‘Rexy’ “damaged beyond immediate repair”
Have we seen the last of ‘Rexy’ in GTE form? Free Practice 2 for the Project 1 AO team ended early when Gunnar Jeanette backed the car into the wall on the run to pit-in, severely damaging the rear end of the car.
Thankfully Jeanette was unharmed in the incident. However, team sources have indicated to DSC after the car returned to the paddock, unofficially, that the car is “damaged beyond immediate repair”. It suffered chassis damage to the left rear corner in the impact.
To make matters worse, with this being the last race week for GTE in the WEC, there are no spare chassis available.
GR’s new livery
GR Racing’s Porsche 911 RSR 19 is sporting a new ‘farewell’ livery to mark the end of the GTE formula this weekend. The base colour for the car remains black, but with added gold ‘farewell’ text repeated across the wheel arches.
Kubica & Albuquerque in the running for Wingfoot Award
United Autosports’ Filipe Albuquerque and Team WRT’s Robert Kubica are currently tied on points for the Goodyear Wingfoot Award title ahead of Saturday’s race.
Inter Europol’s Albert Costa is also in with a chance, sitting 16 points adrift in third as the only other driver with a mathematical chance of clinching the title.
The Wingfoot Award is given to the LMP2 driver who achieves the fastest stint average, measuring their average lap time over two consecutive stints.
Every LMP2 driver is in the running for the award, which uses the same points system as WEC to determine the winner throughout the season.
“We introduced the Wingfoot Award to recognise excellent performance across multiple endurance stints,” said Ben Crawley, director of motorsport EMEA, Goodyear.
“We’re excited to see two top drivers battle it out for the overall 2023 Wingfoot Award title in Bahrain. It has added another intriguing element for the racing and provided fans with a different perspective when it comes to managing performance.”
Qatar delegation on site
A delegation from the Losail International Circuit in Qatar is present here in Bahrain, including circuit CEO Amro Al Hamad and members of the marketing team, ahead of the circuit’s first WEC event next season.
In 2024 Qatar will host the pre-season Prologue and a 1812km race to kick off the campaign.
Officials from the Interlagos (which returns in ’24) and Spa-Francorchamps circuits are also on-site taking in the 2023 season finale.
Farewell to Romain Aubry
Romain Aubry, TOTALEnergies’ motorsport technical manager, is set to leave the French company’s motorsport arm at the end of this season, after a lengthy stint in sportscar racing.
During his time in the ELMS and WEC paddocks, Aubry has played a key role in many significant projects, including TOTAL’s sustainable race fuels and the H24 hydrogen-powered prototype.
DSC wishes Romain all the best for his next chapter, which will see him take up a new role in TOTALEnergies’ aviation department. There he will add his expertise to the French conglomerate’s efforts to improve sustainability in another key marketplace.
TGR prototypes on show in Japan
While Toyota Gazoo Racing’s WEC team is fully focused on this weekend’s racing in Bahrain, its GR H2 Racing Concept and a Le Mans-winning GR010 HYBRID are on display at the Japan Mobility Show, which is being held in Tokyo this week.
Meanwhile in Japan 🇯🇵
The GR H2 Racing Concept and #LeMans24 winning #GR010HYBRID drawing the crowds at the Japan Mobility Show.#JapanMobilityShow #JMS2023 pic.twitter.com/Lhy2N6oK3r
— TOYOTA GAZOO Racing WEC (@TGR_WEC) November 2, 2023
How to follow
This weekend’s FIA WEC season finale can be followed on TV and online via the official app.
Free Practice 3 will again be streamed for free, live, on the WEC YouTube channel (below), before Qualifying and the Race are shown on the WEC app.
The WEC website can also be used for live timing throughout the meeting HERE >>>
For a full breakdown of the broadcast coverage for the Bapco Energies 8 Hours of Bahrain, please click HERE >>>
