Two weeks after securing the LMP2 title in China*, the Signatech-Alpine team concludes its FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) season at the 6 Hours of Bahrain.
In the no.36 Alpine A460, newly-crowned World Champions Nicolas Lapierre, Stéphane Richelmi and Gustavo Menezes will be targeting their fifth win in 2016.Competing in the no.35 Baxi DC Racing Alpine, Paul-Loup Chatin, Ho-Pin Tung and David Cheng will also be determined to finish the season on a high.
After an eight-month journey around the world, the 2016 FIA WEC is set to draw to a close. After having traversed Europe, the Americas and Asia, the World Endurance Championship concludes in the Middle East, on the Bahrain International Circuit.
Following the last round of the WEC held in Shanghai, the suspense is over as regards the LMP2 titles. Nicolas Lapierre, Stéphane Richelmi and Gustavo Menezes bagged the Drivers' title, whilst Signatech-Alpine claimed the Teams' championship. A triumph that was indebted both to their performance level – with four race wins, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans – and their consistency, since the crew have not finished lower than fourth all season!
After having reached and even exceeded their highest hopes for the year, the three drivers are determined to finish the season in style. Far from easing off, the Frenchman, Monegasque and American all have one goal: secure a fifth win for the Alpine A460 in its final race before the LMP2 category regulations change in 2017.
For the no.35 Baxi DC Racing Alpine crew, this weekend also provides a final opportunity to showcase their talents. Short on luck in the two Asian rounds, Paul-Loup Chatin, David Cheng and Ho-Pin Tung will want to return to the top five and move closer to the podium places.
Following three free practice sessions, qualifying will be held after dark on Friday at 5.30pm for the LMP1 and LMP2 prototypes. The 6 Hours of Bahrain will get underway on Saturday at 4pm local time and the majority of the race will therefore be contested at night.
This, the final round of the season will also provide an opportunity to establish links with the future. Before the prize-giving ceremony, held on Sunday evening, the day will be devoted to rookie tests.At Alpine, the talented youngster Thomas Laurent – 2015 KZ2 Karting World Champion and the ELMS's surprise package in the LMP3 category – will take part in an assessment session behind the wheel of the A460.
Meanwhile, in recognition of their performances with Alpine, Gustavo Menezes and Paul-Loup Chatin have been invited to test factory LMP1 prototypes.
Bernard Ollivier, Alpine Deputy Managing Director: "The Middle East is a market with clear commercial potential, so we will not be missing the opportunity to promote Alpine in the region. We have come to Bahrain to do well, with a winning attitude. We intend to live up to our status as world champions. The drivers will have the opportunity to go for it and we'll give it everything we've got, whilst our rivals will be fighting it out to finish as runners-up. The Signatech-Alpine car has had the lion's share of good fortune this season, so I hope that the Baxi DC Racing Alpine car will also get its just rewards for all the hard work put in by the technical team and the drivers. This weekend gives us a chance to savour what has been accomplished during a historic season for Alpine. But we're also thinking about the future and we'll be following the rookie tests on Sunday very closely."
Philippe Sinault, Signatech-Alpine Team Principal: "In Fuji and Shanghai, we did what we needed to do in order to achieve our goal of clinching the LMP2 titles. We didn't really have time to catch our breath and take in what we had achieved before we had to pack our bags for Bahrain! For the final race of the season, the pressure is now off and so we head into this weekend full of enthusiasm and excitement. This will be the last race of the Alpine A460. Our sole objective is to deliver the maximum performance to try and fight for the win. I think everyone will adopt the same strategy. It's going to be a six-hour sprint! In Sakhir, we'll have to deal with very different conditions to those we experienced in Asia. Apart from the heat, the distinctive feature of this track is its surroundings. Depending on the strength and direction of the wind, the track can become covered by a layer of sand and dust, which causes more rapid wear of the tyres. It's something we'll need to work on in free practice. We are also excited about testing with Thomas Laurent. He's a promising young driver, supported by PASO and we've been following his progress throughout the season. We're delighted to welcome him into the Alpine family at Bahrain and given him his first experience in a prototype at the top level of the sport. It reflects our philosophy at Signatech-Alpine as regards identifying and training talented young drivers."
SCHEDULE (GMT+3)
Thursday, 17 NovemberFree practice 1 – 3.00pmFree practice 2 – 7.30pm
Friday, 18 NovemberFree practice 3 – 11.30amQualifying – 5.30pm
Saturday, 19 NovemberRace – 4.00pm
* Subject to publication of the official results by the FIA.
