Two and a half hours now remain in the 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship season. This 3.6 mile, 15 turn track is amazing. Here are some highlights. Porsche is in their final race. Fernando Alonso could test for Toyota here tomorrow. We saw a great opening stanza to this race. The battle has continued. Early on there was a yellow for a loose bollard. Oliver Jarvis and Bruno Senna battle for LMP2 honors. Lots of pit action in the first hour, having used copious amounts of fuel. Andy Priaulx makes a move for the lead on the Ferrari in LM GTE Pro. Ferrari has battled Porsche. Porsche is still looking for a GT win with the 911 RSR.
Tire degradation has been big. Problems for the #77 Dempsey Proton Porsche with a broken headlight. The #98 Aston Martin has run well. Michael Christensen gets slammed by the #7 Toyota and it's game over for the second factory GT Porsche, as we also saw the Toyota having problems. Sebastien Buemi, Anthony Davidson, and Kazuki Nakajima are the overall race leaders at this moment. Anything can happen as we have two and a half hours to the end. Gustavo Menezes makes a move on Ben Hanley. They double stinted their tires, and moved back. Gustavo Menezes is fourth in class. Ben Hanley is fifth in class, ninth in the overall.
Any number of drivers and teams are battling for their futures before the super season starts. The GT championships are world titles. The #51 Ferrari leads LM GTE Pro. What happened to Matthias Lauda at the start? He had to fight and claw his way back to the top. Ford has surely rebounded since a horrid race in Fuji, Japan. They rebounded in Shanghai, China. Chip Ganassi Racing is looking for his 200th win in all of motorsport. IndyCar, NASCAR, Rallycross, sports cars, you name it. The Sakhir circuit has a great flow to it. Meanwhile, the #91 Porsche 911 RSR is sneaking their way up the order.
They are managing their tires. How much ground can porsche make up? Davide Rigon in one of the Ferrari's, is coming. Sam Bird, Rigon's team mate, looks on. We've been in darkness since the one hour mark of this race and the temperatures have dropped just four degrees. It was 82 degrees Fahrenheit at the start and is 78 degrees Fahrenheit now. We have two hours and 20 minutes still to go. Porsche #91 must win this race. Sam Bird is ready to go. Alessandro Pier Guidi is flying, running in the 1:59 bracket for lap times.
Michael Christensen came together with Kamui Kobayashi. It was a racing incident, but it is game over for the #92 car. It's a 50/50 responsibility between LMP and GT drivers in this form of racing. The gap between Davide Rigon and Richard Lietz, it's a scrap. The oyota out accelerates the Porsche GT car, and he didn't anticipate the Toyota going to the outside. "Cowboy" Kamui is still in the #7 Toyota. Christensen said he should have been able to see (Kobayashi), the Porsche. It's a racing incident, even though that's such a cliche term.
You had to make an instantaneous decision, but it doesn't mean that's a right decision. Nick Tandy in the pit lane. There's a red stripe on the Porsche highlighting all 260 employees for this team. Three Le Mans wins. Three driver's championships in successive years, and three constructor's championships, in three successive years. Toyota calling Kazuki Nakajima to the pit lane. Anthony Davidson will get into the car. Toyota desperately wants to win one more race than Porsche has, as the two brands are tied at four races apiece.
Toyota senior management will not hesitate to make drastic decisions on their driver lineups. Porsche #1 appears to have taken the lead on the pit stop cycle. This is a high stakes business, motor racing. So, if a driver doesn't perform, they can't hold up the team. You have to have your best bullets in the gun. The factory teams, you are in it together. It's a true team effort. We've come to the point in the race where teams back time the race to the end. Just over two hours remaining.
The GTE Pro battle continues. Kamui Kobayashi has driven the Toyota for some time, as we see Andy Priaulx being chased by Davide Rigon. Richard Lietz in the Porsche is closing in, too. This could be a three way scrum, very soon. Lietz and Makowiecki came in a couple points behind the two leaders, as Leo Roussel spins the #26 G-Drive LMP2 racer. This battle in GTE Pro is headed for being an argy bargy demolition derby. Priaulx is frustrating Davide Rigon. Rigon holds his temper in check for now.
