Ferrari AF Corse’s Alessio Rovera claimed LMGT3 victory at the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship season finale, the 8 Hours of Bahrain.
The #55 AF Corse Ferrari 296 LMGT3 crew – Francois Heriau, Simon Mann and Alessio Rovera – finished out on top in the final race of the season.
Manthey’s #92 PureRxing Porsche 911 LMGT3.R concluded their dominant title charge which left them largely unchallenged.
Alex Malykhin, Joel Sturm and Klaus Bachler earned the first-ever LMGT3 Drivers’ and Teams’ championship titles as a result of their consistent form across each of the eight rounds.
In spite of the #91’s guaranteed title chances in Bahrain, the race itself was characterised by various exciting battles.
As the green flags fell, the front-running United Autosports McLaren 720S LMGT3 EVOs held their 1-2 formation.
Behind them, Tom Van Rompuy began his charge from behind the wheel of the #81 TF Sport Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R.
His first rival was Ian James, team principal of Heart of Racing, whose #27 Aston Martin Vantage LMGT3 Evo he overtook with a move on the inside line at Turn 1.
Hiroshi Koizumi in the #82 TF Sport Corvette incurred a five-second stop and go penalty for hitting the Hypercar race leader Sebastien Buemi into a spin at T1.
Van Rompuy got himself into third after 34-minutes of racing with dive inside at T1 on Heriau.
The #55 AF Corse Ferrari driver fought back all the way to T4, but was not successful in returning the favour.
McLarens’ 1-2 formation broken by TF Sport
The seemingly good lead by the two McLarens became under pressure by Van Rompuy’s #81 Corvette.
James Cottingham (#59 McLaren) stuck a move for the lead on teammate and pole-sitter Josh Caygill (#95 McLaren).
Van Rompuy and Heriau’s #55 Ferrari then proceeded past Caygill.
During the second racing hour, the #81 Corvette expanded their lead gap and the action took place behind them.
Nico Pino took over the #95 McLaren and passed Sarah Bovy’s pink Iron Dames #85 Lamborghini Huracan LMGT3 EVO2.
Heriau also passed her into the final corner, Turn 14.
Thomas Flohr, however, turned up the pace in his #54 AF Corse Ferrari.
He passed both Cottingham and then Pino into third position, as Charlie Eastwood (#81 Corvette) led by nine seconds.
TF Sport’s #81 climbed seven positions since the race start, initiated by Van Rompuy’s strong opening stint.
After Rui Andrade drove a stint, Van Rumpuy got back in to complete the rest of his minimum drive time as a Bronze-graded driver.
Arnold Robin (#78 Akkodis ASP Lexus RC F LMGT3) suffered a wheel issue earlier on and later parked up behind the barrier at T3 after only 2 hours and 22 minutes completed due to broken suspension.
At the halfway point, Van Rumpuy held a 15-second lead on Nico Costa’s #59 McLaren.
The gaps spread between competitors, although a fight emerged for third between #54 Ferrari’s Andrea Castellacci and #91 EMA Porsche’s Richard Lietz.
Troubles for Proton’s Ford Mustangs
Ben Barker (#77 Proton Ford Mustang) made contact with the #81 of Van Rumpuy after he was lapped in the fifth racing hour.
A brief full-course-yellow was called to retrieve the stranded piece of debris at T12 which was left-rear bodywork hung off the #77 Ford.
Both Manthey Porsches asserted solid pace as they fought together, but not so to compromise their form.
In the fifth racing hour, Giammaro Levorato’s #88 Proton Ford suffered a terminal reliability issue.
The engine caught fire though Levorato quickly parked up at a marshal’s post. This triggered the first virtual safety car period.
Although, the field was tightened up again and reset TF Sport’s Andrade and his 32-second lead gap just as the gaps settled down.
Two-hours and 12-minutes remained as the race returned to green flag conditions.
Iron Dames’ Sarah Bovy put a move on Andrade’s lead on the outside line at T4, before Alex Riberas (#27 Aston Martin) followed through before taking the lead into T1.
Frey tried to overtake Riberas for the lead on the outside of T1.
This caused her to lose momentum for T2 and she slipped back behind the Ferraris and – now Charlie Eastwood – in the #81 Corvette, on the run down to T4.
Frey and the Dames’ hopes of winning in Bahrain were ended with a drive-through penalty for a VSC infringement.
Esteban Masson stopped on the left-side run-off after T10 after his #87 Lexus retired due to the same issue as the #87.
During the FCY, Zach Robichon’s #77 Ford also stopped on track albeit between T2 and T4, showcasing similar engine issues as the #88.
Tension into the final hour
An hour remained and the race resumed when Eastwood interrupted Ferrari’s 1-2 running.
After Eastwood passed the #54 Ferrari of Davide Rigon, he challenged Rovera’s #55 for lead as the pair fought nose-to-tail.
The #55 and #82 jostled before finally, Eastwood wrestled past at T12 into the lead with 49m remaining.
A drive-through from a full-course-yellow infringement put Rigon out of the lead battle, as the #82 TF Sport quietly climbed back up in the hands of Daniel Juncadella.
After the final pit stops, Rovera found himself at the front of Eastwood, who was busy fending P3 from Matteo Cairoli’s #60 Iron Lynx Lamborghini.
Rovera has a five-second gap on Eastwood though both were setting fastest race laps.
After 214 laps, the #55 AF Corse Ferrari team took victory having been unable to convert their pole position last time out at Fuji.
Three-seconds back, the #81 TF Sport Corvette crew of Tom Van Rumpuy, Rui Andrade and Charlie Eastwood finished in second place.
The sibling #82 TF Sport took the final podium spot owing to drivers Hiroski Koizumi, Sebastien Baud and Daniel Juncadella.
Iron Lynx finished in fourth place with their #60 Lamborghini as Morris Schuring’s #91 Manthey EMA Porsche rounded out the top-five.
