As has become customary, the FIA World Endurance Championship has nominated two rising stars of the discipline to participate in the series’ end-of-season Rookie Test in Bahrain next month (9 November).
Since 2015, the annual Rookie Test has offered countless drivers the opportunity to showcase their skills in front of the paddock’s key decision-makers, with the likes of Julien Andlauer, Mathieu Jaminet and Norman Nato launching their FIA WEC Hypercar careers off the back of it in recent years. It has similarly acted as a springboard for Mattia Drudi, Célia Martin, Ben Barnicoat and Petru Umbrărescu amongst others in LMGT3.
Eleven months ago, Théo Pourchaire got his first taste of Team Peugeot TotalEnergies’ 9X8 Hypercar during the Rookie Test in Sakhir, and in just a few weeks’ time, the former FIA Formula 2 champion will make his racing debut behind the wheel of the French prototype in the season-closing Bapco Energies 8 Hours of Bahrain.
The following day, teams will return to the circuit for five hours of running, with Ollie Gray and Tom Fleming having been selected to take to the track in the world championship-winning Hypercar and LMGT3 car respectively.
Ex-Williams Driver Academy member Gray switched from a formative career in single-seater competition – securing the runner-up spoils in the British F4 Championship in 2022 – into endurance racing last year in the European Le Mans Series (ELMS), winding up seventh in the classification with Inter Europol Competition in the headlining LMP2 category alongside Luca Ghiotto and Clément Novalak.
The 20-year-old Surrey-born ace switched to VDS Panis Racing for the current campaign, and with one round remaining leads the standings with team-mates Charles Milesi and Esteban Masson, having triumphed at Imola and Spa-Francorchamps and finished second in Barcelona. He also produced a star turn on his debut in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June, being on-course for victory prior to suffering late heartbreak when suspension failure suddenly slowed the #48 entry with only 20 minutes remaining.
“I’m over-the-moon to be selected for this year’s Rookie Test,” Gray enthused. “The opportunity to drive the winning Hypercar is amazing, and it’s a step forward in my career as that’s where I want to be in the future.
“This year has been great with VDS Panis Racing in ELMS; working with Charles and Esteban has been fantastic, and our relationship I think has contributed to our success. My long-term objective is to race in the top class in FIA WEC, so hopefully I can show what I’m made of in Bahrain and take a step closer to that goal!”
Fellow Brit Fleming is similarly a familiar face in ELMS, currently driving for GR Racing in the LMGT3 division, in which he shares a Ferrari 296 with countryman Michael Wainwright and FIA WEC regular Riccardo Pera. The trio sit seventh in the points table ahead of the season finale at Portimão in a fortnight’s time (16-18 October), having reached the rostrum twice thus far.
The 23-year-old made his car racing bow in 2023, finishing runner-up in the Ferrari Challenge Europe at his maiden attempt and clinching the Trofeo Pirelli in Ferrari’s Finali Mondiali end-of-season showpiece event. He has since gone on to contest the GT World Challenge Europe’s Sprint Cup and Endurance Cup series, while gaining prototype experience with Nielsen Racing at LMP3 level this year in the Michelin Le Mans Cup.
“I’m honoured to be selected for the FIA WEC Rookie Test,” Fleming commented. “To be part of such an exclusive and prestigious event is an incredible privilege and an opportunity I’m looking forward to making the most of.
“I’ve enjoyed an extremely busy, fruitful and diverse racing programme this year. I’ve developed an enormous amount, gaining so much experience in a wide range of disciplines and situations – and now the Rookie Test will be the cherry on the cake to conclude what has been a successful 2025.
“Having never driven a race car outside of Europe, the unique climate and circuit layout in Bahrain will be an interesting challenge. Over the years, I’ve seen many FIA WEC and Formula 1 races take place at the circuit, so it’s simply surreal to think I will be heading there myself. I’ll be sure to do plenty of sim work in preparation!”
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