WEC 8 Hours of Bahrain – Toyota in Control, It Becomes More Complicated for Rebellion
At the beginning of the night, the race comes alive. Technical problems for the Rebellion #1, with the Toyotas still in the lead. A GT category filled with duels.
As night has fallen over the Sahkir circuit, the Rebellion returned to its pit after a technical problem. Temporarily stuck and dropping to 11th place, it is back on track despite this incident which cost it 3 laps. Its comeback is challenging, and Gustavo Menezes makes errors in judgment. Wide corner exits and spins are the order of the day in this middle of the race.
On its side, the Team LNT #5 is extending stints to make up for lost time. The leading Toyotas continue to be flawless. They are following the same strategy, and no one seems able to challenge their superiority with 5 hours of racing left. Only an incident could compromise their positions. Behind them, the two Team LNT cars hold the 3rd and 4th places ahead of the Rebellion #1 by one lap.
Collision between the GTE Pro #95 and the LMP2 #29 resulting in a spin. Difficult overtaking between categories since the start of the race; The Sakhir circuit is short and the large number of cars on the track complicates maneuvers.
At the same time, pit stops for tire changes in GTE Am. Leading this category is the Team Project #1 car, but victory is far from assured. The battle is intense with Gulf Racing’s #86 and Aston Martin Racing’s #98. The three cars are within 1.8 seconds and show no signs of easing up.
Big battle between Porsche #91, Ferrari #71, and Aston Martin #97 in GTE Pro for second place. It’s been almost an hour that these three cars are running within the same second. Position changes between these drivers are frequent, and no one wants to give up. Attempt of undercut by the #97. An impressive race in the GT categories that constantly fight.
A 10 minutes from the mid-race, an accident in GTE Am leads to a general yellow flag due to numerous debris on the track. This is an opportunity for the marshals to clean the track and for teams to switch drivers. The big losers in this situation are in LMP1, the #6 of Team LNT that stopped just as the race resumed, and the Porsche #91 which suffered a puncture after pitting. The GT returns to the garage for a repair of the front right wheel, losing 3 minutes.
Ranking H-4:
LMP1
TOYOTA GAZOO RACING #7
TOYOTA GAZOO RACING #8
REBELLION RACING #1
LMP2
UNITED AUTOSPORT #22
G-DRIVE RACING #26
JOTA #38
GTE Pro
ASTON MARTIN RACING #97
AF CORSE #51
ASTON MARTIN RACING #95
GTE Am
TEAM PROJECT 1 #57
GULF RACING #86
ASTON MARTIN RACING #98
