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Le Mans / ALMS
LE MANS: Bahrain WEC Preview
John Dagys previews this weekend’s FIA WEC Six Hours of Bahrain...
Fresh off its breakthrough first victory, Toyota will be looking to continue its form this weekend in Bahrain. (Photo: LAT)
Home to the first oil well on the Arabian side of the Persian Gulf, FIA World Endurance Championship competitors will be looking to strike gold this weekend in Bahrain, with the first-ever Le Mans endurance race in the Middle East.
Factoring in scorching temperatures, drifting desert sands and a day-into-night race format, Saturday’s Six Hours of Bahrain could turn into one of the most unpredictable and challenging events of the season.
Twenty-eight entries are set to take part in the sixth round of the globe-trotting championship, held at the ultra-modern Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir.
It’s the same number of cars that were in Brazil two weeks ago for the inaugural Six Hours of Sao Paulo, won in dominant fashion by Toyota, but with one major difference at the head of the pack in LMP1.
After recording its first loss of 2012, Audi has shaken up its strategy for the remainder of the season by replacing its conventional R18 ultra with a second R18 e-tron quattro.
The move to all-hybrid power sees Allan McNish and Tom Kristensen with the same equipment as teammates Andre Lotterer, Benoit Treluyer and Marcel Fassler, who extended their lead in the Drivers’ World Championship with a second-place finish at Interlagos.
How will the Audis fare compared to the lone Toyota, driven again this weekend by Alex Wurz and Nicolas Lapierre? That’s the big question on everyone’s mind, especially after the TS030 Hybrid’s commanding performance in Sao Paulo.
The race for the “best of the rest” in the premier prototype category could be equally as entertaining, with Rebellion Racing’s pair of Lola B12/60 Toyotas continuing to show encouraging pace against the the fast, but sometimes fragile HPD ARX-03as from JRM and Strakka Racing.
The Anglo-Swiss squad holds a 44-point lead in the LMP1 Privateer Trophy over Strakka. Rebellion can clinch the title if they leave Bahrain with a 52-point advantage over their competition.
LMP2 sees a similar scenario brewing for Starworks Motorsport, which is fresh off its third class victory of the year. Tom Kimber-Smith rejoins the American squad for this weekend, filling in for Ryan Dalziel, who will be on GRAND-AM duty at Lime Rock Park.
Kimber-Smith, who joins Enzo Potolicchio and Stephane Sarrazin at the wheel of the No. 44 HPD ARX-03b, helped take the Peter Baron-led team to the class win at Le Mans in June. And after a dominant performance again in Brazil, they head in as favorites yet again.
The remainder of the 11-car LMP2 field is unchanged from Interlagos, including the return of Alex Brundle to the No. 35 OAK Racing Morgan-Nissan, which led portions of the race until dropping out in the closing hours with fuel pump failure.
Both of the OAK entries are expected to be contenders again, along with the ADR-Delta Oreca 03 Nissan, which fought early race technical issues to finish fifth in class. The result dropped them 28 points behind Starworks in the title race, and only four ahead of Pecom Racing, which scored a season-best second in Brazil.
Factoring in scorching temperatures, drifting desert sands and a day-into-night race format, Saturday’s Six Hours of Bahrain could turn into one of the most unpredictable and challenging events of the season.
Twenty-eight entries are set to take part in the sixth round of the globe-trotting championship, held at the ultra-modern Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir.
It’s the same number of cars that were in Brazil two weeks ago for the inaugural Six Hours of Sao Paulo, won in dominant fashion by Toyota, but with one major difference at the head of the pack in LMP1.
After recording its first loss of 2012, Audi has shaken up its strategy for the remainder of the season by replacing its conventional R18 ultra with a second R18 e-tron quattro.
The move to all-hybrid power sees Allan McNish and Tom Kristensen with the same equipment as teammates Andre Lotterer, Benoit Treluyer and Marcel Fassler, who extended their lead in the Drivers’ World Championship with a second-place finish at Interlagos.
How will the Audis fare compared to the lone Toyota, driven again this weekend by Alex Wurz and Nicolas Lapierre? That’s the big question on everyone’s mind, especially after the TS030 Hybrid’s commanding performance in Sao Paulo.
The race for the “best of the rest” in the premier prototype category could be equally as entertaining, with Rebellion Racing’s pair of Lola B12/60 Toyotas continuing to show encouraging pace against the the fast, but sometimes fragile HPD ARX-03as from JRM and Strakka Racing.
The Anglo-Swiss squad holds a 44-point lead in the LMP1 Privateer Trophy over Strakka. Rebellion can clinch the title if they leave Bahrain with a 52-point advantage over their competition.
LMP2 sees a similar scenario brewing for Starworks Motorsport, which is fresh off its third class victory of the year. Tom Kimber-Smith rejoins the American squad for this weekend, filling in for Ryan Dalziel, who will be on GRAND-AM duty at Lime Rock Park.
Kimber-Smith, who joins Enzo Potolicchio and Stephane Sarrazin at the wheel of the No. 44 HPD ARX-03b, helped take the Peter Baron-led team to the class win at Le Mans in June. And after a dominant performance again in Brazil, they head in as favorites yet again.
The remainder of the 11-car LMP2 field is unchanged from Interlagos, including the return of Alex Brundle to the No. 35 OAK Racing Morgan-Nissan, which led portions of the race until dropping out in the closing hours with fuel pump failure.
Both of the OAK entries are expected to be contenders again, along with the ADR-Delta Oreca 03 Nissan, which fought early race technical issues to finish fifth in class. The result dropped them 28 points behind Starworks in the title race, and only four ahead of Pecom Racing, which scored a season-best second in Brazil.
FIA WEC Six Hours of Spa
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