AF Corse Ferrari driver Alessio Rovera rated his jostle towards the end with TF Sport’s #81 Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R towards WEC Bahrain victory.
The winning #55 Ferrari 296 LMGT3 driver credited his enjoyable fight with Charlie Eastwood in the post-race press conference.
He took victory in the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship season finale three-seconds ahead of the #81 at the chequered flag.
“The fight with the Corvette was really, really nice,” he said.
“A fair fight because we never touched, and yes [it was] perfect for this win because I think we deserved it throughout this year.
“We were really close to two podiums and the guys in the team did an amazing job.
“I think we were a bit faster compared to the Corvette in the first part of the final stint.
“And from me, when obviously they were really, really fast, it was really difficult to beat them behind.
“We managed to do it. These guys did an amazing job to to manage the tyres in the beginning of the race.”
A build-up to a closely matched fight
The lead fight emerged after the final safety car, between the AF Corse Ferraris and the #81 TF Sport Corvette which looked strong from the very first lap.
It was the efforts of #55 co-drivers Francois Heriau – in the opening stints of the race – and Simon Mann whose tyre management enabled Rovera to fight in the end.
AF Corse already claimed victory at Fuji albeit with the #54 Ferrari and so this marked their second consecutive LMGT3 win.
Bahrain’s eight-hour race duration plus humid conditions tested the drivers’ reactions and concentration at a crucial point of the race.
Eastwood drove the #81 to the end and also fended Matteo Cairoli’s #60 Iron Lynx Lamborghini Huracan LMGT3 EVO2.
It was this challenge that momentarily enabled Rovera to focus on the lead, before the #82 TF Sport of Daniel Juncadella overtook Cairoli.
