The FIA World Endurance Championship season is nearing its end, and at the same time, we are getting closer to the Rookie test.
The organization behind the FIA WEC has ensured to have a rookie test following the season, and all LMP1 factory teams and the winners of the LMP2 and the GTE Pro Championship all have to enter at least minimum one car for some young drivers.
The FIA WEC and the World Series Formula V8 3,5 Championships have made an agreement for the top 3 of the V8 3,5 Championship to test an LMP1 car, an LMP2 for number two and a GTE Pro car for the third placed driver. Neither of the drivers have been found yet, since they hold their season finale too in Bahrain.
The LMP2 team can either be Vaillante Rebellion, Jackie Chan DC Racing or Signatech Alpine Matmut, while the GTE Pro team will either be AF Corse, Porsche or Ford Chip Ganassi Team UK.
But the test isn’t limited to rookies only. Thomas Laurent from Jackie Chan DC Racing will be testing the Toyota Gazoo Racing LMP1 car, alongside Mike Conway.
Photo: JJ Media
G-Drive Racing #26 will test Mahaveer Raghunathan, Konstantin Tereshchenko will be driving in the TDS Racing #28, while Gabriel Aubry is poised for a run in the Signatech Alpine Matmut #36.
Porsche will have their two usual driver line-ups in GTE with Richard Lietz and Fred Makowiecki in #91 while Michael Christensen and Kevin Estre share #92. AF Corse #71 have a brand new pairing that we haven’t seen in the series this year. Olivier Beretta and Ishikawa Motoaki will be behind the wheel of a Ferrari 488 GTE, in what appears to be a potential new FIA WEC line-up for next season.
There are still opportunities for more teams to enter the test. There has been a strong rumour going that Fernando Alonso will be testing a Toyota TS050 Hybrid in Bahrain, but he isn’t confirmed yet.
The test will be run in Bahrain on Sunday 19 November – the day after the season finale.
