans class winner Olivier Beretta added the ELMS GTC title to his impressive CV in 2014. In 2015 the Monegasque finished 2^nd in the Pirelli World Challenge GT Class and competed at the 24 Hours of Le Mans for AF Corse in the LMGTE Pro class finishing second alongside James Calado and Davide Rigon.  In 2016 he took part in the GTLM class in the WeatherTech Sportscar Championship in the US.