Twin joy

Toyota Gazoo Racing reigned supreme at the Bapco 8 Hours of Bahrain 2022 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) season finale at the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) over the weekend.

The Japanese manufacturer had a double dose of joy with a 1-2 KO of its opponents as one of its teams won the sixth and final race of the 2022 season and another was declared 2022 FIA World Endurance Championship Hypercar Drivers World Champions.

Toyota’s number 7 team, with Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Jose Maria Lopez driving a GR010 Hybrid, took the chequered flag in the race just marginally ahead of their second team, with Brendon Hartley, Ryo Hirakawa and Sebastien Buemi steering the number 8 car – another GR010 Hybrid – into the history books. Hartley, Hirakawa and Buemi took the FIA World Endurance drivers’ title and made it four consecutive titles for Toyota in the WEC.

As their entire unit celebrated Toyota’s sixth straight WEC race win in Bahrain, and eighth overall, the Japanese team’s cup truly ran over when it was announced that they had also won the Hypercar World Endurance Manufacturer’s Championship ahead of rivals Alpine.

The Alpine Elf number 36 team, meanwhile, finished in third place in the Hypercar class, trailing their two Toyota opponents in an A480-Gibson.

The two-day championship, with sideshows offering stunt performers and other off-track entertainment – including a classic car parade – combined with other family-friendly activities, was made even more memorable on its opening day on Friday.

That was the final day of the Bahrain International Airshow and fans at the BIC were treated to the magnificent sight all day long of various planes performing aerobatics overhead, the sound of powerful jet engines from up on high drowning out even the high-decibel sounds of the powerful machines racing around the track.

Meanwhile, in the Bapco 8 Hours of Bahrain race on Saturday, which started under sunny skies at 2pm and ended under lights at 10pm, excitement and drama unfolded in equal measure.

In the LMP2 class, the number 31 WRT team in an Oreca 07-Gibson had the measure of the United Autosports USA number 23 team, with RealTeam by WRT driving their number 41 car to third position.

The LMGTE Pro category saw the AF Corse team drive a number 52 Ferrari GTE Evo to victory in a nail-biting battle with Corvette Racing’s number 64 team. Porsche GT Team’s number 91 drivers tried manfully to keep up but eventually finished in third place.

Similarly, the LMGTE Am class saw a pitched battle between the frontrunners before Team Project 1’s number 46 Porsche 911 RSR-19 claimed victory, just ahead of an all-female Iron Dames Trio and another Team Project 1 team – number 56 – in third place.

The Bapco 8 Hours of Bahrain weekend also saw two support races play out before the marquee event started on Saturday afternoon.

In the morning, BRC Racing Team’s Norbert Michelisz claimed his first victory of the 2022 FIA WTCR season as he drove his Hyundai Elantra N TCR to first place in the second race of the WTCR Race of Bahrain.

The WTCR Race of Bahrain is part of the WTCR-FIA World Touring Car Cup.

Title favourite Mikel Azcona had earlier won the first race on Friday evening but finished in fourth position in the second - behind Esteban Guerrieri and Nicky Catsburg.

Briton Harry King, 21, dominated the other supporting race, the Porsche Sprint Challenge Middle East, winning both races of the opening weekend of the 2022-23 season very comfortably.

Additionally, during the main event, eight other WEC championships were also sealed at the BIC along with the two Hypercar titles.

James Calado and Alessandro Pier Guidi, of AF Corse number 51, won the GT FIA World Endurance Driver’s Championship; Ferrari claimed the GT Manufacturers’ FIA World Endurance Championship in the LMGTE Pro class; the Jota number 38 team, with William Stevens, Antonio Felix da Costa and Roberto Gonzalez driving, clinched the FIA Endurance Trophy for LMP2 drivers; the AF Corse number 83 team, featuring Alessio Rovera, Francois Perrodo and Nicklas Nielson, won the FIA Endurance Trophy for LMP2/Pro Am Drivers; the FIA Endurance Trophy for LMP2 Teams was claimed by Jota and the FIA Endurance Trophy for LMP2 Pro/Am Teams was claimed by AF Corse.

Finally, TF Sport number 33 drivers Ben Keating and Marco Sorenson won the FIA Endurance Trophy for GTE Am Drivers in the LMGTE Am class and the FIA Endurance Trophy for GTE Am Teams was won by TF Sport.