The Bapco 8
Hours of Bahrain is round four of the championship and comes after four-hour
races at Silverstone and Shanghai, and a six-hour race at Fuji Speedway in
Japan.
The race takes
place on Saturday and will run into full darkness, albeit under the circuit
floodlights, though these will be operating at around 50% of the brightness
used for the Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix.
Both Ginettas
have shown real speed, and impressive reliability too in the season thus far,
fastest through the speed traps at Fuji, followed by a front-row start for the
#6 car last time out in China before both cars ran a strong one-two for the
first hour. Ginetta factory driver Charlie Robertson also set the fastest lap
time of the race in the early attack before a pair of penalties blunted the
Ginetta edge.
The running
into the cooler night air should suit the turbo V6 AER engines that have proven
to be a real asset to the Ginetta campaign so far this season.
The Bahrain
circuit though once again looks well suited to the Ginetta’s excellent blend of
handling and raw top speed and with the WEC this season adopting a system of
success handicapping in LMP1, the Ginettas, already front-runners, have a real
chance to shine both in qualifying and the race. There’s an all-British driver
line-up in the #5 car, Ben Hanley stays aboard, joined by Shanghai Ginetta debutant
and Sebring LMP2 race winner Jordan King, with Charlie Robertson moving back
over from the sister #6 car to complete the trio.
The #6 Ginetta
AER sees the season debut of double American Le Mans Series Champion and 2019
Trans-Am Series runner-up Chris Dyson, a driver with no little LMP1 experience,
and who has already sampled the Ginetta in pre-season testing. Chris will be
joined in the #6 by season-long drivers, 2003 Le Mans winner Guy Smith and
Ginetta factory driver Mike Simpson.
