12H Bahrain: The racing year starts well 🎥
P2 FOR SWISS TRIO The first endurance race of 2021, the Gulf 12 Hours in Bahrain, ended with second place overall and class victory for a Swiss Porsche trio. Kessel Racing also celebrated. Until now, the Gulf 12 Hours in Abu Dhabi have been something of an annual season finale for some GT3 endurance teams in mid-December. Because of the late WRC finale of the [...]
Until now, the Gulf 12 Hours in Abu Dhabi in mid-December have been something of an annual season finale for some GT3 endurance teams. Due to the late Formula 1 World Championship finale in 2020 at the same venue, the organizers moved their half-marathon to neighboring Bahrain and thus opened the 2021 international circuit season.
However, there were only twelve participants with GT3 and GT4 sports cars, including two teams from Switzerland - and they did well.
A McLaren sets the pace
The overall victory of a McLaren 720S driven by British pro Ben Barnicoat, Croatian Martin Kodric and local hero Isa Bin Abdulla Alkhalifa could not be disputed. Only toward the end of the first half of the race, which was divided into two times six hours, did this trio seem to falter due to gearshift problems, causing its lap lead to evaporate.
As a result, three other teams briefly got to lead laps, including Roberto Pampanini's Porsche 911 GT3-R, which he shared with Mauro Calamia and Stefano Monaco. Nevertheless, the McLaren was waved off first.
However, with four different teams and brands within a minute of each other, everything was still open. In the second six hours, when darkness fell, the McLaren team did not show any signs of weakness and won by one lap.
Good omen for Dubai
Calamia, from Zurich, and the two Italo-Swiss drivers Pampanini and Monaco managed to push their Porsche entered by Dinamic Motorsport (I) past a British Mercedes into second position in the second half of the race. Their great performance was also rewarded with victory in the Pro-Am classification contested by six teams.
All three drivers and their companions will remain in the Arab Emirates. As the only one of the GT3 teams that started in Bahrain, they will also take part in the Dubai 24 Hours next week (January 14-16). They will be supported there by works driver Matteo Cairoli.
Two podium places for Kessel Racing
The Ferrari team from Kessel Racing, which won several races in Abu Dhabi, was not as powerful as in previous years. Nevertheless, there were successes to celebrate.
MotoGP superstar Valentino Rossi, who has already used the Gulf 12 Hours several times with the Ticino team for a detour into motor racing, brought the 488 GT3 from Grancia, running in his own sponsor colors and with traditional starting number #46, to the finish line in fourth place together with his brother and Moto2 driver Luca Marini and bosom friend Alessio Salucci. With a gap of less than two minutes, the three Italians missed the overall podium but were allowed to climb it as third in the Pro-Am.
The Italian Youtube channel Motos a Fondo dedicates its summary of the race primarily to the car with Valentino Rossi.
The second-best Kessel Ferrari was driven by four Gentleman Drivers - one Turk and three Italians - in sixth place and solo winner in the Am category. Also the third Kessel team came as seventh over the full distance.
The overall ranking is available here, more information and result lists under the following link.
