We have reached the finale of the 2016 FIA World Endurance Championship season, the 6 Hours of Bahrain, at the Sakhir Circuit in Sakhir, Bahrain. Before the race got started, tributes were paid both to Mark Webber, who runs his final FIA World Endurance Championship event, and final race of his career, today, and to Audi, who also run their final ever sports car race today before exiting the sport after an amazing 17 year career, that includes 13 overall wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Webber was given a standing ovation in the driver's briefing. Once again, tribute was also paid to Audi. A thank you was also given to Audi Sport team boss, an icon of sports car racing in the 21st century, Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich.
In qualifying for the 6 Hours of Bahrain it was run under the lights, on a very warm evening, here in Bahrain. Sakhir is a half hour's drive away from the capitol city of Manama. The GT cars were the first ones to go out on track to set times. Some drivers were scolded early by the stewards for track limits violations. Be sure, that the quick lap you are on is between the white lines and actually on the blacktop, ladies and gentlemen. Had they been on pole, the #83 AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia in the hands of Francois Perrodo of France, Emmanuel Collard of France (a veteran endurance driver), and Portugal's Rui Aguas, would have locked up the championship in the LM GTE Am class with their Ferrari 458 Italia.
It was Pedro Lamy in one of the Aston Martin's making certain that the race for the title would indeed happen in the race itself. The Ferrari 488's have been a tad off in their performance in LM GTE Pro. Or, are they hiding their cards close to their chests right now? The best effort by a Ferrari was third in class. The #95 Aston Martin V8 Vantage ended up second in LM GTE Pro. However, they could not compete with their team car #97. Darren Turner and Johnny Adam (on his return to the WEC), nabbed pole position in class. Let us now fast forward, to the final 20 minutes of qualifying for the big boys in the big toys. It's Prototype qualifying in Bahrain!
This would be the final ever qualifying session for Audi Sport Team Joest. Here's how LMP2 shook out. Third best in class, the #44 Manor Oreca 05 Nissan shared by Matt Rao, Richard Bradley, and Alex Lynn. Second place (going for pole but missing it, still tied in the championship lead), was the #36 Signatech Alpine A460 Nissan with Gustavo Menezes, Nicolas Lapierre, and Stephane Richelmi sharing the driving chores. For the sixth time in 2016, it's the #26 crew from G-Drive Racing in their Oreca 05 Nissan, starting on pole. Congratulations to Romain Rusinov, Rene Rast, and Alex Brundle. They start on the LMP2 pole.
Now for the real fireworks. Who would win pole overall in LMP1 Hybrid? The #2 Porsche 919 squad are nearly champions. But, almost, just isn't enough for Romain Dumas, Neel Jani, and Marc Lieb. Lieb could only qualify third. Ahead of him, outgoing world champion, Timo Bernhard in the #1 919 he shares with Mark Webber and Kiwi Brendon Hartley. But, in their final ever race, Audi, is on pole with the #8 Audi R18 of Lucas Di Grassi, Loic Duval, and Oliver Jarvis. The pre-race, and all the talk, is over. No more talk. Only do. We are ready, for the 6 Hours of Bahrain.
We start the race, with the green flag being waved for the formation lap, as Race Director Edoardo Freitas keys the radio to the drivers. There are two formation laps. Tom Kristensen is here to watch. We have the first formation lap as a lap of honor for Audi, celebrating their 17-18 year run in the world of top level sports car racing. Freitas says, "Audi is leaving home, and as a family, we await it's return home to endurance racing, where it truly belongs. From our side, thank you for everything." Those sentiments are deeply echoed here, too. Godspeed, Audi. Six Hours on the clock.
A very long hold before they get to the start finish line. Red lights, on. Red lights, out! Away we go for the start of the 2016 FIA WEC season finale! The pole sitting Audi leads the charge as in the back of the field, cars are going six wide! The LMP2 boys better straighten out fast, or they will be in for a real shemozzle into this first series of corners! Beyond that little mess at the start, let's have a look at all of what happened in the first hour. In that early stacking up we saw at the start, Alex Lynn moved down from third in class to at least sixth or seventh position. Fast and frantic action at the sharp end as Audi and Toyota swapped positions. The #6 Toyota went inside Marcel Fassler in Audi #7 and almost ran into the #1 Porsche!
