Record-breaking Hypercar battles set for WEC weekend

TDT | Manama                                                       

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Motorsport fans attending the upcoming Bapco Energies 8 Hours of Bahrain at Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) will enjoy a never-before-seen Hypercar spectacle at the World Endurance Championship (WEC) event.

A record number of 12 Hypercars flying the flags of eight teams and six manufacturers will be lining up on the grid, making for the largest-ever entry in the WEC’s top-tier category to hit the tarmac at “The Home of Motorsport in the Middle East”.

The Bapco Energies 8 Hours of Bahrain is scheduled to take place 3 and 4 November at BIC in Sakhir as the final round of the 2023 FIA WEC season. This year, the Hypercar category will yet again be the top draw, but this time it will have up to a dozen contenders vying for glory as the Spirit of Le Mans makes its presence felt once again in the Kingdom.

Toyota Gazoo Racing and Peugeot TotalEnergies will be making their return. They will be joined in the Hypercar battles for the first time in Bahrain by Ferrari AF Corse, Porsche Penske Motorsport, Cadillac Racing, Floyd Vanwall Racing Team, Hertz Team JOTA, and Proton Competition.

Toyota Gazoo Racing, Peugeot TotalEnergies, Ferrari AF Corse and Porsche Penske Motorsport will each have two cars taking to the track. Eleven of the cars will be Hybrids, including both of Toyota’s GR010 challengers, Peugeot’s 9X8 contenders, Ferrari’s 499P challengers, and Porsche’s 963 cars, which will also be raced in by Hertz Team JOTA and Proton Competition.

Cadillac Racing will be on track with its V-Series.R Hybrid, while Floyd Vanwall Racing Team will compete with their Vanwall Vandervell 680. Many of motor racing’s most popular and supremely talented drivers will be among those sharing the duties in their respective Hypercars in Bahrain.

They include former Formula 1 ace Sebastien Buemi and Brendon Hartley in Toyota Gazoo Racing’s #8 car; Kamui Kobayashi in Toyota’s #7 challenger; Paul di Resta and Jean-Eric Verge in Peugeot TotalEnergies’ #93 contender; and Antonio Giovinazzi in Ferrari AF Corse’s #51 car, to name only a few.