8 Hours of Bahrain: the Bop Hypercar and LMGT3 of the grand finale revealed
The 8 Hours of Bahrain will see a fierce battle for the world titles in Hypercar: Ferrari and Toyota have received a little boost, while French cars will face various challenges.
Endurance fans (and motorsport fans in general) were eagerly awaiting this exciting finale of an astounding 2024 season. The FIA revealed on Tuesday, October 29, what the BoP will be at. Porsche, with its N°6 leading the world championships, will have to fend off Ferrari and Toyota, who are a direct threat.
Hypercar: the helping hand for Toyota and Ferrari.
There are now only three crews in contention for world titles among the drivers: Porsche No. 6 (Estre/Vanthoor/Lotterer) has a golden opportunity to win the jackpot for these 8 Hours of Bahrain. The 963 official and private cars will be weighted down by 7 kg, bringing the total to 1,056 kg. The power allocated for a stint will remain the same as in the 6 Hours of Fuji (911 MJ).
Toyota, on the other hand, will be able to enjoy a good slimming treatment (-5 kg), but will remain the heaviest Hypercar on the grid. The GR010 will also have an additional 6 kW under 250 km/h, in order to have better acceleration. The lightest car will once again be the Lamborghini No. 63, which will be at the minimum weight (1,030 kg).
The highest power allocation below 250 km/h goes to Ferrari: the three 499P, including No. 50 vying for the title, will receive an additional 10 kW, plus two kilos less on the scales (1,053 kg).
Finally, on the French side, Peugeot will gain 1 kg (1,031), just above the minimum weight, and will benefit from an additional 7KW below 250 km/h (520). This total will be the best of the entire grid. Alpine, buoyed by its podium finish at Fuji, will add 4 kg (1,046 kg) and lose 1 KW below 250 km/h (517 KW).
LMGT3: The most powerful Lexus
The French team Akkodis ASP will be equipped with the P1 mode for power (P0 being the most favorable value), while having its Lexus fixed at 1,355 kg, one of the heaviest on the grid.
The award for agility will go to BMW which, despite losing the title in the team ranking, will only have 1,339 kg to contend with. With the added bonus of mode P3 for the engine, the WRT team should have a definite advantage. The Lamborghinis, on the other hand, will have the P15/1,356 kg ratio for this final of the 2024 world championship.
Porsche will need to be watched closely: a weight gain of 5 kg (1,350 kg) and an unchanged engine mode (P7) may not prevent the Stuttgart manufacturer, who won with the No. 92 Manthey Pure Rx, from remaining a clear favorite.
