Motorsport - Bahrain will be welcoming back ‘the best of the best’ in international endurance motorsport with the 2024 WEC 8 Hours of Bahrain, powered by Bapco Energies, taking place in less than a month’s time at Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) in Sakhir.
The Spirit of Le Mans comes alive at ‘The Home of Motorsport in the Middle East’ on November 1 and 2.
It will be the season finale of the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), and will feature motor racing’s biggest global stars in some of the fastest and most technologically advanced cars.
BIC held the event’s official launch last night at the circuit’s premises in Sakhir. In attendance were BIC chief executive Shaikh Salman bin Isa Al Khalifa, Bapco Energies group CEO Mark Thomas, and senior management of both organisations.
“It’s an opportunity to see the best of the best as drivers, competing with the best of the best manufacturers,” Shaikh Salman told the GDN of the WEC weekend.
“The WEC 8 Hours of Bahrain, powered by Bapco Energies is an event which forms the centerpiece of the early part of our racing season in Bahrain. We are deeply proud to have been part of the WEC since its beginning.
“Our race continues to grow each and every year, and this is a testament to the amazing spectacle the WEC puts on, with its outstanding line-up of Hypercars and GT contenders alike, going wheel-to-wheel in Bahrain from day to night.
“I thank our partners at Bapco Energies, who have been a critical part of supporting this growth over many years, as well as Beyon, which returns as a support partner.
“It is also a tremendous honour to once again be hosting the WEC season-finale. It is only fitting that we end another thrilling championship campaign on a high note, and we are looking forward to delivering just that in this year’s WEC 8 Hours of Bahrain, powered by Bapco Energies.”
Tickets to the event are now available for purchase. They cost just BD5.5 for adults and BD2.75 for children for the two-day race weekend – incredible rates offering great value for money to a world championship event.
Tickets can be bought online at bahraingp.com or by calling the BIC Hotline on +973-17450000. Fans are urged to secure theirs as soon as possible so as not to miss out on the sporting and entertainment showcase.
Hospitality packages are also available with the BIC Special Le Mans Spirit Club Pass. These are priced at BD290 apiece, excluding VAT, for the two days, with discounts available for tables of 10. The package includes a special dining and drinks offering in an exclusive setting of premium lounges overlooking the pit-lane and main straight.
For the third straight year, BIC and Bapco Energies are bringing back their ground-breaking Green Ticket Initiative.
This follows the tremendous success of the project first introduced for the 2022 WEC race. For every WEC ticket sold, a proportion of the revenue, matched by Bapco Energies, will be donated to a fund which will directly support the planting of new mangroves in Bahrain.
The Green Ticket Initiative supports the national target of quadrupling mangrove coverage across the Kingdom by 2035.
“We are proud to join forces with BIC for the 13th edition of WEC in Bahrain,” said Thomas.
“This event is a great example of how technology can drive performance excellence while emphasising sustainability.
“The Green Ticket Initiative has been growing in influence each year. Combined with this year’s expected contribution, the initiative will have delivered around 15,000 new mangrove trees over three years.
“This programme not only celebrates the thrill of motorsport, but also underscores our shared commitment with BIC to turn our aspirations into tangible actions for a better Bahrain.”
Fans attending the WEC 8 Hours of Bahrain, powered by Bapco Energies will get to witness endurance racing at its finest with a packed field of more than 30 cars. These ultra-quick racing machines feature motoring’s biggest international brands, and they will be lighting up BIC’s 5.412-kilometre track for an experience like no other.
Competition will be held in the WEC’s two categories – the top-tier Hypercar class and the lower-rung LMGT3 category – featuring well-known drivers of the calibre of former Formula 1 world champion Jenson Button, grand prix-winner Robert Kubica, MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi, as well as Formula E champions Sebastien Buemi, Jean-Eric Vergne, and Stoffel Vandoorne, to name a few.
Amongst the Hypercars, Cadillac, Porsche, Toyota, BMW, Alpine, Ferrari, Lamborghini and Peugeot will be hitting the track, piloted by drivers representing leading international endurance racing teams such as Cadillac Racing, Porsche Penske Motorsport, Toyota Gazoo Racing, Hertz Team JOTA, BMW M Team WRT, Alpine Endurance Team, Ferrari AF Corse, Lamborghini Iron Lynx, Peugeot TotalEnergies and Proton Competition.
There have been six different winning Hypercars from the seven WEC rounds leading up to Bahrain in 2024 – signifying the highly competitive nature of the category.
The Porsche Penske Motorsport trio of Andre Lotterer, Kevin Estre and Laurens Vanthoor triumphed in the WEC’s most recent event in Japan last month, and in doing so took a significant step closer towards title glory in the FIA Hypercar World Endurance Drivers Championship.
Porsche similarly leads the FIA Hypercar World Endurance Manufacturers’ Championship, while Hertz Team JOTA has already clinched the FIA World Cup for Hypercar Teams trophy heading into the finale.
Meanwhile, the LMGT3 category is currently in its first year, having replaced the LMP2 and LMGTE classes from seasons past. LMGT3 cars from iconic brands are set to bring the heat on-track, including Aston Martin, BMW, Ferrari, McLaren, Lamborghini, Ford, Lexus, Chevrolet and Porsche.
The teams that will be battling it out include Heart of Racing Team, Team WRT, Vista AF Corse, United Autosports, Iron Lynx, Proton Competition, Akkodis ASP Team, TF Sport, Iron Dames, Manthey EMA, Manthey PureRxcing and D’Station Racing.
“We are delighted to be returning to Bahrain for the 2024 FIA WEC season finale,” said FIA WEC CEO Frederic Lequien. “It is an event that has been a mainstay on the calendar, and with good reason.
“BIC invariably generates fantastic racing and demands total commitment from drivers and teams alike – making it a fitting venue for champions to be crowned.
“Our partners at BIC have as ever pulled out all the stops to put on a sensational spectacle both on and off-track, and for that, we offer our heartfelt thanks to Shaikh Salman and his hard-working team.
“We are very much looking forward to a thrilling weekend of top-drawer endurance racing entertainment to conclude another captivating WEC campaign.”
Aside from the WEC, there will be plenty more on-track excitement throughout the race weekend with the Porsche Carrera Cup Middle East (PCCME) in support. The championship’s first of six rounds in its 2024/2025 campaign will take place as part of the WEC event, with drivers of various nationalities racing in dynamic Porsche 992 GT3 Cup cars.
Off the track, there will be plenty of attractions for the whole family, including an Open Paddock, a classic car show, carnival rides such as the Giant Ferris Wheel, kids’ activities headlined by ‘Space Jam: A New Legacy’, all kinds of performers, and much more.
For more information, visit bahraingp.com or call the BIC Hotline.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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