Click to Enlarge.
Toyota Gazoo Racing made endurance racing history Sunday as the first World Champions of the new, confusing Hypercar1 era with a one-two victory in the 6 Hours of Bahrain. Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and José María López won the penultimate round of the 2021 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) in their #7 GR010 Hybrid.
Sébastien Buemi, Kazuki Nakajima and Brendon Hartley in the #8 car home took second place. The Alpine Elf Matmut Endurance Team scored its fifth consecutive podium finish in the FIA World Endurance Championship in Bahrain.
“This fifth podium is still a great result considering the context, said Philippe Sinault, Team Principal Alpine Elf Matmut Endurance Team. “The team was faultless on track and in the garage, as was the reliability except for that slight throttle issue that prevented us from getting full power at the beginning of the race. We were competing with the Toyotas until those two mid-race turning points. First of all, we used too much fuel because of the heat, then the first full course yellow cost us dearly as we had just refueled, unlike our rivals. We also suffered at the end with tires that behaved differently from our simulations,” said Sinault.
Sinault candidly admitted that Toyota was clearly stronger, and that they drove a perfect race in extreme conditions. “We are now looking ahead to next week when we will try to do better than third. We have a lot of work to do after this tough race for both the drivers and the cars, but we will be extremely motivated to finish our season on a high,” Sinault said.
The attention now moves to the drivers’ title fight in next weekend’s final 8-hour race in Bahrain race. The Le Mans-winning #7 crew moved a step closer to retaining the World Championship they won in Bahrain 12 months ago. Their third win of the season extends their advantage over the #8 drivers to 15 points.
6 Hours of Bahrain Results
1st #7 Toyota Gazoo Racing 185 Laps
2nd #8 Toyota Gazoo Racing +51.401secs
3rd #36 Alpine (Negrao/Lapierre/Vaxivierre) +1 lap
4th #31 Team WRT (Frijns/Habsburg/Milesi) +5 laps
5th #28 JOTA (Galael/Vandoorne/Blomqvist) +5 laps
6th #38 JOTA (Gonzalez/Da Costa/Davidson) +5 laps
1 The Confusing Le Mans Top Classes
The top class in the FIA World Endurance Championship this year, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans, is Hypercar. Two types are eligible: LMH (Le Mans Hypercar starting in 2021) and LMDh (Le Mans Daytona h starting in 2023). In 2023, both types of cars will be on track together in the FIA WEC and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Therefore, they will be seen at both the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Rolex 24 at Daytona.
For the 2021 Hypercar class, only cars compliant with Le Mans Hypercar technical regulations will be on the track. This allows for a variety of architectures, specifically watch for a hybrid system on the front axle. In 2023, constructors – having voted to follow the LMDh regulations – will compete in the Hypercar class. In LMDh there will be four chassis manufacturers: Dallara, Multimatic, Ligier and ORECA. The engine, bodywork and hybrid system will come from the automaker in a move to save what has become an absurdly expensive class of racing.
Other 2021 Hypercar Competitors
- #708 – Glickenhaus 007 LMH: Luis Felipe Derani (BRA) Franck Mailleux (FRA) Olivier Pla (FRA)
- #709 – Glickenhaus 007 LMH: Ryan Briscoe (AUS) Richard Westbrook (GBR) Romain Dumas (FRA)
- #36 – Alpine A480-Gibson: André Negrão (BRA) Nicolas Lapierre (FRA) Matthieu Vaxivière (FRA)
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About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
Toyota Wins WEC 6 Hours of Bahrain
Click to Enlarge.
Toyota Gazoo Racing made endurance racing history Sunday as the first World Champions of the new, confusing Hypercar1 era with a one-two victory in the 6 Hours of Bahrain. Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and José María López won the penultimate round of the 2021 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) in their #7 GR010 Hybrid.
Sébastien Buemi, Kazuki Nakajima and Brendon Hartley in the #8 car home took second place. The Alpine Elf Matmut Endurance Team scored its fifth consecutive podium finish in the FIA World Endurance Championship in Bahrain.
“This fifth podium is still a great result considering the context, said Philippe Sinault, Team Principal Alpine Elf Matmut Endurance Team. “The team was faultless on track and in the garage, as was the reliability except for that slight throttle issue that prevented us from getting full power at the beginning of the race. We were competing with the Toyotas until those two mid-race turning points. First of all, we used too much fuel because of the heat, then the first full course yellow cost us dearly as we had just refueled, unlike our rivals. We also suffered at the end with tires that behaved differently from our simulations,” said Sinault.
Sinault candidly admitted that Toyota was clearly stronger, and that they drove a perfect race in extreme conditions. “We are now looking ahead to next week when we will try to do better than third. We have a lot of work to do after this tough race for both the drivers and the cars, but we will be extremely motivated to finish our season on a high,” Sinault said.
The attention now moves to the drivers’ title fight in next weekend’s final 8-hour race in Bahrain race. The Le Mans-winning #7 crew moved a step closer to retaining the World Championship they won in Bahrain 12 months ago. Their third win of the season extends their advantage over the #8 drivers to 15 points.
6 Hours of Bahrain Results
1st #7 Toyota Gazoo Racing 185 Laps
2nd #8 Toyota Gazoo Racing +51.401secs
3rd #36 Alpine (Negrao/Lapierre/Vaxivierre) +1 lap
4th #31 Team WRT (Frijns/Habsburg/Milesi) +5 laps
5th #28 JOTA (Galael/Vandoorne/Blomqvist) +5 laps
6th #38 JOTA (Gonzalez/Da Costa/Davidson) +5 laps
1 The Confusing Le Mans Top Classes
The top class in the FIA World Endurance Championship this year, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans, is Hypercar. Two types are eligible: LMH (Le Mans Hypercar starting in 2021) and LMDh (Le Mans Daytona h starting in 2023). In 2023, both types of cars will be on track together in the FIA WEC and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Therefore, they will be seen at both the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Rolex 24 at Daytona.
For the 2021 Hypercar class, only cars compliant with Le Mans Hypercar technical regulations will be on the track. This allows for a variety of architectures, specifically watch for a hybrid system on the front axle. In 2023, constructors – having voted to follow the LMDh regulations – will compete in the Hypercar class. In LMDh there will be four chassis manufacturers: Dallara, Multimatic, Ligier and ORECA. The engine, bodywork and hybrid system will come from the automaker in a move to save what has become an absurdly expensive class of racing.
Other 2021 Hypercar Competitors
AutoInformed.com on
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.