TDT | Manama
Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com
Bahrain will witness a whole new spectacle at next year’s Bapco Energies Bahrain 8 Hours, part of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC).
The Sakhir race will be the eighth and final round of WEC’s 2024 season, with the high-profile endurance event scheduled to take place on November 2nd at the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) in Sakhir.
WEC has announced a record 19 hypercars and 18 LMGT3 entries for the 2024 campaign.
A staggering 14 manufacturers will be participating in both classes, the most in FIA WEC history.
Manufacturers competing in next year’s WEC include Alpine, Aston Martin, BMW, Cadillac, Corvette, Ferrari, Ford, Isotta Fraschini, Lamborghini, Lexus, McLaren, Peugeot, Porsche and Toyota, all of which are among the world’s best. highlights the continued growth of the endurance racing series. FIAWEC CEO Frédéric Lekian commented: “The huge number of entries across both Hypercars and his LMGT3 confirms the continued growth of FIA WEC.
“Featuring 19 hypercars representing 14 different manufacturers and 18 LMGT3 entries, the entry list truly reflects the golden age of endurance racing we are currently experiencing.
“Next season’s on-track battles are going to be extraordinary, and what’s even more exciting is that we’re expanding the calendar to eight races to allow even more fans to enjoy the action.”
BIC hosted this year’s Bapco Energies Bahrain 8 Hours earlier this month as the final race of the season. Next year will also come to an end.
It follows rounds in Qatar in March, Italy in April, Belgium in May, France in June, Brazil in July, and the US and Japan in September.
Several drivers have also been named for next season, with each team required to submit at least one driver for each car entered.
Notable names include seven-time MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi, who drives for Team WRT in LMGT3.
Other surprises include newly crowned LMP2 champion Robert Kubica driving the new Ferrari 499P hypercar for AF Corse.
Former Haas F1 driver and current Mercedes F1 reserve Mick Schumacher also made the switch to endurance racing after joining Alpine’s driver line-up.
Since the introduction of the Hypercar class in 2021, WEC has grown immeasurably, with the class reaching record numbers in the 2024 season.
The WEC, which will also be established in 2024, will consist of only two classes: Hypercar and the all-new LMGT3 category.
The latter replaces the LMGTE class, which has been on the WEC grid since the series’ inaugural season in 2012.
The new GT class will be based on the FIA’s existing GT3 technology platform and will continue to focus on gentleman drivers.
Bahraini-British motor racing team 2 Seas Motorsport was awarded the Champions Trophy at the 2023 Intelligent Money British GT Championship’s end-of-season award ceremony. 2 Seas, co-owned by His Highness Sheikh Isa bin Abdullah bin Hamad Al Khalifa, won four of the nine races held last season, making it the team’s historic and first-ever GT3 team. won the championship. Drivers James Cottingham and Jonny Adam also finished second and third respectively in the GT Drivers’ Championship. They were presented with trophies at the ceremony, and 2 Seas co-owner Nick Cristofaro was presented with the team’s honor. Above, Cristofaro, center, Cottingham, right, and Adam holding the trophy.