An action-packed and fascinating LMP2 struggle for title supremacy enters its final chapter today as G-Drive and KCMG go head to head in the Bapco 6 Hours of Bahrain.
It has been a see-saw battle between the Russian and Hong Kong entered teams, both of whom run French chassis in the shape of Ligier and ORECA respectively.
The season saw a conclusive victory for the No.26 trio of Sam Bird, Roman Rusinov and Julien Canal at Silverstone, but they were pegged back by a technical problem at Spa.
Le Mans saw the title momentum swing to KCMG when Matt Howson, Richard Bradley and Nicolas Lapierre took a famous win and also a maximum score of 51 points, while the G-Drive crew took 36 pts for a third place finish (second placed points as non-full season entrant JOTA Sport was not registered to score WEC points).
A follow up win for KCMG at Nurburgring gave them a further point lead, before G-Drive took an impressive victory at COTA.
Then came Fuji and the added ingredient of controversy. The multiple incidents between the KCMG ORECA driven by Richard Bradley and both of the No.26 and No.28 G-Drive entries driven by Roman Rusinov and Gustavo Yacaman respectively have been well chronicled.
The upshot from it was that Bradley was deemed to have triggered the final incident and given a suspended sanction.
At Shanghai an early spin for Nick Tandy in the treacherous conditions ensured that G-Drive was able to stretch its advantage to 16 points after they took the chequered flag second, while KCMG put in an excellent recovery drive to third.
Now, with six hours remaining and the gap still 16pts, Bird, Rusinov and Canal know that they must finish at least fourth, even if the KCMG ORECA takes the last victory of 2015 in Bahrain.
“It is an outside chance of course, we know that,” said Richard Bradley ahead of the race. “But as long as there is still even the tiniest chance then we will race as hard as possible right to the finishing line.
“Even if we don’t take the title 2015 has been an enormously successful year for KCMG with a brand new car. We will never forget Le Mans and what we achieved there can never be taken away.”
With the KCMG ORECA penalised after initially qualifying second yesterday and being demoted behind the G-Drive Ligier, there will be added spice in the early stages in what has been a classic 2015 FIA WEC fight for LMP2 title glory.
Sam Smith
