2024 FIA World Endurance Championship – 1st Stage Doha, Qatar 2024
Photo: HOCH ZWEI Photoagency
The first stage of the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship in Doha, Qatar, is coming to an end. Kevin Estre, from Porsche, is comfortably leading the race with a lead of over one minute against his main competitor, Mikkel Jensen, from Peugeot. Throughout the race, Porsche #6 has proven to be the strongest car on the track. Despite some moments where Peugeot #93 reduced the gap, Estre managed to increase his lead to one minute and 20 seconds in the last hour.
Meanwhile, Matt Campbell, Estre’s teammate in Porsche #5, is currently in third place. The first customer Porsche, driven by Callum Ilott in the Porsche #12 JOTA, is in fourth place, about one minute behind Campbell. Campbell, who secured pole position in qualifying, made a rare mistake almost losing control of the car in one of the medium-speed corners, causing him to go off track and lose valuable time. Although he managed to recover quickly, it will be difficult for him to make up for the lost time.
In the LMGT3 category, Klaus Bachler is leading the race in the Manthey Pure Rxcing Porsche 911 GT3.R #92. He has a little over 20 seconds advantage against Alex Riberas in the Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 #27. These two cars have been fighting for the lead throughout the race, with Riberas spinning at one point, allowing Bachler to close in. Bachler successfully overtook Riberas and has since increased his lead. The pro-am class drivers are also competing for victory in this category.
Maxime Martin is currently in third place in the WRT BMW M4 GT3 #46, one lap behind the leading LMGT3 cars. Despite starting from ninth position, the team has made progress throughout the race. The presence of Valentino Rossi, making his debut in the WEC competition, has been impressive, demonstrating his pace and ability to navigate through traffic alongside his teammate Ahmad Al Harthy. The D’Station Aston Martin #777, driven by Marco Sorensen, is in fourth place, while the WRT BMW M4 GT3 #31, with Augusto Farfus behind the wheel, is in fifth place.
© 2024
