WEC: Charles Pozzi is Back on Track

The legendary name of Charles Pozzi returns in the premier class of endurance. Charles Pozzi, who was the historic importer of Ferrari in France, becomes a partner of the third hypercar 499P, alongside the team AF Corse. A new chapter of a glorious history is being written with legitimate ambitions.

AF Corse, an Italian team led by Amato Ferrari, presents the Ferrari 499P hypercar that the team will field in the FIA World Championship. As a significant event, this car, bearing the number 83 and featuring a specific yellow and red livery, will be entered with the partnership of Charles Pozzi.

"It is a tremendous joy and a great pride to be part of this project with AF Corse. Racing is a second nature for the Charles Pozzi Group. It is part of our DNA, and it brings dynamics to our expertise and services. Charles Pozzi, racing with Ferrari, have marked important milestones in the history of motorsport. The story continues. We are going to write a new chapter of this beautiful sporting adventure, supported by authentic family values, a strong team spirit, but also a perpetual taste for innovation and exceeding limits," said Eric Neubauer, president of the Charles Pozzi Group, rejoicing in the radiance of this partnership. "In the past, Charles Pozzi has provided Ferrari with great moments and numerous victories in endurance races. With this new partnership, we are going further and will now give it an international aura, by taking part in the entire championship," he emphasized.

The prologue of the season will be held in Qatar on February 24 and 25, 2024, paving the way for eight promising races, from Imola to Bahrain, passing through Spa-Francorchamps, the United States of America, or Japan. Not to forget, of course, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, on June 15 and 16.

Charles Pozzi has made a notable return to racing since 2021, especially with the two World Champion titles in the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli, won by Thomas Neubauer driving a car from the Charles Pozzi GT Racing team. Notably recognized for his performances at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Thomas Neubauer is now an official Ferrari factory driver.

"In addition to the other international rounds of the World Endurance Championship (WEC), coming back to the track at Le Mans will naturally have a special flavor for Charles Pozzi, since we are established there with a dealership dedicated to Ferrari, and it is also at Le Mans where the most glorious episodes of the victorious association with Ferrari took place between 1969 and 2003," recalls Eric Neubauer, president of the Charles Pozzi Group, with enthusiasm.

Charles Pozzi, the French version of the Ferrari adventure 

The name Charles Pozzi is inseparably linked to the world of racing, and particularly to endurance races.

Being a driver himself, Carlo Alberto Pozzi successfully engaged in competition from 1946. A visionary, the French driver also boldly developed the distribution of prestige vehicles and, in 1953, he became the ambassador of Ferrari in France.

Bound by friendship with Enzo Ferrari and his entourage, he was the first importer of the brand in France, he decided, at the turn of the 70s, to make the Italian manufacturer's name shine on the circuits through the Pozzi team. This approach is comparable to the initiatives taken by Luigi Chinetti in the United States with his team North American Racing Team (NART), and by Jacques Swaters with the Francorchamps team in Belgium.

Thanks to his determination, sportsmanship, and relying over the years on an organization and logistics without fail, the Pozzi team went from success to success, at Le Mans as in the Tour de France automobile and the Tour de Corse. The greatest drivers of the era, including Jean-Claude Andruet, Jean-Pierre Jabouille, or Jean Alesi, distinguished themselves at the wheel of the Ferrari 365 GTB/4 "Daytona" then the 512 BB/LM, the 308 GTB Group 4, the F 40 LM, and the 348 Challenge entered by the Pozzi team. Unforgettable.

A living heritage, this fabulous legacy continues to regenerate. This is why the Charles Pozzi Group, led by Eric and Armelle Neubauer, is today once again committing alongside AF Corse in the WEC by supporting the Ferrari 499P number 83.

With Ferrari, a new tricolor adventure can begin for Charles Pozzi.