The Ford and Ferrari war that started in the mid 1960s, continues. The GTE cars hit 163 miles an hour down the straightaway. Meanwhile, the overall battle between Nick Tandy and Anthony Davidson is also heating up. Toyota has had the pace over Porsche in race trim here in Bahrain. They are a minute clear of the sister Porsche with Earl Bamber at the wheel of it. Porsche #1 is fighting hard. They want a victory. They really want to go out on top. Oh! The #86 Porsche 911 RSR for Gulf Racing turned into Nick Tandy! He has 3/4 of a lap to limp the Porsche to the lane. Nick Foster should have given Nick Tandy, room.
Davide Rigon has the line on the Ford and Richard Lietz is coming in a hurry. Poor old Nick Tandy has to trundle around the circuit with a flat left rear tire. He is in damage control mode. This is devastating for Porsche giving the 919 a win in it's last race. Nick Foster wins the "what were you thinking?" award. Tandy is now in the pit lane, but he will still have to make an extra stop for fuel. Alessandro Pier Guidi is in the lane for regular service too. He has put in an amazing stint so far and stays in the car.
What kind of lap times will he run? How will his tires hold up? Work goes on on the damaged left front corner of the Porsche. Change the nose and send Nick Tandy back on track. Bahrain Circuit was built well over a decade ago, but it is a popular venue for both racing and testing. It was originally built to host the first Middle Eastern Formula 1 race. Andre Lotterer is now at the wheel of the #1 Porsche. They were really pushing the Toyota hard. But Lotterer sets fast lap of the race at 1:43.230 on fresh Michelin tires. Go for it. Gustavo Menezes is trying to keep his hopes alive in LMP2 for the title. He clears the Ferrari after almost running into it.
Priaulx had a very quick pit stop with no real service on the Ford GT. No tire change. The Ferrari's are trying to stretch it on fuel. Ford needs the points to catch up to Ferrari. Ford needs to win and to be very highly placed in the order as the race goes on. Ferrari's dashboard is a traditional one with all the info readouts. No readouts on the steering wheel. The championships are still open. Replay of the Ferrari pit stop. Sam Bird is at the controls of the #71 Ferrari. Cars are being warned for track limits violations. Turns four and 13, are both calamity corner. Fred Makowiecki is chasing Sam Bird right now. Push, push, push. Get to the front, and get ahead of the #51 sister AF Corse Ferrari.
The #13 Rebellion in the lane with Nelson Piquet Jr. at the controls. Ho Pin Tung has gone past in the #38 Jackie Chan DC Racing car. Since the Nurburgring, the #31 Rebellion car has been on a roll, winning three of the last four races. Bruno Senna is back behind the wheel. This is going to be a fast, frantic hour and 47 minutes. Ho Pin Tung is fifth overall and leading in LMP2. The Aston Martin Vantage and it's thundering V8 are making a final run in the WEC this weekend. Fred Makowiecki moves into second in LM GTE Pro.
Porsche splits the Ferrari's. All is status quo in LM GTE Am with the Aston Martin of Paul Dalla Lana leading by a minute and a half over the Ferrari #54 of Thomas Flohr. Aston Martin has had seven poles in the 2017 WEC season. Fred Makowiecki exceeds track limits at turn 15, the final corner. He is charging hard. The #61 Clearwater Racing Ferrari won the season opener at Silverstone back in April, as you recall. Aston Martin and the Spirit of Race Ferrari, collided of course.
Keita Sawa is in the #61 Ferrari. Keita Sawa is battling with Thomas Flohr. Ho-Pin Tung continues to lead LMP2. We have just an hour and 37 minutes left to run in the race, and the season. If they finish as they're running, that will reverse the points order and allow the #38 Jackie Chan DC Racing team to win the championship. Earl Bamber continues to run second, a minute and 22 seconds behind Anthony Davidson. Tandy and Bamber will race in IMSA in GT Le Mans next year. There's tire clag all over the car. It used to be, to stop the top fenders from sticking to the tires,teams would use Pam cooking spray to stop them from sticking.
These developments came after louvered fenders on these Prototype race cars, would perhaps cause an aerodynamic disturbance and the dead air, would cause the car to lift and backflip on straightaways. Shades of the Porsche 911 GT1 at Road Atlanta in 1998, the Mercedes CLR at Le Mans in 1999, and the BMW V12 LMR at Road Atlanta in 2000. Just over 90 minutes are left in the race and the season. Paul Dalla Lana pits. Check that. It's the #95 GTE Pro Aston Martin V8 Vantage. This car traces it's roots to 2008. It's been active since 2012 and is the oldest race car in the championship.
