Charles Milesi and Laurents Hörr have been nominated by the promoter and organiser of the FIA WEC as official ‘rookies’ for the official FIA World Endurance Championship test session at Bahrain International Circuit on Sunday 7 November following the season-ending 8 Hours of Bahrain next month.
The two drivers will each get a minimum of 30 laps in the 2021 World Championship winning cars from both the Hypercar and LMGTE Pro categories respectively.
Frenchman Charles Milesi (pictured top) will get his first taste of Hypercar machinery as he is expected to drive the new-for-2021 Toyota GR010 Hybrid after competing this season in the WEC with Belgian LMP2 squad Team WRT, including winning the LMP2 category at the recent 24 Hours of Le Mans. He’s also put in competitive performances for other LMP2 teams over the past two seasons.
Confirmed to test the winning car from this year’s LMGTE Pro category (either the Ferrari 488 GTE Evo or the Porsche 911 RSR – 19) will be Germany’s Laurents Hörr (above). The 24-year-old won the Le Mans Michelin Cup (LMP3) in both 2019 and 2020 and this year Hörr has been racing with DKR Engineering in ELMS, as well as competing in select sportscar races in the USA.
The ‘Rookie’ test forms part of the regular session at Bahrain International Circuit on the day following the season finale.
An entry list for the 7 November official rookie test, which takes place the day after the season-closing 8 Hours of Bahrain, will be released in due course. The two test sessions will run from 10h00 to midday and then from 13h00 to 16h00.
The five hours of track time are also available to other WEC teams should they wish to use it to test other potential drivers ahead of the 2022 season.
Charles Milesi: “I’m really happy with this opportunity, being able to drive a Hypercar and also the one which has won Le Mans this year – it’s unbelievable. I would like to thank everybody, first WRT because we have had an incredible year so far and also the ACO, the WEC and Toyota for this amazing opportunity.”
Laurents Hörr: “I am very happy and grateful that I have been chosen for this year’s rookie test. It means a lot to me to know that people see my performance as a driver. I am very excited to meet this challenge, as I have never worked with a factory team before.”
Frédéric Lequien, FIA WEC CEO: “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented young drivers to show off their skills and professionalism to teams representing some of the world’s biggest and most successful automotive brands. It is always nice to be able to help some of the hardest working and most naturally skilled drivers in our paddock and we look forward to seeing how Charles and Laurent perform in Bahrain.”
