[WEC Race] 2013 FIA WEC - Round 8 - 6 Hours of Bahrain

[Beetle]

Although the World Driver's championship was ultimately clinched at the last round in Shanghai, the 6 Hours of Bahrain should prove to be an exciting closer to a successful, albeit heartbreaking, 2013 season in FIA World Endurance Championship racing. Many championships and titles are yet to be won and fights yet to be settled. Allan McNish, TK, and Loic Duval may still be celebrating, but complete focus is required for drivers still quarreling for top honors in LMP2, GTE-Pro, and GTE-Am. The last race was a nail-biter all the way to the bitter end, with Toyota eventually having to yield to Audi's superior pit strategy, in a heartbreaking turn of events. Toyota again will field both of its cars to try to maximize their chances for victory. In GTE, not only is there a fierce competition between drivers, but also an equal ferocious battle for bragging rights amongst the top manufacturers: Aston Martin, Porsche, and Ferrari. Aston Martin has been top dog virtually all year long, but Porsche is still well in the hunt by way of their excellent finish at the double-points 24 Hours of Le Mans back in June. Ferrari teams in both GTE-Pro and GTE-Am have had just as lackluster of a year as Scuderia Ferrari in Formula 1, struggling with BoP (balance of performance) adjustments all year and generally lacking outright pace. However, because of a win in GTE-Am at Shanghai and a win in GTE-Pro at Interlagos, they can still reasonably take the fight to Porsche in the manufacturer's championship. There's a lot on the line going into Bahrain. Let the duel in the desert commence!

Audi Sport has already received the title for LMP1, but that hasn't deterred Toyota. The Japanese team again brings two cars in hopes of claiming a second victory this season after a freak win at the very soggy 6 Hours of Fuji. The Swiss privateer team Rebellion Racing will once again play second fiddle to the factory squads, but focus is mainly towards next year and the development of their new car for 2014: the Rebellion R-One.

In Bahrain, the winner of arguably the second-most coveted trophy, the FIA Endurance Trophy for LMP2 Drivers, will be decided after six grueling hours of racing. After a calamitous race at the 6 Hours of Shanghai, Pecom Racing is now (barely) out of the running. The drivers for the #35 OAK Racing Morgan, Bertrand Baguette, Ricardo Gonzalez, and Martin Plowmann, lead the championship with 129.5 points each. Olivier Pla, David Heinemeier-Hansson, and Alex Brundle, the drivers of the #24 OAK Racing Morgan, trail 15 points behind their teammates with 114.5 points. At 107 points, down but not out, lie G-Drive Racing, coming off a win at Shanghai. At 22.5 points behind, it is difficult, but not impossible, for the Russian team to win the championship. Additionally, keep an eye on young star Lucas Auer, who will be driving the #31 Lotus T128 with Kevin Weeda and Tonio Liuzzi. Also, Greaves Motorsport brings a brand-new driver lineup to the table this race, with young Alessandro Latif joining LMP2 veteran and Le Mans winner Tom Kimber-Smith and rapid single-seater ace from Sweden, Bjorn Wirdheim. Craig Dolby will continue his contract into Bahrain with the evolving Delta-ADR team, which will be spearheaded next year by Dubai businessman Fabien Giroix.

GTE-Pro will bring the same thing to the table as it always does: intense racing from quality teams, some of the best in the world. Although the participation isn't huge and the entry lists remain relatively unchanged, GTE-Pro always provides some of the best racing in the FIA WEC. The World Cup for GT Drivers has yet to be decided, with the Turner/Mücke combo leading Giancarlo Fisichella and Gimmi Bruni by 5.5 points (125.5 to 120 points respectively). If it weren't for the Le Mans win, Marc Lieb and Richard Lietz, drivers of the #92 Manthey AG Porsche, would not be in contention. However, with 110 points, they are only 15.5 points behind the leaders and the championship is still well within reach, if not a little unlikely. Bruno Senna is just out of contention with 94 points.

The trophy for GTE-Am drivers is still very much at stake going into the 6 Hours of Bahrain. Jamie Campbell-Walter and Stuart Hall, who have shared driving duties in the #96 AMR V8 Vantage all year, are in the lead with 119. The veteran French GT pilote Raymond Narac and his new driving partner for the year, Jean-Karl Vernay, are in second place with 114 points. In a close third place are Vincente "Enzo" Potolicchio and Rui Aguas, drivers of the #81 8Star Motorsports Ferrari, with 110 points, a mere 9 points behind the leaders. Although they've won two races this year and have almost always been the fastest outright, the all-Danish Young Driver AMR crew has had a rough season to say the least, with numerous mechanical failures and a tragic death at Le Mans. I expect them to have the quickest pace in GTE-Am this race and wish them luck for a trouble-free final event.

