Toni Markus Vilander(born 25 July 1980) is aFinnishprofessional racing driver who currently drives for theRisi CompetizioneFerrariteam in various categories ofsports car racing.
| Toni Vilander | |
|---|---|
 Vilander in 2016 | |
| Nationality |  Finnish |
| Born | 25 July 1980 Kankaanpää,Finland |
| Racing licence |  FIA Platinum |
| 24 Hours of Le Manscareer | |
| Years | 2008,2010– |
| Teams | AF Corse Risi Competizione |
| Best finish | 13th(2011) |
| Class wins | 2(2012,2014) |
After a single-seater career which reached the level of theGP2 Seriesin2005,Vilander switched to GT racing. He has had numerous successes withAF Corse,winning the2012and201424 Hours of Le Mansraces in the LMGTE Pro class, as well as theFIA World Endurance Cupfor GT Drivers in2014and also the GT2 class championship of theFIA GT Championshipin2007and2008.
Career
editBorn inKankaanpää,Vilander started racing karts at the age of five, winning the Junior A class of the Finnish Karting Championship in 1995, and both theGermanandOceanicchampionships in 1999. He then upgraded toopen-wheel carsin 2001. By 2004, he was competing inItalian Formula 3with theColoniteam, and upgraded toItalian Formula 3000in 2005, as well as competing in theItalian GTseries.
However, trouble was brewing in theColoniGP2team, as lead driverGianmaria Brunihad a row and left mid-season. Vilander got the call-up from Coloni to be Bruni's temporary substitute and competed in the Italian and Belgian rounds of the championship. He proved a competent midfield runner, finishing 15th, 8th, 14th and 13th in the four races in which he took part. For the season-closing double-header inBahrain,Coloni chose to replace Vilander withFerdinando Monfardini,and Toni went back to his normal drives. Vilander finished 25th overall in theseries' inaugural yearwith no points, but was more successful in Italian Formula 3000, where he finished fourth with 23 points, and more successful still in Italian GT2, where he was crowned champion with his co-driverAlessandro Pier Guidi,scoring a total of 182 points.
In January 2006, Vilander, Pier Guidi andGiambattista Giannoccarowon the GT2 class of theMil Milhas Brasilrace and were placed fourth overall, driving aFerrari 360.Using that same car, he went on to win that year's GT2 class of the Italian GT Championship. He also won the GT1 class of the 2006Italian GT Championshipwith Giannoccaro, driving aMaserati MC12.For one race, he made a guest appearance in theFIA GT Championship.
Continuing his sportscar success, Vilander won the GT2 class of the2007 FIA GT Championshipwith teammateDirk Müller.In2008he teamed up withGianmaria Bruniand retained his title. He also competed in theAmerican Le Mans SeriesalongsideJaime Meloin aFerrari 458 Italia GTCforRisi Competizione.
Vilander has competed in sixLe Mans 24 Hoursraces from 2008 onwards, driving Ferraris for theAF Corseteam. In2008,he shared aFerrari 430withThomas BiagiandChristian Montanariin the GT2 class but failed to finish.Two years later,he returned toLa Sartheto drive aFerrari 458 ItaliawithJean AlesiandGiancarlo Fisichella,finishing 16th overall and fourth in the GT2 class. In2011he again drove a 458 with Fisichella and Gianmaria Bruni in the new GTE-Pro category, improving to 13th overall and second in class having held the class lead for much of the 24 hours. For the2012 race,the trio returned and won the class convincingly (finishing 17th overall) despite the car having to be completely rebuilt for the race following Fisichella's crash in practice, missing qualifying and starting from the back of the grid as a result.[1]In2013,he again drove a 458 for AF Corse, this time withKamui KobayashiandOlivier Beretta,finishing fifth in the GTE-Pro class. He was reunited with Bruni and Fisichella once more for the2014race, and the trio took another class victory.
