It’s beautifully warm and sunny in Bahrain, and is set to stay the same throughout the race meeting with the race into darkness on Saturday evening.
There are dozens of new light poles installed ahead of the 2014 F1 race here which will be held in darkness. The system is set to be tested this weekend during the WEC race with the power set, we believe, at 50%.
In LMP1 it’s almost ‘as you were’ from Shanghai with the sole change being that Kazuki Nakajima is here to bolster the #7 Toyota squad.
Leena Gade meanwhile was busy at the other end of the pit lane filming pitstop practice as the Audi boys practised variations on the pitstop theme and analysed their own performances.
LMP2 in contrast sees several changes, Lotus Praga have young Austrian Lucas Auer in the #31 car, the team will stay on on Sunday for a private test with the T128 which Tracy Krohn is set to try out before deciding on the shape and form of his 2014 race programme.
Greaves Motorsport have Wolfgang Reip and Jon Lancaster joining Bjorn Wirdheim here in Bahrain, the #41 car might well show well if ‘Wolfie’ is anywhere close to the form shown previously by his fellow young NISMO Athletes.
Delta ADR have a very different look here for their #25 Oreca Nissan with the addition of very prominent Millennium branding on the car and in the pit garage, Fabien Giroix arrived smiling, looking forward to his first run this afternoon.
Asked over the future of his previous team Gulf Racing Middle East there was confirmation that their LMP2 programme is over but confirmation too that there are active plans for a sizeable GT3 race programme from the team in 2014, “Dubai 24 Hours, Spa 24 Hours Gulf 12 Hours in Abu Dhabi and likely the Barcelona 24 Hours and other endurance races too.” No word yet though on the chosen machinery, the branding though is unlikely to remain as Gulf and likely to switch to Millennium.
Oak Racing were busy on the pit apron with a photocall and pitstop practice, David Heinemeier Hanssen looking relaxed ahead of a race that looks likely to determine the destination of the Championship in favour of one or other of the lead Morgan Nissans, the other contenders requiring a near miracle of bad fortune for both cars ahead to be in with a chance.
“I’m looking forward to it of course, it’s been a really good season of racing.”
There was plenty of conversation too about the prospects for DHH into 2014, and over the potential for good and bad moves to be made with driver rankings around the Pro-Am classes in WEC. Look out for a longer chat with the always interesting Dane in the coming weeks on DSC.
For now though there was the opportunity to catch up over his recent test at Sebring with Aston Martin Racing as both the team and the driver looked each other over prior to the 2014 WEC:
“It was phenomenal, the car was quick and easy to drive, the set-up was great from the moment the car rolled off the truck too and having Darren (Turner) there was great too, with some great feedback and some good input too into changes we looked at during the day.
“Of course before the test I was unsure but f I was getting as close to the Vipers, BMWs and the rest as I was at a first test that has to be very encouraging.”
There’s no decision yet though on the programme, though there have clearly been conversations over the potential for him to join in one or other of the proposed GTE AM entries for 2014, A Silver ranked Dane presents possibilities!
In the GTE ranks there are two major stories, the new evolution version of the Porsche is covered elsewhere but at AF Corse the team have chosen to split the #51 driver squad in pursuit of as many avenues as possible to secure a shot at the Championship.
Gianmaria Bruni is therefore joined by Toni Vilander in #51, which, bearing in mind the relative pace of the team’s drivers in recent races has now to be considered the lead car.
Giancarlo Fisichella meanwhile joins Kamui Kobayashi in the #71 car.
The new crew for the #61 GTE aM entry joined DSC on our flight over, Francois Perrodo and Manu Collard in alongside season long staple Matt Griffin.
The Aston Martins were sporting some very neat, grille mounted, additional front lights.
Oddly at IMSA Performance the #76 car still features Christophe Bourret’s name on the roof panels despite the fact that Markus Palttala has been driving the car since Fuji! The pit garage banner has at least had an alteration!
We’re beginning to sniff too that there may be a change of heart in progress at Porsche in relation to Customer GTE cars for 2014 – Watch this space!!