Timo Bernhard is at the controls of the Porsche, presently. Not sure which of the three drivers is in the Toyota. It's probably Stephane Sarrazin, their most veteran driver. Mike Conway and Kamui Kobayashi, will get their turns at the wheel during this race for sure. Marcel Fassler in the #7 Audi tees up the Toyota, zaps on the hybrid energy recovery boost, and pushes the bye bye button, overtaking the red and white car. We have a fair old scrap going in LM GTE Am as well between Porsche 911 RSR #86 in the hands of Mike Wainright (part of a trio of Brits in that car along with Ben Barker and Adam Carroll), making a move on the #98 Aston Martin V8 Vantage. Paul Dalla Lana has no doubt started that car, sharing with Mathias Lauda and Formula 1 and sports car veteran, Pedro Lamy.
Barker is in the car for the first stint and he's had a fantastic drive. Barker is second in class. Now, Marcel Fassler wants to pass Timo Bernhard and these two are going to go at it hammer and tongs for a while. ESM has also been running well before they move full-time back to IMSA competition in the United States in 2017. Pippo Derani makes a move on his team mate. The #30 car Tom Dillman of England, sharing with Sean Gelael and Giedo van der Garde this weekend, while the sister car #31 that Derani drives, he shares with regular co-drivers Ryan Dalziel and Chris Cumming. Audi vs. Porsche and Audi #7 passes Porsche #1 in turn four. Dr. Ullrich is appreciative. We watch Mark Webber in pit lane, contemplating what will be the final drive of his career in a Porsche LMP1 racer.
Marcel Fassler has gone around Porsche #1, but it was much easier to dispose of the sister #2 car with Neel Jani at the controls. Jani is struggling with the grip on his front tires. The two Toyota's change places going through lapped traffic. But then, a potentially dramatic moment for Porsche at the end of the first hour. The #78 KCMG Porsche 911 RSR blends across the right side of the road and slams the left rear of the #2 Porsche which is currently leading in the driver's championship. Pit stop time for Porsche, to replace a punctured tire. Car #78 has been given the black and white penalty flag for that avoidable contact.
The #78 LM GTE Am class Porsche 911 RSR is shared by German's Christian Ried and Wolf Henzler (a veteran GT driver), and Swiss driver Joel Camathias. In the meantime, more GT action as Ferrari and Aston Martin swap places. At that point, both Aston Martin's have gone around the Ferrari, one of the AF Corse cars. What does a driver do on his break out of the car? Well, Porsche's Marc Lieb is kicking the soccer ball around a bit. Could he have a future career as a footballer? That remains to be seen.
We fast forward through the race action and there's a couple seconds between the two Audi's with Brendon Hartley another 48 seconds behind the leader. The Toyota's are a bit further behind. Kazuki Nakajima currently in the #5 car and in #6, Mike Conway. Those are the top five cars, as we have just over three and a half hours now remaining, in our highlighted coverage of the 6 Hours of Bahrain. These cars racing through the darkness with headlights on and brake discs glowing, is quite the sight to behold. We take a look at what happened in the race's third hour. We are halfway home now, in Bahrain.
Sebastien Buemi and Mark Webber battled in the darkness with Buemi locking the brakes and smoking the tires on his #5 Toyota TS050 Hybrid. The LMP2 contenders were having some of the best battles on the road at this juncture. But then, more drama! Paul Dalla Lana, trying to keep his and Aston Martin's hopes alive in the LM GTE Am championship, lost a wheel and had loads of smoke spewing from the left rear corner of the V8 Vantage. Dalla Lana, unquestionably immediately dove for the pit lane. Poor old Johnny Adam, back at Aston Martin for the first time in a wee while, suffered the same fate, but it was the right rear tire that departed the car. You've picked a fine time to leave me, loose wheel.
Correction. Adam, lost the right front wheel. Nonetheless, a full course yellow was deployed, the first of the race. Aston Martin #95 in the hands of Nikki Thiim and Marco Sorensen was running well, as was the #88 Abu Dhabi Proton Porsche 911 RSR in LM GTE Am. Khaled Al Qubaisi, David Heinemeier Hanson, and Patrick Long, at the wheel of it. The #95 led LM GTE Pro, the #36 Alpine, LMP2, and overall, the #8 Audi R18.
