Sunday night’s end-of-season FIA WEC Awards Ceremony on the beach at the Sofitel Hotel in Bahrain, as ever, saw the full set of champions and multiple standout personalities from the season take to the stage in front of the entire paddock.
As for the class champions, Porsche Penske Motorsports’ Hypercar World Endurance Drivers’ winner – Kevin Estre, Andre Lotterer and Laurens Vanthoor – were presented with Rolex watches and a trophy for their 2024 successes.
Porsche customer team Pure Rxcing’s Klaus Bachler, Joel Sturm and Alex Malykhin also took to the stage in bespoke champion jackets, along with team owner Edgar Kochanovskij, after becoming the first team to capture the LMGT3 titles.
Toyota Gazoo Racing’s Kamui Kobayashi received rapturous applause when it was his turn in the spotlight with Porsche’s Thomas Laudenbach and Ferrari’s Giuliano Salvi, to celebrate the Japanese brand’s last-gasp Bahrain victory which sealed the Hypercar World Endurance Manufacturers’ title.
And HERTZ Team JOTA’s win in the FIA WEC Hypercar World Cup was also celebrated. Team director David Clark was particularly joyous in describing his team’s efforts during 2024, in which it became the first privateer to win a race overall in the Hypercar era and secured the deal to become Cadillac Racing’s new service provider.
A number of other awards were handed out too, including ‘Revelation of the Year’, which went to Proton Competition’s Julien Andlauer for his head-turning Hypercar performances.
‘Sports Racer of the Year’ went to Heart of Racing’s Ian James, the Goodyear Wingfoot Award was handed to Ferrari’s Alessio Rovera (below) for his consistency in LMGT3 with Vista AF Corse and the DHL Sustainability Award was presented to Alpine and team manager Philippe Sinault.
Finally, outgoing GM sportscar boss Laura Wontrop Klauser and Alpine Nicolas Lapierre (who has stepped back from driving to take up a managerial role with the French manufacturer) were recognised for their contributions to the WEC.
Images courtesy of FIA WEC/DPPI
