Three-in-a-Row Victory Mission for Toyota Gazoo Racing in Bahrain
Toyota Gazoo Racing aim to finish their 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship on a high with a third successive victory in the final race of the year, the Bapco 6 Hours of Bahrain.
Toyota and Porsche are level on four wins apiece this season, with the TS050 Hybrids having won the last two races, in Fuji and Shanghai.
Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and José María López have earned four pole positions so far this year in the No7 car and head to the Gulf in search of their first victory of the season. Conway said: “Bahrain is one of my favourite races so I am looking forward to going there and hopefully getting the win. We have had four pole positions so we have to convert that to a win at some point. We learned a lot in Shanghai about tyre wear and Bahrain is a similar circuit in that regard, so hopefully that will be to our advantage.”
The No8 crew of Anthony Davidson, Sébastien Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima are targeting a third visit to the top step of the podium, following their recent victories in Japan and China.
The 3.4-mile Bahrain International Circuit has witnessed wins for Toyota in 2013 and 2015 and last year saw Alex Wurz claim a podium finish in his last outing with Toyota Gazoo Racing. This Saturday’s race will be Toyota’s final battle with newly crowned champion manufacturer Porsche, adding an extra layer of interest to the event. Practice sessions this Thursday will be followed by qualifying on Friday; the race will start at 4pm local time on Saturday (1pm UK time).
To bring the curtain down on the season, the circuit will host a rookie test session this Sunday.