The FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) 8 Hours of Bahrain kicked off last night with Toyota and Aston Martin crews competing amongst themselves to top their respective categories.
A ninety-minute free practice was held yesterday under the bright lights of the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC), ‘The Home of Motorsport in the Middle East,’ which will be the stage of the last-ever Le Mans Prototype 1 (LMP1) race. Ironically, it will also be the first time the kingdom has played host to two races in the same season.
“I thank all our partners in the kingdom for helping make this weekend of racing possible, especially our magnificent team here at the circuit, for their continuous, tireless dedication to get the job done,” said BIC’s chief executive Shaikh Salman bin Isa Al Khalifa.
“We understand that this event will feel very different without any spectators joining us in person. Nonetheless, they remain with us in our hearts and minds as we put on a spectacular show of endurance motorsport.
“On behalf of Bahrain International Circuit (BIC), along with the Kingdom of Bahrain’s entire motorsport family, we are delighted to play host for a second time this season.”
In the LMP1 category, Toyota Gazoo Racing’s Sébastien Buemi set a lap time of 1:43.457 around the circuit in the No.8 Toyota TS050 Hybrid he shares with Brendon Hartley and Kazuki Nakajima
This was just 0.492 seconds faster than its sister car driven by Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Jose Maria Lopez, who trail by just 7 points in the championship rankings.
Only one of the two crews will get to walk away with the last ever LMP1 title, since the category is due to be phased out after this race, with the BIC providing the perfect starlit venue for a scintillating swan song. Instead of the LMP1, next season will see the exciting Hypercars category make its entry.
Meanwhile, in the LMGTE Pro category, two crews from Aston Martin Racing and the AF Corse Ferrari team will go head-to-head for the championship.
Last night, Richard Westbrook, who replaced Briton Alex Lynn after he tested positive for Covid-19, was eager to prove himself, blitzing around the track in a category-best 1:56.560 in the No. 97 Aston Martin Vantage AMR, which he shares with Maxime Martin.
“Having had plenty of miles under my belt at Le Mans, I’m certain that I will be able to give Maxime the support he needs as he goes for the championship,” Westbrook said.
“Bahrain is one my favourite tracks - I won my first GT race there 2005. Hopefully, I can do it again this weekend!”
He was 0.617 seconds ahead of the No. 91 Porsche 911 RSR-19 driven by Richard Lietz and Gimmi Bruni with the second Porsche GT Team entry a mere 0.041 seconds behind.
The top-of-the-category No 95 Aston Martin was fourth in lap timings, driven by Marco Sørensen and Nicki Thiim.
In the LMP2 category, Guido Van Der Garde of Racing Team Nederland was quick off the bat setting a session-best time of 1:47.955.
Just 0.171s off the class-best was André Negrão driving for French team Signatech Alpine Matmut in the Alpine A470 Gibson. Negrão won the LMP2 championship in the 2018-19 season.
And, in the LMGTE Am category, Ross Gunn in the No 98 Aston Martin Racing Vantage proved to be devilishly fast with a time of 1:57.666, with the time closely followed by Gulf Racing’s Ben Barker, who was just 0.022 seconds behind in the Porsche 911 RSR.
The second free practice session takes place this morning at 9am, with a final practice set for 1.45pm.
This evening, at 6pm, the LMGTE Pro and LMGTE Am drivers will vie for pole position during the 20-minute qualifiers, followed by the LMP1 and LMP2 racers at 6.30pm.
The home-grown BIC 2000cc Challenge which was due to have its next race during the weekend has been postponed, due to FIA Covid-19 protocol.