FIA WEC – Toyota wins the race, Porsche the 2017 title!

The #8 Toyota TS050 Hybrid driven by Sébastien Buemi, Anthony Davidson and Kazuki Nakajima, dominated the 6 Hours of Shanghai. It is their second win after Fuji, the fourth of the season. The two Porsche 919 Hybrids finished 2nd (#2) and 3rd (#1) which was enough to give Porsche the World Manufacturers’ Championship for the third time in a row! Earl Bamber, Timo Bernhard and Brendon Hartley, now also the new Toro Rosso F1driver, were also able to secure the Drivers ‘championship.

In LMP2, a third victory of the season went to the #31 Vaillante Rebellion ORECA 07 – Gibson (Bruno Senna, Julien Canal and Nicolas Prost), vital points for the championship. The #36Alpine A470 finished 2nd ahead of the Vaillante Rebellion #13 sister car. Bad news for the #38 Jackie Chan DC Racing entry, finishing 4th meant they lost the lead of the championship for the first time this year (now four points behind).

The race was thrilling in LMGTE Pro. There were many incredible battles throughout the race, mainly between the two Ford GTs and the #91 Porsche 911 RSR. In the end, the #67 American car of Harry Tincknell and Andy Priaulx won the race ahead of the Porsche and the #51 Ferrari 488 GTE AF Corse. The result allowed the Italian manufacturer to capture the GT FIA World Endurance Manufacturers’ Championship.

Third win this year for the #98 Aston Martin Vantage driven by Paul Dalla Lana, Mathias Lauda and Pedro Lamy, which gives them the opportunity to take the lead of the championship.

The highlights of the 6 Hours of Shanghai

– Jackie Chan, Hollywood star and team owner of the Jackie Chan DC Racing, waved off the 26 entrants of the 6 Hours of Shanghai.

– Mark Webber, the 2015 WEC Champion, was also at the track in his role as a Porsche ambassador.

– A celebration in Shanghai was organized for Jackie Chan DC Racing to recognize the Chinese team’s achievements at the 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans victory in LMP2

– The first seven cars in LMGTE Pro were only separated by two minutes after six hours of race.

– Aston Martin Racing’s win in LMGTE Am gives the British team its 50th victory in endurance racing!

– 24 cars were classified with the two retirements being the #54 Spirit of Race Ferrari F488 GTE (LMGTE Am) after a collision with an LMP2 car, and the #92 Porsche 911 RSR for engine failure.

The finale in Bahrain!

The 9th and last race of the season will be held in Bahrain on Saturday, November 18th. This event will be important for competitors still looking to claim 2017 world championship titles. The FIA Endurance Trophies for LMP2 Teams and Drivers and most of the GTE titles have not yet been claimed and the tension is growing.

The official WEC Rookie Test will also be held the day following the Bapco 6 Hours of Bahrain. It gives four young drivers the chance to test with different manufacturers entering the WEC in three different classes. This year, Thomas Laurent (Jackie Chan DC Racing) will drive the Toyota TS050 Hybrid, while the three other ‘rookies’ will be announced the day before the test.

Fonte: fiawec.com