Toni Markus Vilander (born 25 July 1980) is a Finnish professional racing driver who currently drives for the Risi Competizione Ferrari team in various categories of sports car racing.
After a single-seater career which reached the level of the GP2 Series in 2005, Vilander switched to GT racing. He has had numerous successes with AF Corse, winning the and 24 Hours of Le Mans races in the LMGTE Pro class, as well as the FIA World Endurance Cup for GT Drivers in 2014 and also the GT2 class championship of the FIA GT Championship in 2007 and 2008.
Career
Born in Kankaanpää, Vilander started racing karts at the age of five, winning the Junior A class of the Finnish Karting Championship in 1995, and both the German and Oceanic championships in 1999. He then upgraded to open-wheel cars in 2001. By 2004, he was competing in Italian Formula 3 with the Coloni team, and upgraded to Italian Formula 3000 in 2005, as well as competing in the Italian GT series.
However, trouble was brewing in the Coloni GP2 team, as lead driver Gianmaria Bruni had 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, eighth, 14th and 13th in the four races in which he took part. For the season-closing double-header in Bahrain, Coloni chose to replace Vilander with Ferdinando Monfardini, and Toni went back to his normal drives. Vilander finished 25th overall in the series' inaugural year with 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-driver Alessandro Pier Guidi, scoring a total of 182 points.
In January 2006, Vilander, Pier Guidi and Giambattista Giannoccaro won the GT2 class of the Mil Milhas Brasil race and were placed fourth overall, driving a Ferrari 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 2006 Italian GT Championship with Giannoccaro, driving a Maserati MC12. For one race, he made a guest appearance in the FIA GT Championship.
Continuing his sportscar success, Vilander won the GT2 class of the 2007 FIA GT Championship with teammate Dirk Müller. In 2008 he teamed up with Gianmaria Bruni and retained his title. He also competed in the American Le Mans Series alongside Jaime Melo in a Ferrari 458 Italia GTC for Risi Competizione.
Vilander has competed in six Le Mans 24 Hours races from 2008 onwards, driving Ferraris for the AF Corse team. In 2008, he shared a Ferrari 430 with Thomas Biagi and Christian Montanari in the GT2 class but failed to finish. Two years later, he returned to La Sarthe to drive a Ferrari 458 Italia with Jean Alesi and Giancarlo Fisichella, finishing 16th overall and fourth in the GT2 class. In 2011, he 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 the 2012 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. In , he again drove a 458 for AF Corse, this time with Kamui Kobayashi and Olivier Beretta, finishing fifth in the GTE-Pro class. He was reunited with Bruni and Fisichella once more for the race, and the trio took another class victory.
Vilander made his début in the FIA GT1 World Championship in 2012, again driving a Ferrari 458 Italia for AF Corse alongside Filip Salaquarda. The duo took two victories—one at the Slovakiaring and the other at the Nürburgring—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 increased World Endurance Championship commitments for the team.
Vilander has competed in the FIA World Endurance Championship since the series was launched in 2012, having made sporadic appearances in the interim Intercontinental Le Mans Cup series 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 in Bahrain, assisting the team to win the LMGTE Pro Trophy. For the 2013 season, he was switched to the team's second entry full-time, with Kamui Kobayashi and Olivier Beretta. For the final race in Bahrain, 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 works Aston Martin Racing team. With Kobayashi returning to Formula One, Vilander remains with the lead AF Corse team in 2014 with Bruni, and has won the races at Spa-Francorchamps and 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 teamed up with Giancarlo Fisichella in WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.http://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/imsa-toni-vilander-teams-up-with-giancarlo-fisichella-at-risi-ferrari-_2_2_1746_23116.html
On 5 February 2017, Vilander won the 2017 Liqui Moly Bathurst 12 Hour at the Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst, Australia for Australian team Maranello Motorsport driving with multiple Bathurst 1000 winners Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup in a Ferrari 488 GT3 to become the second Finnish driver to win the Bathurst 12 Hour after Mika Salo had won the event in 2014. Despite it being his first drive at Bathurst, Vilander impressed when claimed the Allan Simonsen Trophy for pole position and in a brilliant drive also set the fastest lap of the race.
