WEC 8 Hours of Bahrain: Targeted Assessment

LMP1: Ginetta, a bad omen with zero points.

If attention was logically focused on Toyota and Rebellion, the 8 Hours of Bahrain was primarily a test for Ginetta. The English manufacturer had never experienced such a long race. Well, it did, but at Le Mans 2018. Two cars were entered at the time under the CEFC TRSM Racing banner with a Mecachrome engine. It was their only race for financial reasons.

After a year of absence, a brand new Ginetta returned this season in WEC, with Team LNT. Initially, the goal remained the same: to prove that the car is fast and reliable in order to attract private teams to compete in Le Mans in 2019 and beyond if interested.

So far, the first aspect is successful. Thanks in part to the success handicap, the Ginetta are holding their own against the two other teams, in qualifying and race pace. They even came very close to pole position on Friday.

On the other hand, reliability is an issue. Over four hours, they managed to limit the damage, literally. Five laps at Silverstone and one lap at Shanghai lost. But as soon as the distance increases, the English cars start spending a lot of time in the pit. Over 6 hours at Fuji, they finished with at least 17 laps behind. And on Saturday, none of them reached the finish line due to electrical problems. A poor result that won’t encourage teams to buy a Ginetta. The manufacturer, which indicated it wants to continue next season despite the presence of hypercars, will have to quickly resolve these issues to hope for something.

In the championship: the back-and-forth between Toyota continues, with each securing victories. Rebellion, on the other hand, has fallen more than a victory behind.

GTE-Pro: Porsche ends an impressive streak

Bahrain… 2017. It was the last time a Porsche did not make it to the GTE-Pro podium in WEC. That’s eleven races. This series notably led to an overwhelming dominance in the manufacturers’ championship during the 2018/2019 Super Season.

She therefore stopped on Saturday. Starting at the front line, the Germans faced various setbacks. A puncture for the 92 and a shock absorber failure for the 91. Very surprising problems for the head of the Porsche GT Team, Pascal Zurlinden. The latter is even unprecedented.

The minor issues caused them to lose two laps. Far too many to hope for anything in such a tight category. Pascal Zurlinden particularly regrets not being able to fight until the end. « I think we could have all fought together until the end, like Ferrari and Aston Martin battled until the last lap. It would have been great over eight hours. We are a bit sad. Knowing that such battles could have occurred, failing in this way makes the result even more frustrating.

Nevertheless, the underperformance of Porsche, which was leading until now, reshuffles the championship. With still no victories, Ferrari remains behind, more than twenty points from fourth place. The Italians must win before Le Mans to stay in the race.

LMP2: United Autosport first

For the record, United Autosport is the most emblematic representative of the prototype branch created by the Automobile Club de l’Ouest. The team started anonymously in LMP3 and won the European Le Mans Series in that category. They then moved to LMP2. By far the best team on a Ligier, the team achieved some continental successes without managing to win at Le Mans. United Autosport decided to switch to Oreca 07 at the beginning of the season to finally win a major race. That has now been achieved.

She can now eye the championship, which is more uncertain than ever, and dream of a triumph in Sarthe.

GTE Am: the Breton flag at the forefront

With its blue, white, and red LEDs, stripes of the same color, and its Breton flag emblazoned on the car, the Ferrari AF Corse #83 does not go unnoticed by French fans. Entered by the two great friends Emmanuel Collard and François Perrodo so they could relive the joy of racing, it might just play the spoiler.

Accompanied by the 22-year-old Danish star Niklas Nielsen, nurtured by the Ferrari factory, the two Frenchmen can aim for the title. They are leading the championship after four races, with two podiums. A French triumph to watch.