MOTORSPORT – TOYOTA Gazoo Racing (TGR) locked out the front row last night to put themselves in prime position to continue their dominance from recent years in the Bapco Energies 8 Hours of Bahrain at Bahrain International Circuit (BIC).
Winners in Sakhir every year since 2019, when the kingdom’s WEC event switched to its current eight-hour format from six hours, TGR are set to spearhead a stacked 36-car field for today’s Le Mans-inspired spectacle, which is scheduled to flag off with a roaring rolling start in daylight conditions at 2pm, and then wrap up at night when the chequered flag is waved at 10pm.
TGR already displayed their prowess in Bahrain with their #7 crew of Kamui Kobayashi, Mike Conway, and Nyck de Vries securing pole after posting a fastest lap time of one minute 46.826 seconds in their GR010 Hybrid Hypercar. They grabbed the spotlight under lights at BIC in last night’s Hyperpole session of the WEC’s top-tier category.
TGR’s #8 crew of Brendon Hartley, Sebastien Buemi, and Ryo Hirakawa were not far behind, following just 0.151 seconds off their teammates’ pace.
Kobayashi and Hartley both took on the duties in their respective Hypercars for their grid-setting Hyperpole session.
“I am very happy to be on pole again,” said Kobayashi after Hyperpole. “It’s the result of a great job and a big effort from the team.
“We have had a tough season so far, so I am very proud that we could turn it around and get a one-two today. Everyone pushed very hard for this but tomorrow is another day and we know it will not be easy.
“Our target is to win. We are well prepared, and it should be an exciting race.”
Hartley added: “A very nice qualifying from the whole team. We are very pleased with the performance.
“I did a pretty tidy lap, although there were a couple of small mistakes and I was a bit conservative in places. Kamui nailed it and pipped me to pole. I was desperate to get it but congratulations to him.
“I am happy to start from the front row, which gives the best possible chance of finishing on the podium.”
Taking pole position amongst the LMGT3 contenders yesterday were Akkodis ASP Team’s #78 crew of Arnold Robin, Finn Gehrsitz, and Ben Barnicoat. They registered a best lap of 2:01.661 in their Hyperpole runs behind the wheel of their Lexus RC F LMGT3 contender.
Hyperpole was contested in both categories by the top 10 from the preceding qualifying sessions.
Four of the WEC’s coveted 2025 titles are to be decided in today’s Bapco Energies 8 Hours of Bahrain. They include the FIA Hypercar World Endurance Manufacturers’ Championship, the FIA Hypercar World Endurance Drivers’ Championship, the FIA Endurance Trophy for LMGT3 Teams, and the FIA Endurance Trophy for LMGT3 Drivers.
Sixty-six points are available for manufacturers and teams and 39 points for drivers in Bahrain, making for a thrilling spectacle that promises plenty of tight, wheel-to-wheel battles.
While TGR are out of the running for any of the Hypercar crowns, they will be aiming to add to their record 10 wins in 13 WEC races in Bahrain to date, including an unprecedented eighth in row.
Set to start in row two behind the leading Toyota pair are Peugeot TotalEnergies’ two Peugeot 9X8 Hypercars. Their #94 trio of Loic Duval, Malthe Jakobsen, and Theo Pourchaire will kick things off from third on the grid after going 0.340s from the leaders in Hyperpole last night, while their #93 crew of Paul di Resta, Mikkel Jensen, and Jean-Eric Vergne will be in fourth after finishing 0.382s off the pace.
Starting fifth through 10th, respectively, will be Cadillac Hertz Team Jota’s #12 crew, Aston Martin Thor Team’s #009 challenger, the drivers’ world championship-leading #51 of Ferrari AF Corse, the #5 of Porsche Penske Motorsport, Aston Martin Thor Team’s #007 triumvirate, and the #15 contender of BMW M Team WRT.
Earlier yesterday in Hypercar qualifying, Aston Martin Thor Team had a one-two, led by their #007 crew of Harry Tincknell, Tom Gamble, and Ross Gunn, who clocked a best lap of 1:47.290 in their Valkyrie Hypercar. Aston Martin’s #009 trio of Alex Riberas, Marco Sorensen, and Roman de Angelis followed 0.131s behind.
Meanwhile, in last night’s LMGT3 Hyperpole session, the Akkodis ASP Team #78 beat the Iron Lynx #60 trio of Andrew Gilbert, Lorcan Hanafin, and Fran Rueda – driving a Mercedes-AMG LMGT3 – to pole by a mere 0.326s.
Iron Lynx’s #61 crew of Martin Berry, Lin Hodenius, and Maxime Martin – the pacesetters in LMGT3 qualifying with a fastest lap of 2:02.991 in their Mercedes-AMG – will start from third after going 0.356s behind. Akkodis ASP Team’s other crew of Petru Umbrarescu, Clemens Schmid, and Jose Maria Lopez in their #87 Lexus are fourth on the LMGT3 grid after going 0.558s from their leading teammates in their Hyperpole session.
Completing the front 10 on the LMGT3 grid are The Bend Team WRT’s #31 crew, Heart of Racing Team’s #27 car, the #88 of Proton Competition, the #21 of Vista AF Corse, the #46 of Team WRT, and the #59 of United Autosports.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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