Racing record Racing career summary SeasonSeriesTeamRacesWinsPolesFLapsPodiumsPointsPosition2002Formula Renault 2000 EurocupRP Motorsport100000NCFormula Renault 2000 Italia90002965th2003Italian Formula Three ChampionshipRP Motorsport101011612thFormula Renault 2000 Eurocup200012014thFormula Renault 2000 Italia121118205 3rd2004Italian Formula Three ChampionshipColoni Motorsport116766146 1stFormula 3 Euro Series40000026th2005Italian Formula 3000 ChampionshipTeam Astromega51111 23 4thGP Racing30001GP2 SeriesColoni Motorsport40000025thItalian GT Championship - GT2Playteam Sara Free16885102101st2006FIA GT Championship - GT1Scuderia Playteam100000NCItalian GT Championship - GT1161210121401stFIA GT Championship - GT2AF Corse10001817thAmerican Le Mans Series - GT2Risi Competizione300012627th 2007FIA GT Championship - GT2AF Corse Motorola10600773 1st 2008FIA GT Championship - GT2AF Corse115001193 1st24 Hours of Le Mans - GT210000N/ADNF 2009FIA GT Championship - GT2AF Corse8300554 2ndLe Mans Series - GT2Team Modena10000125th 2010Le Mans Series - GT2AF Corse5001366 2nd24 Hours of Le Mans - GT210000N/A4thAmerican Le Mans Series - GT2Risi Competizione400014611th 2011Le Mans Series - LMGTE ProAF Corse51101374th24 Hours of Le Mans - LMGTE Pro10001N/A 2ndAmerican Le Mans Series - GT2Risi Competizione81003836th 2012FIA GT1 World ChampionshipAF Corse162003809thFIA World Endurance Championship - LMGTE Pro220021.575th24 Hours of Le Mans - LMGTE Pro11001N/A 1stBlancpain Endurance Series - Pro-Am100001335thAmerican Le Mans Series - GT2Extreme Speed Motorsports110012414thRolex Sports Car Series - GTRisi Competizione100002676th 2013FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGTE ProAF Corse810141085th24 Hours of Le Mans - LMGTE Pro10000N/A5thBlancpain Endurance Series - Pro-Am110013412thAsian Le Mans Series - GTCClearwater Racing11101268thRolex Sports Car Series - GTR.Ferri/AIM Motorsport Racing with Ferrari200003651st 2014FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGTE ProAF Corse84405168 1st24 Hours of Le Mans - LMGTE Pro11101N/A 1stBritish GT Championship - GT320000638thUnited SportsCar Championship - GTDScuderia Corsa100002275th 2015FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGTE ProAF Corse82304131.5 2nd24 Hours of Le Mans - LMGTE Pro10001N/A 3rdBlancpain Endurance Series - Pro-Am10000824thUnited SportsCar Championship - GTLM100004920thRisi Competizione10000GT Asia Series - GT3 Clearwater Racing200012527th 2016IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTLMRisi Competizione1110123055th24 Hours of Le Mans - LMGTE Pro10001N/A 2nd 2017FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGTE ProAF Corse100000.525thIMSA SportsCar Championship - GTLMRisi Competizione702051999th24 Hours of Le Mans - LMGTE Pro10000N/ADNFBlancpain GT Series Endurance Cup - Pro-AmBBT100002519thSpirit of Race10001 2018IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTLMRisi Competizione300107414th24 Hours of Le Mans - LMGTE ProAF Corse10000N/A5thPirelli World Challenge - GTR. Ferri Motorsport1963312398 1st 2019IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTDScuderia Corsa1100242465th24 Hours of Le Mans - LMGTE AmWeatherTech Racing10001N/A 3rdBlancpain GT World Challenge AmericaR. Ferri Motorsport1463512274 1stBlancpain GT Series Endurance Cup - Pro-AmAF Corse10000326th 2020IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTDScuderia Corsa6001111922nd24 Hours of Le Mans - LMGTE ProWeatherTech Racing10000N/ADNFGT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup - Pro-AmSMP Racing10100720th2021FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGTE AmAF Corse100000NC†Italian GT Championship Sprint - GT3 Pro-Am83005941st2022FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGTE AmAF Corse600002817th24 Hours of Le Mans - LMGTE Am10000N/A8thIMSA SportsCar Championship - GTD40001111920th2024IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTDDragonSpeed1000019067thIMSA SportsCar Championship - GTD Pro1000022942ndGT World Challenge America - Pro-AmAF Corse100003017th
Complete Formula Renault 2.0 Italia results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 DC Points 2002 RP Motorsport VLL PER PER SPA MGI MNZ VAR IMO MIS MUG 5th 96 2003 RP Motorsport VLL1 VLL2 MGI SPA1 SPA2 A1R1 A1R2 MIS1 MIS2 VAR ADR MNZ 3rd 205
Complete Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 DC Points 2002 RP Motorsport MAG SIL JAR AND OSC SPA IMO DON EST 66th 0 2003 RP Motorsport BRN1 BRN2 ASS1 ASS2 OSC1 OSC2 DON1 DON2 14th 20
Complete Italian Formula Three Championship results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 DC Points 2003 RP Motorsport Dallara F302 RenaultMISBINMGIIMOPERMUGVARMNZVLL 12th 16 2004 Coloni Motorsport Lola-Dome F106 Spiess-OpelADRMGI PER MUG1 MUG2 IMO1 IMO2 VAR MNZ1 MNZ2 VLL1 VLL2 MIS1 MIS2 1st 146
Complete Formula 3 Euro Series results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate 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 Lola F106/03/009 Mugen HOC1 HOC2 EST1 EST2 ADR1 ADR1 PAU1 PAU2 NOR1 NOR1 MAG1 MAG2 NÜR1 NÜR2 ZAN1 ZAN2 BRN1 BRN2 HOC1 HOC2 26th 0
Complete Italian Formula 3000 Championship results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 DC Points 2005 Team Astromega ADR VLL BRN IMO MUG 4th 23 GP Racing MGI MNZ MIS
Complete GP2 Series results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate 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 IMOFEA IMOSPR CATFEA CATSPR MONFEA NÜRFEA NÜRSPR MAGFEA MAGSPR SILFEA SILSPR HOCFEA HOCSPR HUNFEA HUNSPR ISTFEA ISTSPR MNZFEA MNZSPR SPAFEA SPASPR BHRFEA BHRSPR 25th 0
Complete FIA GT Championship results