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Until WEC 8 Hours of Bahrain
WEC 8 Hours of Bahrain
FIA World Endurance Championship
The WEC has established itself as one of the premier championships under the International Automobile Federation (FIA) and the leading global series for endurance racing. It attracts countless stars in motorsport, and it continues to grow in popularity every year, with races taking place in eight countries across four continents.
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ENJOY TOP-CLASS MOTORSPORT IN STYLE AT BAHRAIN INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT'S EXCLUSIVE HOSPITALITY LOUNGE OVERLOOKING THE PIT LANE AND GARAGES ON THE MAIN STRAIGHT. WITNESS ONE OF THE MOST EXHILARATING EVENTS OF THE YEAR, THE 2024 FIA WEC 8 HOURS OF BAHRAIN PRESENTED BY BAPCO
View MoreChampions crowned in Rotax MAX Challenge Grand Finals 2021 at BIKC
Champions crowned in Rotax MAX Challenge Grand Finals 2021 at BIKC
- Title winners include Tomass Stolcermanis, Tereza Babickova, Arata Endo, Nikita Ljubimov, Martijn Van Leeuwen, Morgan Riche and Oscar Pellemele
- Bahrain’s Mohammed Mattar puts on spectacular performance in gaining 25 positions in DD2 Master Final
- Bahrain karters Fahad Alkhaled and Lewis Smith in Senior MAX, along with Luca Kane Houghton in Mini MAX, also impress in their races
The Rotax MAX Challenge Grand Finals 2021 wrapped up in spectacular fashion today at Bahrain International Circuit’s (BIC) state-of-the-art karting facility, with the world’s most talented karters battling it out in their respective high-intensity Finals.
Seven title-deciding races were held along Bahrain International Karting Circuit’s (BIKC) 1.414-kilometre CIK-FIA track, and the winners were crowned the newest champions of their Rotax MAX competition categories.
Those who triumphed at the end of the week-long programme of racing included Tomass Stolcermanis in the Junior MAX class, Tereza Babickova in the Senior MAX, Arata Endo in the Mini MAX, Nikita Ljubimov in the Micro MAX, Martijn Van Leeuwen in the DD2 category, Morgan Riche in the DD2 Master, and Oscar Pellemele in the EKART Senior category for electric karts.
All of the winners and those who joined them on the podium were presented their respective trophies in an awarding ceremony held after all the action and attended by BIKC Manager Ali Abbas.
In the Junior MAX Final, Stolcermanis from Latvia emerged victorious after completing the 18-lap Final in a time of 17 minutes 02.061 seconds. He won from pole, and was 0.915 seconds ahead of runner-up Jayden Thien from the Netherlands at the finish. Kai Rillaerts from Belgium came third 1.180s behind.
In the Senior MAX class, Babickova from the Czech Republic made the most of his leading grid position to win in 18:59.767 after 21 laps. Callum Bradshaw from Great Britain followed as the runner-up 3.080s behind after also starting from the front row. Fellow-Briton Mark Kimber was third 5.056s back.
Bahrain’s Fahad Alkhaled had a fantastic Final, finishing 13th after gaining nine places during the race. He finished 16.775s from the winner. Also competing for Bahrain, Lewis Smith also had a fine performance after moving up eight places to take 27th on the final classification, 28.777s from first.
In the Mini MAX, Endo from Japan triumphed after 14 laps in a time of 13:49.081. He had started from third on the grid, but was able to get ahead in a tight finish. Borys Lyzen from Poland was a mere 0.116s behind in second place, while Scott Marsh from Great Britain came third 1.908s back. Bahrain’s Luca Kane Houghton put in an impressive performance, gaining four places on the final classification from his row 14 starting position for 23rd amongst the 36 drivers. He could have ranked higher but was given a five-second time penalty to finish 16.334s behind Endo.
Ljubimov claimed a pole-to-flag victory in the Micro MAX Final with a time of 12:25.687 after 12 laps. The Estonian was 2.269s ahead of runner-up Manuel Miguez Gayoso from Spain, while Dragos Avasilcutei from Austria completed the podium 3.083s behind.
In the DD2 Final, Van Leeuwen from the Netherlands claimed the victory from pole position with a winning time of 18:42.742. He was 0.128s ahead of runner-up Antoine Barbaroux from France, while Kyleaditya Kumaran from India clinched third place 0.198s back.
Riche from France triumphed from pole in the 21-lap DD2 Master Final with a time of 18:49.505. Pier-Luc Ouellette from France was second 1.783 behind, and Paul Louveau, also from France, rounded out the top three 9.834s back. While the top three claimed their podium places, it was Bahrain’s Mohammed Mattar who stole the show in the race after gaining a massive 25 places. He started at the very end of the 36-kart grid but had a spectacular drive and finished 11th, narrowly missing out on the top 10. He was 14.515s from first place.
In the EKART Senior category, Pellemele won in 11:06.898 after 12 laps to make it two victories for the French today. He finished first from pole and enjoyed a 4.941s gap at the end from Sweden’s Hannes Morin, who came second. David Aulejtner from Poland was third 5.954s adrift.