BRENDON Hartley drove Toyota Gazoo Racing to pole position in the Hypercar class in the qualifying race of the Bapco 8 Hours of Bahrain 2022 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) at the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) yesterday.
Hartley rampaged to a one minute 46.800 second lap in his number 8, Toyota GR010 Hybrid Hypercar to grab his second pole of 2022, following his Le Mans success earlier in the year.
This places Hartley, who now leads the 2022 WEC driver standings, and teammates Sebastien Buemi and Ryo Hirakawa best-placed to take the season-ending WEC round in the sixth and final race of the season.
“It was one of my better ones,” Hartley said at a Press conference after the qualifying session for the four drivers who finished in pole in different categories. “I knew when I crossed the line, it was pretty strong. I asked quickly what’s the second best.”
Paul di Resta was second in his number 93, Peugeot TotalEnergies 9X8 Hypercar followed closely by Mike Conway at the wheel of his number 7 Toyota Gazoo Racing-entered Toyota GR010 Hybrid Hypercar.
Meanwhile, Gianmaria ‘Gimmi’ Bruni set the fastest time in the LMGTE Pro qualifying session, clocking 1:56.143 to take pole position for the number 91 Porsche GT team.
This was Bruni’s second pole of the season.
“It was a good run,” Bruni beamed. “I think laps two and three set me up. In the race, our strategy will be ‘maximum attack’! We won’t be giving a discount to anyone.”
Antonio Fuoco was second, just 0.2 seconds off the pace, in his number 52 AF Corse Ferrari while Michael Christensen drove his number 92 Porsche GT Team car into third place just a few tenths of a second behind.
In the LMP2, Norman Nato drove Realteam by WRT to their maiden 2022 pole. But it was by the narrowest of margins as Nato’s brilliant 1:50.330 lap was only just ahead of Will Stevens in his number 38 Oreca-Gibson by 0.137 seconds.
“We planned to push the car to the limits and that’s what we managed to do,” Nato said. “We wanted to ensure pole position. But getting pole position is one thing and racing for eight hours is another.”
The United Autosports USA team will start the race in third.
And, in the LMGTE Am, Iron Dames took a sensational second WEC pole as Sarah Bovy drove a 1:59.186 lap to head off a strong challenge by Ben Keating in his TF Sport Aston.
“This is fantastic,” Bovy exclaimed. “We were struggling a little bit the entire weekend. I wasn’t expecting it. I think the team made some very good decisions.”
Iron Dames is a special project – an all-women racing team – created by entrepreneur, driver and Ferrari ambassador, Deborah Mayer, with the aim of supporting women in motorsport.
“I expect the fight in the race to be quite fearsome, to be honest,” Bovy continued. “The guys behind me will give me a hard time.”
The eight-hour endurance race will flag off at 2pm today and end under lights at 10pm.
The BIC has lined up family entertainment to complement the racing. It includes a kids’ zone, stunt performances, a classic car show and live music.
In addition, fans in attendance today will get the chance to have unparalleled access to an open paddock at the BIC – unique to this weekend.
Race-goers will have the opportunity to see the participating team buildings in the WEC paddock and, since the entrances to the teams’ garages are also in the paddock, fans will most probably get the chance to meet some of the WEC’s biggest talents as they make their way around the facility. They will also get the chance to witness team preparations for race action.
Fans will also be treated to a Pit Walk – from noon till 12.45pm – and an autograph session, between 12.05pm and 12.35pm.
Both are highly sought-after activities and ticket-holders will be able to take part at no extra cost.
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