Top-class field for 8 Hours of Bahrain

Manama

A highly competitive field of 25 cars will be lining up on the grid at Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) next month for the FIA WEC 8 Hours of Bahrain 2020, which is scheduled to take place on November 13 and 14 in Sakhir. The meeting will be the final round of the FIA World Endurance Championship’s (WEC) eighth season, and it will determine no fewer than five championship titles.

The WEC yesterday announced a provisional entry list for the gruelling eight-hour endurance race, which is scheduled for a 2pm start. There are set to be two cars in the LMP1 field, with seven in the LMP2 class. There will also be six cars in the LMGTE Pro category, and another 10 in the LMGTE Am. Bahrain will also mark the last official round of the premier LMP1 category before an exciting new era begins with the arrival of the eagerly-anticipated Hypercar for WEC Season 9.

Toyota Gazoo Racing may have already won the LMP1 FIA World Endurance Championship crown, but the battle rages on for the LMP FIA World Endurance Drivers’ Championship title. Just seven points separate the no 8 and no 7 Toyota TS050 Hybrid LMP1 crews going into the season-closer. Furthermore, with a total of 39 points on the table for this round (including a bonus point for pole position), everything is still to play for.

Bahrain will also see a fraught three-way title fight for the LMGTE FIA World Endurance Drivers’ Championship between the two Aston Martin Racing no 95 and no 97 crews, as well as the no 51 AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE Evo entry. Elsewhere, it is still possible for the no 92 Porsche GT Team entry to finish runner-up in the GTE Drivers’ Championship, should either the no 97 Aston Martin crew or the no 51 Ferrari encounter difficulties during the eight-hour race.

The LMP2 field includes United Autosports, who recently scooped the FIA Endurance Trophy for LMP2 Teams. Finally, LMGTE Am sees a healthy field of 10 entries for the WEC season-closer. All eyes will be on this category next month as both the FIA Endurance Trophies for GTE Am Teams and Drivers’ titles are still up for grabs.