Increased LMP2 field for Bapco 8 Hours of Bahrain
The Bapco 8 Hours of Bahrain will see an increased LMP2 field for round 4 of the FIA WEC as G-Drive Racing makes a welcome return to the World Championship.
A total of 31 cars across four categories will compete at the world-famous Bahrain International Circuit next month (12-14 December), racing into the night for eight hours instead of the usual six in Bahrain. To view the provisional entry list, click HERE.
Multiple ELMS Champions, G-Drive Racing, will field an Aurus 01-Gibson car – the same machine that the Russian-based team used to finish runner-up in this year’s European Le Mans Series. Driving the No. 26 car will be ex Formula 1 driver Jean-Eric Vergne who completed a full WEC campaign back in 2017. Joining Vergne at the wheel will be Russia’s Roman Rusinov and Dutch driver, Job Van Uitert.
G-Drive’s entry increases the highly-competitive LMP2 field to nine in Bahrain – the biggest of WEC Season 8 so far and includes two tyre manufacturers (Michelin and Goodyear) and four different chassis providers – ORECA, Alpine, Dallara and Aurus.
The LMP1 entry list will comprise of five entries: the No. 7 and No. 8 Toyota Gazoo Racing TS050 HYBRID cars, two Team LNT Ginettas plus the No. 1 Rebellion Racing R13 - Gibson. After Rebellion’s win in China, the LMP Success Handicap will be altered ahead of Bahrain and will no doubt provide even more close on-track race action.
LMGTE Pro has seen Aston Martin and Porsche both take victories so far this season, with Ferrari winning Shanghai only to be disqualified following post-race Scrutineering. With two wins under Porsche’s belt, the German manufacturer will be looking to score a hat-trick in Bahrain to cement its position at the top of the leaderboard. However, Bahrain has fared well for Ferrari in recent years with the Italian manufacturer having taken four out of six wins in LMGTE Pro – can they make it a fifth win this year?
A total of 11 teams will battle it out in LMGTE Am as category leaders TF Sport will be eager to continue its recent success after winning the two previous rounds with the Aston Martin Vantage AMR. Only three points behind TF Sport, however, is AF Corse as the Ferrari 488 GTE Evo took the round one victory at Silverstone followed by a second place at Fuji. Who will come out on top in Bahrain this time round?
Increased entertainment will be on offer for everyone attending this year’s Bapco 8 Hours of Bahrain and the ticket price for the event is just 1 Bahraini Dinar per day for paddock and grandstand access.
The race weekend forms part of the Bahrain National Day festivities, with the WEC’s three days of action and one day of official testing (Sunday 15 December) offering plenty of entertainment on and off track. Away from the track, the four-day festival will include several concerts including regional superstar singer Balqees, together with a vast array of stunt shows, entertainers, bands, performers and the circuit’s famous fireworks show.
For ticketing information, click on the following link: https://www.bahraingp.com/wec2019bic
To view the provisional timetable, please click HERE.
