One-two finish and title for Team WRT for last LMP2 appearance in FIA WEC
For the final appearance of LMP2 cars in the FIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC), 11 ORECA 07s gathered at the Bahrain International Circuit to compete in the 8 Hours of Bahrain, the traditional season finale. In this ultimate showdown, WRT shone by achieving a double win, securing the coveted title in the process. This victory marks the triumphant return of the Belgian team, reclaiming the championship crown two years after their initial triumph in the World Endurance Championship.
Similar to 2021, the Belgian team started from the tenth position. However, this time around, they managed to clinch victory and the title with car #41, driven by Rui Andrade, Robert Kubica, and Louis Delétraz. They outperformed the crew of car #31, consisting of Sean Gelael, Ferdinand Habsburg, and Robin Frijns.
The podium was completed by Jota’s ORECA 07 #28, shared by Oliver Rasmussen, David Heinemeier Hansson, and Pietro Fittipaldi, who secured the third position despite fierce competition from two Prema Racing cars: #9 driven by Filip Ugran, Bent Viscaal, and Juan Manuel Correa, and #63 piloted by Doriane Pin, Mirko Bortolotti, and Daniil Kvyat.
Despite several on-track pit stops, the Le Mans 24 Hours winners, Jakub Smiechowski, Fabio Scherer, and Albert Costa, finished in second place in the championship with Inter Europol Competition’s ORECA 07 #34, accumulating 114 points.
Starting from the second position, Alpine Elf Team’s #36 car, shared by Charles Milesi, Matthieu Vaxivière, and Julien Canal, finished in seventh place, ahead of United Autosports’ #23 car, driven by Josh Pierson, Tom Blomqvist, and Oliver Jarvis. Unfortunately, the latter saw their chances of victory dashed prematurely when they had to serve a 90-second penalty for running on tires with pressure below the allowed limit. They were followed by their sister car, #22, and Alpine Elf Team’s #35.
Despite an excellent start to the race, Vector Sport’s car #10 was also penalized with a 90-second Stop & Go penalty due to insufficient tire pressure.
The next event is scheduled for February 24 and 25 in Doha, the capital of Qatar, where the Official Prologue will take place for the first time, followed by the season opener, the 1812 Km of Qatar, on March 2 at the Lusail International Circuit.
