Toyota Gazoo Racing top WEC’s rain-hit first practice in Bapco Energies 8 Hours of Bahrain

Toyota Gazoo Racing top WEC’s rain-hit first practice in Bapco Energies 8 Hours of Bahrain

• Kobayashi-Conway-Lopez lead teammates Buemi-Hartley-Hirakawa to Toyota one-two in WEC FP1 at BIC
• United Autosports fastest amongst LMP2 challengers, D’Station Racing top LMGTE Am classification
• Robert De Haan sets pace in season-opening practice of 2023/2024 Porsche Carrera Cup Middle East
• BIC to begin welcoming fans for WEC weekend on Friday, with gates scheduled to open at 11am

Toyota Gazoo Racing overcame a sudden downpour to top the first practice timesheet today in the Bapco Energies 8 Hours of Bahrain at Bahrain International Circuit (BIC), “The Home of Motorsport in the Middle East”.

The final round of the 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) flagged off in thrilling fashion, with the challenging weather conditions adding an external element that the WEC’s teams and star drivers are not used to in Sakhir.

The #7 crew of Kamui Kobayashi, Mike Conway and Jose Maria Lopez were the pace-setters in their Toyota GR010 Hybrid. They led a Toyota Gazoo Racing one-two in the extended session, where they were just 0.104 seconds ahead of teammates Sebastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa in their #8 Hybrid.

Both cars were also the top two amongst the record-breaking 12 runners in the WEC’s Hypercar category.

United Autosports’ #22 crew of Frederick Lubin, Philip Hanson and Filipe Albuquerque were quickest in the WEC’s Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) class, and D’Station Racing’s #777 trio of Liam Talbot, Casper Stevenson and Tomonobu Fujii were fastest in the Le Mans Grand Touring Endurance Am (LMGTE Am) category.

The 36-car WEC field of Hybrids and sportscars returns to action for the weekend’s second practice later today. The sessions are part of the opening day’s events in the Bapco Energies 8 Hours of Bahrain, which are being held behind closed doors.

BIC will be opening its gates to fans on Friday and Saturday (Editor’s note: 3 and 4 November) for them to enjoy watching endurance motorsport’s best teams and drivers go wheel to wheel in their iconic and technologically superior Hybrid cars and sportscars.

Gates are scheduled to be open from 11am to 6.30pm on Friday and from 10.30am to 10.30pm on Saturday.

Tickets cost just BD5.500 for adults and BD2.750 for kids for the two-day weekend programme. They can be bought online at BIC’s official website bahraingp.com, by calling the BIC Hotline on +973-17450000, or at the gate. Tickets are priced as one of the most affordable ways to witness a world championship motorsport event.

Hospitality packages are also available for the BIC Spirit of Le Mans Club Experience, where guests can experience exclusive cuisine and incredible views in BIC’s Paddock hospitality. Packages are also available to purchase online or via the BIC Hotline.

Race-goers will be able to watch the WEC action being complemented by the Porsche Carrera Cup Middle East.

They will also have loads of family entertainment to look forward to, along with a WEC-exclusive Open Paddock experience—a unique feature which allows fans to enjoy behind-the-scenes access, getting right next to the teams’ garages and possibly see some of the sport’s star drivers in person.

The colourful off-track attractions are available in the BIC vending area, and they include stunt shows, a classic car show, car simulators, roaming performers, kids’ stage shows, and so much more incredible entertainment.

In today’s first practice session, Kobayashi-Conway-Lopez posted a best lap time of one minute 49.856 seconds while completing 35 laps around BIC’s 5.412-kilometre track.

Buemi-Hartley-Hirakawa followed just over a tenth-of-a-second behind, while Proton Competition’s #99 crew of Harry Tincknell, Neel Jani and Gianmaria Bruni completed the overall top three 0.434s back in their Porsche 963 Hybrid.