An all new Aston Martin comes to the WEC next year. It was running at Sebring and on Michelin tires. Harry Tincknell is still in the #67 Ford GT. At one point they led. But now, things have changed. Alessandro Pier Guidi has been reeling off 1:59 laps throughout this race. Can Ferrari get to the finish with one stop left? The #38 car is pitting. There could be rule changes to allow tire changes and fuel to happen at the same time. There's restrictions on the amount of tires used. But faster pit stops would make the action work out better for the fans and make things more entertaining.
Sam Bird is closing on Fred Makowiecki as Sam Bird continues to lead. Porsche #2 is into the lane. Earl Bamber, out. Timo Bernhard, in. This has not been Porsche's race here in Bahrain by any means. Timo Bernhard has been with Porsche since 1999. He owns his own team, Team 75, running Porsche's. Maybe Timo Bernhard will switch from driving, to being a team owner. If you are looking for an opportunity in racing, check out safeisfast.com. They have loads of resources for you. Dig it. Brendon Hartley will move full time into Formula 1 next year. Earl Bamber won the Porsche Cup after being invited, winning Le Mans, and winning a world championship.
Bruno Senna is being told that #38 will need a splash and dash with fuel. Crunching the numbers for the final hour and 23 minutes. The pit lane delta is 22 seconds on a 60 kilometer per hour speed limit. You lose 30 seconds on entry, service, and exit, within the lane. Give that info to the driver so he can adjust accordingly. Oliver Jarvis and Matthias Beche are discussing something. When you back time these races, you don't want to have the fuel burn off too quickly. The #13 sister Rebellion entry is also right there.
Oliver Jarvis has just gotten word that the DC Racing team is out of sync. Jarvis may join Mazda and Reinhold Joest, next year. Rene Rast and Spencer Pigot could be there for the endurance races. Alex Brundle looks a little shattered. He's probably been giving it everything, just as everyone else has. Plenty of stories to tell before we end this race in an hour and 20 minutes. Do drivers know the other team's drivers? It's a game of WEC Guess Who? That's hilarious. The #26 G-Drive car pits. Anthony Davidson pitted from the lead, and held onto it.
Car #13 has passed #38. Matthias Beche on Ho-Pin Tung. What will the Ferrari's be able to do? It's nip and tuck as the championships come down to the wire. Jean Eric Vergne and Nicolas Lapierre are battling each other. Anthony Davidon's gap on Andre Lotterer is 90 seconds. There's 24 seconds in LMP2. 44 seconds, in LM GTE Pro, and a minute and a half gap between Paul Dalla Lana and Keita Swa in LM GTE Am. Many drivers in these cars have Formula 1 experience at one time or another. Turn 13 has seen a lot of drivers going four tires off the road, incurring the wrath of the marshals.
Pit stops still to come that could affect the championship with just an hour and ten minutes to go, here in Bahrain. We are steadily closing in on the end of the 2017 season. Andre Lotterer is taking a stop and go penalty for the collision with Nick Tandy and Mike Wainwright. Tandy was pushing very hard. That's a tough call. One more stop for the #8 Toyota to come. Toyota #7 is three laps down to their rivals including their sister car. Anthony Davidson could take the #8 Toyota to the finish.
The LMP1 cars have give to them in deference to tire degradation, evn though they ar usually very stiffly sprung. Put stop time again for Porsche and Andre Lotterer. Quick stop. We're approiaching the one hour to go mark in the 6 Hours of Bahrain. Just under an hour to go yet. Final pit stops coming up for cars that don't have to make two stops in the final hour. Tung and Senna both may need one, or two more stops. This race will go dsown to the wire. Andre Lotterer lowers fast lap to a 1:42.860. Porsche wants to go out on a high. Audi leaving after creating a dynasty, was very emotional. This time, with Porsche, maybe it is less so. Winner takes all in LMP2 championship standings.
