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.
View MorePorsche Carrera Cup ME set for impressive grid in season-opening round this WEC weekend at BIC
Porsche Carrera Cup ME set for impressive grid in season-opening round this WEC weekend at BIC
An impressive grid of 15 drivers from around the world are set to line up on the grid in round one of the 2024/2025 Porsche Carrera Cup Middle East (PCCME), taking place as part of this weekend’s events in the WEC 8 Hours of Bahrain, powered by Bapco Energies.
The FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) spectacle will be thrilling fans this Friday and Saturday (1 and 2 November) at Bahrain International Circuit (BIC), ‘The Home of Motorsport in the Middle East’, and the PCCME will be a worthy supporting act.
The one-make Porsche championship’s new campaign marks the 16th season of the Lechner Racing-organised series. It will feature six rounds – two of which are slated to be held at BIC, kicking off with the WEC event.
Launched in 2009, the PCCME is well-established as the proven path for regional talents to accelerate their careers onto the biggest stages of racing, through intense competition. Over the years, the series has gained recognition as one of the most professional and successful series in the Middle East. It was upgraded to the PCCME in 2023 and is therefore one of 12 Carrera Cups in the world.
Participants compete in Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (Type 992) cars, ensuring a level playing field where skill and strategy are paramount.
There are three main categories for drivers this season, including the Pro, ProAm, and the newly introduced Masters category, which is purely for amateur participants aged over 40, along with a GCC and Rookie Classification for each race.
The Pro field in the upcoming first round includes a trio of Germans in Janne Stiak, Thomas Kiefer, and Colin Boenighausen, as well as Briton James Wallis.
The ProAm competitors include Soeren Spreng of Germany, Angus Whiteside of Great Britain, Alexandra Vateva of Bulgaria, Saif Al Ameri of the UAE, and the Saudi Arabian pairing of Saud Al Saud and Khaled Alahmadi.
The grid is completed by the Masters contenders, including Andero Krister of Sweden, Mark Thomas of Canada, Mike Min of Bulgaria, Bankcy of Japan, and Petr Brecka of the Czech Republic.
Al Ameri, Al Saud, and Alahmi will all also be vying for GCC honours, while Stiak, Wallis, Boenighausen, Vateva, and Al Saud will further be battling for best Rookie classification.
The PCCME’s events at WEC weekend will include two free practice sessions held behind closed doors on Thursday (31 October). They will be followed by qualifying and a 12-lap first race on Friday, and then the second 12-lap race on Saturday.
Fans wishing to attend this year’s WEC 8 Hours of Bahrain, powered by Bapco Energies, can purchase their grandstand tickets for the weekend at BD5.5 for adults and BD2.75 for children for the two days.
Tickets can be bought online at bahraingp.com or by calling the BIC Hotline on +973-17450000.
All tickets sold will help make a positive environmental impact in the Kingdom, as BIC and Bapco Energies are bringing back their ground-breaking Green Ticket Initiative, which will greatly contribute to achieving the national target of quadrupling mangrove coverage across the Kingdom by 2035.