POINTS AND SCORING SYSTEM

1st = 25; 2nd = 18; 3rd = 15; 4th = 12; 5th = 10; 6th = 8; 7th = 6; 8th = 4; 9th = 2; 10th = 1; Other Classified = 0.5

+1 pt. for class pole

70% or less of race completed = not classified

HELPFUL LINKS

CIRCUIT WEBSITE

TICKETS

WEEKEND SCHEDULE
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 28

Start	End	Race	Session	Duration
09:55	10:25	Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge	FREE PRACTICE 1	30'
10:35	11:05	MRF Championship	FREE PRACTICE 1	30'
11:15	11:45	Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge	FREE PRACTICE 2	30'
11:55	12:25	MRF Championship	FREE PRACTICE 2	30'
12:30	13:00	VIP Hot Laps		30'
13:00	13:30	VIP Hot Laps		30'
13:45	14:15	MRF Championship	QUALIFYING	30'
14:30	15:00	Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge	QUALIFYING	30'
15:15	16:45	FIA WEC	FREE PRACTICE 1	90'
17:00	17:30	VIP Hot Laps		30'
18:00		FIA WEC	PRE EVENT PRESS CONFERENCE
18:45	19:15	Safety car excercice		30'
19:30	21:00	FIAWEC	FREE PRACTICE 2	90'

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 29

Start	End	Race	Session	Duration
09:00	09:30	BIC 2000' Championship	FREE PRACTICE	30'
09:40	10:10	Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge	QUALIFYING 2	30'
10:25	11:25	FIA WEC	FREE PRACTICE 3	60'
11:40	12:10	Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge	RACE 1	30'
12:30	13:00	BIC 2000' Championship	QUALIFYING	35'
13:00	13:45	FIA WEC	PIT WALK	45'
14:00	14:30	BIC 2000' Championship	RACE 1	30'
14:50	15:20	MRF Championship	RACE 1	30'
15:45	16:10	FIA WEC	Qualifying - LMGTE Pro & LMGTE Am	25'
16:20	16:45	FIA WEC	Qualifying - LMP1 & LMP2	25'
16:50		FIAWEC	QUALIFYING PRESS CONFERENCE
17:00	17:30	MRF Championship	RACE 2	30'
17:10	17:30	FIAWEC	Mixed Interview Zone - FIA WEC Drivers	20'
17:15		FIA WEC	PRESS CONFERENCE

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 30

Start	End	Race	Session	Duration
09:35	10:05	MRF Championship	RACE 3	30'
10:25	10:55	BIC 2000' Championship	RACE 2	30'
11:15	11:45	MRF Championship	RACE 4	30'
12:05	12:35	Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge	RACE 2	30'
12:45	13:30	FIA WEC	PIT WALK	45'
12:50	13:20	FIA WEC	AUTOGRAPH SESSION	30'
13:15	13:45	VIP Hot Laps	AUDI	30'
13:50		FIA WEC	PITS OPEN
14:00		FIA WEC	PITS CLOSED
14:05		FIA WEC	GRID WALK opening
14:40		FIA WEC	GRID WALK gate closing
14:50		FIA WEC	GRID WALK end of the track evacuation
14:56		FIA WEC	GREEN FLAG
15:00	21:00	FIA WEC	RACE	6h
21:15		FIAWEC	PRESS CONFERENCE

ENTRY LIST

EXTENDED WEATHER FORECAST

HOTELS AND ACCOMMODATIONS

TRANSPORTATION

From Manama CBD to the circuit by car

TRACK MAP

LAP OF BAHRAIN INTL.

ANDY BLACKMORE SPOTTER GUIDES

FRC PREDICTIONS COMPETITION!

COUNTDOWN AND TIME CONVERSION PAGES

FP1

FP2

FP3

QUALIFYING

RACE

CLASSIFICATIONS AFTER SHANGHAI

Thank you to XPB Images and www.motorsport.com for providing these images!









Savor the final event on the 2013 World Endurance Championship calendar... otherwise, it'll be a long winter!