Senna has to reduce the delta. Alssandro Pier Guidi turns Ferrari #51 over to Brit James Calado. Calado can make it to the end. Ford seems to have slightly better fuel mileage. But Ferrari can also make it on fuel as the race comes to it's conclusion. As we enter the last hour, championships remain up for grabs. Toyota can grab their fifth win of the year. Toyota can get bragging rights for most LMP1 race wins in 2017. The LMP2 championship may be able to be wrapped up. James Calado and Alesandro Pier Guidi could win the GTE Pro title for Ferrari, and Aston Martin could win the GTE Am title. Toyota in the lane. They want to break the tie on wins with Porsche.
Sebastien Buemi is now taking over from Anthony Davidson. Toyota exits the pit lane. The LMP2 scrap will be major. Ho-Pin Tung pitted and handed the car to Oliver Jarvis. They need an additional pit stop over the Rebellion racer. Rebellion has the edge. Maybe DC Racing could short fill the car. Rip off fast lap times. If they hit traffic, pit immediately. Bruno Senna at the controls of the Vaillante Rebellion, who may very well win the championship. This is going to be very, very close. Power steering failure on the Rebellion car? Oh dear! Muscle up, pal. You'll have to wrestle that car around this track.
You cannot script auto racing. It's impossible. It's time to go for it. Nicolas Prost could finish this race. Can you do 50 minutes behind the wheel with no power steering? Yikes! Bruno Senna is distressed about driving the car without power steering. He's going to be knackered. We're basing computations on points with a seven point difference. If they drift farther back, the points margin will lessen. Beche has to take points off the #38 car. Bahrain has some long straightaways to recharge the muscles. Less than 45 minutes to go. Don't get caught in a box you can't fight your way out of.
Sebastien Buemi is leading for Toyota, and they could get their eighth win of the year. The #37 DC Racing car in the lane, with team boss David Cheng at the controls. Nico Prost has his race overalls back on. Will there be a driver change if Bruno Senna can't make it with no power steering? 40 minutes to go, or less. This will be quite the finish to the race, and the season. Tension ratchets up another notch as Toyota leads in the overall. Bruno Senna continus to struggle with no power steering. Porsche #2 in the lane. The pit entry here is so close to the final corner, it's hard to enter into the lane coming out at full speed and then, having to slow down. #2 makes it's final stop of the day.
Oliver Jarvis is 32 seconds behind Bruno Senna. Senna needs a full fuel load. Jarvis needs a splash and a dash. Control what you can. Don't risk getting your numbers wrong. Bruno Senna could be losing grip in his tires. His lap times are on pace with Oliver Jarvis. Matthias Beche is the meat in that sandwich. Senna could fall back, as long as the #13 car wins in class. Senna has to figure out how he feels, if he can take the car to the end, or give it over again to Nico Prost. Senna says "it's OK" through gritted teeth.
All the cars are set up for power steering with the geometry etc. But when it fails, drivers have to use all their muscle, because all the geometry changes. James Calado and Alessandro Pier Guidi are in positiuon to be champions in LM GTE Pro, leading their team car with Sam Bird at the controls. AF Corse is top notch, running a monstrous amount of cars in different GT championships. Andy Priaulx is digging deep in the #67 Ford GT. They've lost a lot of track position. You don't need all the fuel you can get as there is a timed fill on the #38 car. It's in Oliver Jarvis' hands.
Paul Dalla Lana and Pedro Lamy lead for the championship in LM GTE Am. Lamy leads his rival by a minute and a half. Canadian fans cheering for Paul Dalla Lana, will be proud. Nicolas Prost is ready. Lots of blue flags are being ignored as we enter the final 30 minutes of the season. Matthias Beche is placed between his team mates contending for the title, and their rivals from Jackie Chan DC Racing. Hats off to Bart Hayden and company who moved into LMP2 with huge competition. Beche pits. Will Rebellion get their sixth sports car racing championship?
24 minutes remain and Bruno Senna pits. He is staying in the car. He had a 1:18 gap over Jarvis hitting the lane. He'll have a buffer for the end of this one. Can Bruno match his uncle, the late Ayrton Senna, and get a world championship? Nico Prost is now done with his work for the season. Can Oliver Jarvis cut into the lead? He will likely run out of time. As Curly said in the City Slickers movie, "the day ain't over yet". In GTE Am, the gap is 1:41 between Aston Martin and Ferrari. Calado leads Bird by 20 seconds. Sebastien Buemi leads in LMP1 by 1:41. LMP2 is the battle we are watching. Bruno Senna vs. Oliver Jarvis, for the championship.
