WEC – Sébastien Philippe (OAK Racing): “The most important race of the season”

Closing round of the World ChampionshipEndurance 2013, the 6 Hours of Bahrain could crown OAK Racing in the LM P2 category. And for good reason, the Le Mans team enters the final at the top of the Teams and Drivers rankings. This is the reason why team principal Sébastien Philippe describes this event as “most important race of the season” and this even if the double won in Sarthe last June is just as rewarding as a title. “We are in the home stretch, He says. We know what we have to do and the whole team is focused and motivated. Each car has a specific purpose. The 24 is ready to try everything to win the race and the 35 must score the few points it lacks to secure its championship title. The philosophies are therefore very different. On the 45 David Cheng is in his second race in WEC and Keiko Ihara in fourth. They are making constant progress and, with Jacques Nicolet, they can aim for the top five. »

At the head of the Drivers' championship, we find Bertrand Baguette, Martin Plowman and Ricardo Gonzalez, who share the wheel of the No. 35 Morgan. The three men are 15,5 points ahead of their stablemates Olivier Pla, David Heinemeier-Hansson and Alex Brundle. “It’s been a great year for us and this weekend we have a chance to finish it off with a bang, Gonzalez points out. After a good result in Shanghai (third in LM P2. Editor’s note), we are one step closer to winning the LM P2 championship and that will be our main objective in Bahrain. We were competitive on all circuits, and we also showed that we could be fast and consistent at the same time, and that's what allowed us to move up the rankings. I am very impatient to get back on the track one last time with my teammates Bertrand Baguette and Martin Plowman, and to win the title! »

Alex Brundle, who knows his chances of winning the title are slim, will have the sole objective of seeking this success which has eluded them since the start of the season. “We start the Bahrain weekend in a good position, with two cars at the top of the LM P2 standings, rightly points out the Briton. There is everything to play for during this last weekend of the season, but I am sure that if we keep a cool head and focused on the race, we will return with the desired results. For car 24 in particular, there's nothing to lose, so we can just do as much as we can for six hours and hope that's enough. I like it when it’s simple like that…”

What could be better than two titles to close a 2013 season which will be successful no matter what.