Vilander made his début in theFIA GT1 World Championshipin2012,again driving a Ferrari 458 Italia for AF Corse alongsideFilip Salaquarda.The duo took two victories—one at theSlovakiaringand the other at theNürburgring—and Vilander finished ninth in the drivers' standings after missing the final round of the season. He did not return to the series in 2013 due to his increasedWorld Endurance Championshipcommitments for the team.
Vilander has competed in theFIA World Endurance Championshipsince the series was launched in2012,having made sporadic appearances in the interimIntercontinental Le Mans Cupseries which preceded it. In 2012 he shared a Ferrari 458 Italia with Bruni and Fisichella in AF Corse's lead entry for three of the championship's eight rounds, winning at Le Mans and inBahrain,assisting the team to win the LMGTE Pro Trophy. For the2013season, he was switched to the team's second entry full-time, withKamui KobayashiandOlivier Beretta.For the final race inBahrain,he was swapped with Fisichella in the lead entry due to the latter's disappointing performances, and duly won the class with Bruni to narrowly retain AF Corse's class championship over the worksAston Martin Racingteam. With Kobayashi returning toFormula One,Vilander remains with the lead AF Corse team in2014with Bruni, and has won the races atSpa-Francorchampsand Le Mans (the latter also with Fisichella) to lead the GTE manufacturers' championship and the newly introduced GTE drivers' championship after three races.
In 2016 Vilander will team up withGiancarlo FisichellainWeatherTech SportsCar Championship.[2]
On 5 February 2017, Vilander won the2017 Liqui Moly Bathurst 12 Hourat theMount Panorama CircuitinBathurst,Australiafor Australian teamMaranello Motorsportdriving with multipleBathurst 1000winnersCraig LowndesandJamie Whincupin aFerrari 488 GT3to become the second Finnish driver to win theBathurst 12 HourafterMika Salohad won the event in2014.Despite it being his first drive at Bathurst, Vilander impressed when claimed theAllan Simonsen Trophyfor pole position and in a brilliant drive also set the fastest lap of the race.[3]
Racing record
editComplete Formula 3 Euro Series results
edit(key) (Races inboldindicate pole position) (Races initalicsindicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Coloni Motorsport | LolaF106/03/009 | Mugen | HOC 1 15 |
HOC 2 12 |
EST 1 Ret |
EST 2 16 |
ADR 1 |
ADR 1 |
PAU 1 |
PAU 2 |
NOR 1 |
NOR 1 |
MAG 1 |
MAG 2 |
NÜR 1 |
NÜR 2 |
ZAN 1 |
ZAN 2 |
BRN 1 |
BRN 2 |
HOC 1 |
HOC 2 |
26th | 0 |
Complete GP2 Series results
edit(key) (Races inboldindicate pole position) (Races initalicsindicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Coloni Motorsport | IMO FEA |
IMO SPR |
CAT FEA |
CAT SPR |
MON FEA |
NÜR FEA |
NÜR SPR |
MAG FEA |
MAG SPR |
SIL FEA |
SIL SPR |
HOC FEA |
HOC SPR |
HUN FEA |
HUN SPR |
IST FEA |
IST SPR |
MNZ FEA 15 |
MNZ SPR 8 |
SPA FEA 14 |
SPA SPR 13 |
BHR FEA |
BHR SPR |
25th | 0 |
24 Hours of Le Mans results
edit
Complete FIA GT Championship results
edit| Year | Entrant | Class | Chassis | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | Points | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 |  AF Corse
|
