In a career spanning more than 25 years, there is little that Stephane Ortelli has not experienced. He has circled the globe driving a wide variety of machines – GTs, touring cars, prototypes – winning prestigious races and championships along the way.
The French-born Monegasque driver has particularly close links to the Blancpain GT Series. He was on the grid at the very first race in 2011, has competed during every season since, and was crowned champion in 2012.
Ortelli’s big break came in 1995 when he made a one-off appearance in the BPR Global GT Series. Handed a shot aboard a Porsche 911 GT2, he grasped the opportunity with both hands. Soon he was a works driver for the Stuttgart marque and, two years later, won the Le Mans 24 Hours in a Porsche.
He went on to race in the FIA GT Championship, taking back-to-back N-GT class titles, though his crowning moment came at the Spa 24 Hours in 2003. His victory in second-tier N-GT class equipment was, says Ortelli, “the best win of my life.