Callum Ilott, piloto del #12 JOTA Porsche 963, expresó su alegría al conseguir un segundo lugar en su debut en la carrera de Hypercar en el Campeonato Mundial de Resistencia de la FIA, en Qatar, con 1812 km. Junto a sus compañeros de equipo Will Stevens y Norman Nato, Ilott aseguró el primer podio de Hypercar del equipo en Qatar, marcando su primera carrera en esta categoría. Ilott, de 25 años, afirmó: «Estoy extremadamente satisfecho con nuestro segundo lugar en general, lo que también nos sitúa como el principal equipo ‘privado’ en la clasificación del Campeonato Mundial de Hypercar de la FIA. El equipo Hertz Team JOTA hizo un trabajo excepcional y fue un placer trabajar con ellos. Hicieron mi debut en Hypercar muy fácil, y mis compañeros de equipo Norman [Nato] y Will [Stevens] fueron rápidos y se desempeñaron admirablemente. Llegamos a Qatar con un coche fantástico, gracias al arduo trabajo de JOTA durante el invierno. Nuestro Porsche demostró consistentemente un gran rendimiento desde el inicio de los entrenamientos después del prólogo, durante el cual lideramos dos sesiones.»
Before competing in Qatar, Ilott’s only participation in the WEC was in the 2021 24 Hours of Le Mans, where he finished third in the GTE Am class for Iron Lynx. During his first qualifying attempt in the Porsche #12, he secured a spot in the top-10 of the Hyperpole and ended up qualifying in third position, with a fastest lap time of 1:39.511. Reflecting on his performance, Ilott commented: «I managed to set the third fastest time in the Hyperpole qualifying session, securing a starting position on the second row. It was a good result for the team. I believe there was potential for a slightly better time, but considering it was my first qualifying session in a hypercar, I am satisfied with the result. The race itself was incredibly long and challenging. We executed our strategy perfectly, maintaining a solid pace and taking a different approach from our competitors by extending our stints. Our efforts paid off. Through great teamwork and strategic decisions, I managed to close in on the car that was in second place in the final laps. Unfortunately for them, their car stopped on the penultimate lap.»
After nearly 10 hours of racing in Qatar, their second place propelled them to the top of the Hypercar Teams World Championship standings, surpassing the Ferrari #83 AF Corse 499P, the Porsche #99 Proton Competition, and their sister car, the #38 JOTA. The next stage of the championship will take place in Imola, a six-hour event scheduled for April 21st. Ilott commented: «Now, let’s see what Imola has in store for us. It’s a track I am familiar with, as I raced there in Formula 3 in 2016. I don’t believe it has changed much since then. We will all give our best to further extend our lead in the championship.»