We now press the fast forward button, to hour five. One hour remains in the race. One hour remains, in the 2016 FIA WEC season. We've seen a real dogfight in LMP2 and it's been between Signatech Alpin and RGR Sport by Morand. Actually, five or six cars in the class, have led it. Kind of amazing, isn't it? With the already documented tire problems for Aston Martin, the LM GTE Pro championship has gone the way of AF Corse! Check that. The Aston fell out with engine issues and then the sister car with Johnny Adam at the keyboard, lost a wheel. Darren Turner has had to claw his way back through the field since then.
Both Toyota's have kept the Porsche's and the Audi's honest this entire race. But, they just haven't been too much of a factor at the front. A little tradin' paint between G Drive and RGR Sport. Tradin' paint, argy bargy, dodge 'em cars... call it what you like. It was intense. That's real racing. No action taken by the stewards for that little battle. Patrick Long for local team Abu Dhabi Proton Racing, leads in LM GTE Am right now. We now have under an hour to go in the season. Stay tuned for the conclusion of this one.
We've seen high emotion and high drama this whole race. We wish Audi godspeed. Porsche #2 despite not having a podium since winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans in that bizarre finish, they will go on to win the championship. The final pit stops Audi will ever make in competition in WEC, were done with aplomb and with Audi style. We have seen more than 15 overall lead changes through the course of today's six hour race. Mark Webber's driving career is also the end of an era and a sendoff for the outgoing world champions at Porsche. They will take the 919 Hybrid to third place in the overall. The racing in other categories isn't over yet. LMP2 still has to be settled.
Rene Rast and Filipe Albuqerque have battled all day long. Rast gets the better of Albuquerque. Abu Dhabi Racing will win in their home event here in Bahrain, with drivers Khaled Al Qubaisi, David Heinemeier Hanson, and Patrick Long. Aston Martin takes the LM GTE Pro win. Audi ends an era in sports car racing that will never, ever be forgotten, with a 1-2 finish! Extraordinary scenes in pit lane as all competitors applauded the Audi crew for their victory in their sendoff from a decorated 17 year career in endurance sports car racing. Audi celebrates, and so does Porsche. The #2 team of Romain Dumas, Neel Jani, and Marc Lieb, they are not just Le Mans winners. They are the 2016 FIA World Endurance Champions!
We have a look at our final class winners and our champions.
Overall/LMP1: #8 Di Grassi/Duval/Jarvis Audi R18
LMP2: #26 Rusinov/Rast/Brundle Oreca 05 Nissan
LM GTE Pro: #95 Thiim/Sorenson Aston Martin V8 Vantage
LM GTE Am: #88 Al Qubaisis/Heinemeier Hanson/Long Porsche 911 RSR
Today has been a day of remembering great races, and saying farewell to friends and rivals alike. Audi wins their 107th victory in a total of 187 career races since 1999. What a phenomenal achievement. Yours truly, has been there, most of the way, seeing the Audi team grow and mature into the true motorsports and sports car racing dynasty it became. They can hold onto a better than 50% win rate in world class motor racing. What an amazing group of people. What an amazing team. They've put it all together, especially within the last five years as competitors in the FIA World Endurance Championship.
We remember their success in the United States as well, where they won lots of races with factory cars and also had customer teams in the U.S., Europe, and Japan. Audi Sport UK, Stefan Johansson's Gulf team, Champion Racing, and Team Goh. We pay tribute, too, to a world champion, Mark Webber. This was his second go around in endurance racing, having also nearly won an FIA GT World Championship with Mercedes way back in 1998. Mark Webber was the first person to sign on with Porsche in 2014, helping to develop the 919 Hybrid into what it is, a world class race car, today. Within half a year, and in a stunning race at Fuji, Japan, he was on top of everything in the FIA WEC.
Webber now starts life as a former Porsche world champion, which will always be with him, and an ambassador to the brand itself. Godspeed, Mark Webber. Cheers, mate, for a job well done. That is the end of another great season, and an end of an era for Audi. Audi, we will miss you. Look for a wrap up of this race, tomorrow, with new coverage, and also more off season coverage from the WEC here on Endurance... The Sports Car Racing Blog. What a season it was in 2016. We'll see you again, next year, in 2017.
So long, for now, everyone.
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