GT2 | Ferrari F430 GTC | SIL | BRN | OSC | SPA 6H |
SPA 12H |
SPA 24H |
PRI | DIJ | MUG | BUD | ADR | DUB 2 |
8 | 17th | |
| 2007 | AF Corse Motorola
|
GT2 | Ferrari F430 GTC | ZHU 1 |
SIL 1 |
BUC 1 |
MON 2 |
OSC 4 |
SPA 6H Ret |
SPA 12H Ret |
SPA 24H Ret |
ADR 1 |
BRN 1 |
NOG Ret |
ZOL 1 |
73 | 1st | |
| 2008 | AF Corse
|
GT2 | Ferrari F430 GTC | SIL 1 |
MON 2 |
ADR 1 |
OSC 1 |
SPA 6H 2 |
SPA 12H 3 |
SPA 24H 3 |
BUC R1 2 |
BUC R2 2 |
BRN 1 |
NOG 3 |
ZOL 1 |
SAN 2 |
93 | 1st |
| 2009 | AF Corse
|
GT2 | Ferrari F430 GTC | SIL 11 |
ADR 2 |
OSC 1 |
SPA 1 |
BUD 2 |
ALG 6 |
PAU 1 |
ZOL 4 |
54 | 2nd |
Complete GT1 World Championship results
edit| Year | Team | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Pos | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | AF Corse | Ferrari | NOG QR 5 |
NOG CR 6 |
ZOL QR 13 |
ZOL CR 3 |
NAV QR 10 |
NAV QR 9 |
SVK QR 1 |
SVK CR 4 |
ALG QR 12 |
ALG CR Ret |
SVK QR 7 |
SVK CR 6 |
MOS QR 9 |
MOS CR Ret |
NUR QR 8 |
NUR CR 1 |
DON QR |
DON CR |
9th | 80 |
Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results
edit(key) (Races inboldindicate pole position; races in italicsindicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Class | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | AF Corse | LMGTE Pro | Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 | Ferrari4.5L V8 | SEB EX |
SPA | LMS 1 |
SIL | SÃO | BHR 1 |
FUJ | SHA | 75th | 1.5 | |
| 2013 | AF Corse | LMGTE Pro | Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 | Ferrari4.5L V8 | SIL 2 |
SPA 3 |
LMS 4 |
SÃO Ret |
COA 3 |
FUJ 9 |
SHA 5 |
BHR 1 |
5th | 108 | |
| 2014 | AF Corse | LMGTE Pro | Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 | Ferrari4.5 L V8 | SIL 4 |
SPA 1 |
LMS 1 |
COA 3 |
FUJ 1 |
SHA Ret |
BHR 1 |
SÃO 4 |
1st | 168 | |
| 2015 | AF Corse | LMGTE Pro | Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 | Ferrari4.5 L V8 | SIL 1 |
SPA 4 |
LMS 4 |
NÜR 14 |
COA 7 |
FUJ 1 |
SHA 2 |
BHR 2 |
2nd | 131.5 | |
| 2017 | AF Corse | LMGTE Pro | Ferrari 488 GTE | Ferrari F154CB3.9 L Turbo V8 | SIL | SPA | LMS | NÜR 11 |
MEX | COA | FUJ | SHA | BHR | 25th | 0.5 |
| 2022 | AF Corse | LMGTE Am | Ferrari 488 GTE Evo | Ferrari F154CB3.9 L Turbo V8 | SEB 7 |
SPA 11 |
LMS 7 |
MNZ 7 |
FUJ 10 |
BHR 11 |
17th | 28 |
Complete Bathurst 12 Hour results
edit| Year | No. | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 88 |  Maranello Motorsport
|
Jamie WhincupCraig Lowndes
|
Ferrari 488 GT3 | AP | 290 | 1st | 1st |
Complete IMSA SportsCar Championship results
edit(key) (Races inboldindicate pole position; results initalicsindicate fastest lap)
References
edit- ^Tremayne, Sam (2012-06-17)."Giancarlo Fisichella: Winning GTE Pro at 2012 Le Mans 24 Hours beats Formula 1 achievements".autosport.Haymarket Publications.Retrieved2012-06-18.
- ^http:// 24h-lemans /en/news/imsa-toni-vilander-teams-up-with-giancarlo-fisichella-at-risi-ferrari-_2_2_1746_23116.html[dead link]
- ^"Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour 2017 - Result of 12 Hour"(PDF).raceresults.nu.February 6, 2017. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on February 5, 2017.RetrievedFebruary 6,2017.
External links
edit- Toni Vilander's official website
- Toni Vilandercareer summary at DriverDB