Will Oreca face competition from rival constructors like Riley, Dallara, or Ligier, for next year? Stop and go penalty for the #7 Toyota for contact with the #92 Porsche. The onus is on the LMP1 car. Mike Conway will have to serve the penalty. Jarvis may not have time to catch Senna. James Calado and Alessandro Pier Guidi will win their first championship. Alessandro Pier Guidi was drafted in after Gianmaria Bruni left Ferrari to join Porsche at mid-season. Bruni could be part of the WEC team at Porsche for next year after racing in IMSA in 2017. Bruni was kept out of Porsche for as long as he could be post-Le Mans. Julien Canal, team mate to Bruno Senna and Nicolas Lapierre, will win his second championship.
We have nine or ten laps left in the season now. The gap at the finish will be tight in LMP2. Don't cruise. Go for it. Stand by for the final minutes of the 6 Hours of Bahrain and the final minutes of the 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship. Thirteen minutes to go now. A great battle for third in LM GTE Pro. Ferrari runs 1-2. Andy Priaulx in the Ford is chasing Fred Makowiecki in the Porsche. Porsche will not grab a win in LM GTE Pro in WEC 2017. Priaulx wants to seize the opportunity now, and does. Fred Makowiecki's tires are toasted. There's no way he can gain back ground.
Of the three classes in this race, two of the three Le Mans race winners, will not claim a championship. Julien Canal is amazed that he's won another championship. Rebellion has made up 49 points since the Nurburgring race in July. Rebellion looks for their fourth win in five races to close out the 2017 season, which has ten minutes to go. Toyota #7 pits. One potato, two potato, three potato, and he's back on the road. A splash and dash right at the end is a bear. Porsche #1 in the lane. Timo Bernhard is doing his final laps, perhaps, at the wheel of a Prototype race car.
Check out the FIA WEC season review, that is coming up on Fox Sports 2, in December. Yours truly will be tuning in. Calado and Pier Guidi took no poles, and won three races. Rigon and Bird, have three poles, and one win. Bruno Senna has battled through the power steering issue for the final hour and could be a candidate for Driver of The Race. Porsche have had an amazing success story with the 919 Hybrid. Sadly, they will not go out the way they wanted. There will be some tears in the Porsche garage.
Toyota have really come on strong in the second half of the season. Bruno Senna, Julien Canal, and Nico Prost will win in LMP2. James Calado, and Alessandro Pier Guidi will win the LM GTE Pro championship. In LM GTE Am, winners will be Matthias Lauda, Paul Dalla Lana, and Pedro Lamy. We will salute the champions in a post, tomorrow. Stay tuned for that. Toyota won't win the titles, but they will get their fifth win of the nine race season. Final lap of the race, and the season. Rebellion has been here before. But they've fought for this win and this championship.
Sebastien Buemi is a winner. He won't like losing the title. But, he'll like winning the race. It will be a long off season, but then, next May, it's the super season, starting at Spa Francorchamps. The 6 Hours of Bahrain, is in the books! Your winners, Toyota #8 of Sebastien Buemi, Anthony Davidson, and Kazuki Nakajima! In LMP2, Rebellion wins with Nicolas Prost, Bruno Senna, and Julien Canal. Ferrari wins LM GTE Pro, with AF Corse and the #71 of Davide Rigon and Sam Bird. In LM GTE Am, Aston Martin wins, with Pedro Lamy, Matthias Lauda, and Paul Dalla Lana.
Overall/LMP1: #8 Buemi/Davidson/Nakajima Toyota TS050 Hybrid
LMP2: #31 Senna/Prost/Canal Oreca 07 Gibson
LM GTE Pro: #71 Rigon/Bird Ferrari 488 GTE
LM GTE Am: #98 Lamy/Lauda/Dalla Lana Aston Martin V8 Vantage
That's a wrap from Bahrain. The 2017 FIA WEC season, is done and dusted. Stay tuned for a post tomorrow, paying tribute to, and congratulating all of the champions, and tune in, in December for the season review on Fox Sports 2. It remains to be seen what TV or online coverage of the 2018-2019 FIA WEC "super season" will look like. We'll be updating that, and hope to bring it to you, or, subscribe to the FIA WEC app for all the action. For now, so long, from Bahrain, everyone.
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