Several remarkable winning duos have earned legendary status at the 24 Hours: Olivier Gendebien/Phil Hill (three wins), Jacky Ickx/Derek Bell (three) and Henri Pescarolo/Gérard Larrousse (two), for example. Others have marked the history of endurance racing in general, like Pedro Rodríguez/Jackie Oliver in the early 1970s without ever winning Le Mans. Through their exceptional success in recent years in LMGTE Pro, James Calado and Alessandro Pier Guidi have won an enviable place in the circle of "winners all classes considered" at the race.

The Anglo-Italian pair is also symbolic of a current trend in GT consisting of making the most of the interrelation between career paths. Calado hails from single-seaters (Formula Renault, GP3 and GP2, predecessors of the current FIA Formula 2 and Formula 3 championships), whereas Pier Guidi is a product of GT competitions through and through.

After serving as a test driver in Formula 1 with Force India – later Racing Point and now Aston Martin – in 2013, Calado moved to the FIA World Endurance Championship the following year and joined AF Corse and Ferrari. First teamed up with Italian driver Davide Rigon, he also rubbed shoulders with Gianmaria Bruni, one of the world's preeminent GT experts, already a three-time class winner at Le Mans with Ferrari (2008, 2009 and 2012). James Calado: "Working with Gimmi was valuable because I learned very much from the old guy of GT racing. Gimmi and Alessandro both are talented drivers and typically Italian guys."

"Alessandro and I are equal in terms of experience"

Alessandro Pier Guidi: "James and I first raced together in 2016 in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and Gimmi was still there at that time." Sadly, the trio was forced to retire for Bruni's last 24 Hours with Ferrari. Once he left for Porsche the following year, AF Corse tweaked its driver line-ups and put Calado and Pier Guidi together in the #51 Ferrari.

Calado: "Alessandro and I are equal in terms of experience." The Brit and his Italian teammate joined AF Corse in the FIA WEC the same year, in 2014. Pier Guidi: "It is nice teaming up with James, we have more or less the same driving style, we have the same requests with the engineers. When you share the car with another driver, you have to find someone who has quite a similar driving style, and also the same relationship with the engineers, it is always some kind of compromise. There is no compromise needed between James and myself when we are driving the same car."

"...with James, we have more or less the same driving style, we have the same requests with the engineers"

Together they have become one of the top duos in GT and endurance racing with two LMGTE Pro victories at Le Mans (with Brazilian driver Daniel Serra in 2019 and Frenchman Côme Ledogar in 2021, respectively), nine additional wins in the FIA WEC and three GT driver world titles (2017, 2021 and 2022). They have shared so many great memories and successes that Pier Guidi feels a definite sense of accomplishment. Pier Guidi: "I never thought of having such a record with so many wins and titles when I started teaming up with James. Anyway, I do not think of our record that much, I just try to do my best at every race and see what happens."

Will Calado and Pier Guidi add to their brilliant track record by moving into the Hypercar class? After the recent presentation of the Ferrari 499P, the most anticipated upcoming announcement is that of its six drivers. Between veteran GT drivers and talent from single-seaters, "we have a lot of drivers," says AF Corse team manager Battistino Pregliasco with an enigmatic smile. Pier Guidi: "For us, a class victory is as important as an overall victory. In 2023, Ferrari will be able to battle for the overall victory, which will be even more exciting. It’s no secret that everyone of us at Ferrari would love to race the Hypercar next year, but only six of us will be driving it! If I drive it, it will be great and if not, I’ll keep going with the GT cars."

PHOTOS (Copyright - ACO Archives): LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, 24 HOURS OF LE MANS. From top to bottom: the chequered flag at Alessandro Pier Guidi and James Calado's first LMGTE Pro win in 2016; in addition to two LMGTE Pro victories, Calado also finished second in the class in 2020 and 2022; the podium at the Anglo-Italian duo's second class win in 2021 with (from left to right) Battistino Pregliasco (AF Corse Ferrari team manager), Côme Ledogar, Calado and Pier Guidi.