WEC wraps with Bahrain double
Title battles across prototype and GT classes Ogier gets Toyota Hypercar test run
TOYOTA’S driver crews are set to do battle for 2021’s World Endurance Championship (WEC) title across back-toback events at Bahrain International Circuit. A six-hour race this Saturday is followed by an eight-hour event on 6 November.
The double-header has come about as a result of Fuji Speedway in Japan cancelling its WEC round for the second year running due to Covid travel restrictions, although it should return to the schedule in 2022.
In the standings, Le Mans winners Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and José María López lead on 120 points in the No7 car, ahead of Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Kazuki Nakajima in the No8, on 111.
The second-tier LMP2 category is even more closely fought, with British squad Jota
Sport’s trio of Sean Geleal, Tom Blomqvist and ex-F1 man Stoffel Vandoorne currently on 89 points, leading the Belgian outfit Team WRT’s crew of Robin Frijns, Ferdinand von Habsburg and Charles Milesi on 88.
In the GTE category, meanwhile, it’s a straight fight between the works Ferrari duo of James Calado and Alessandro Pier Guidi in the No51 488, on 124 points, and their counterparts at Porsche, Neel Jani and Kevin Estre in the No92 911, who’ve scored 112.
The conclusion of the six-hour event on 6 November won’t be the end of the track action in Bahrain, however, because the WEC will also be holding its annual ‘rookie test’ the following day, giving a selection of younger or less experienced drivers a chance to impress the big teams.
Among the participants is Toyota’s World Rally Champion-elect Sébastien Ogier, who’ll take the wheel of the manufacturer’s GR010 Hypercar. The Frenchman has dabbled in circuit racing several times over the years, including making a guest appearance in DTM German touring cars for Mercedes, and has a long-held ambition to compete in his homeland’s Le Mans 24 Hours race.
He’s believed to be evaluating some sportscar outings alongside his part-time WRC campaign in 2022, driving the newgeneration hybrid Yaris built to Rally1 rules.