A Ferrari 488 GTE on the second row in Bahrain

Qualifying for the 8 Hours of Bahrain ended with the Kessel Racing team-run Ferrari 488 GTE on the second row, while the other three Maranello manufacturer entries in the LMGTE Am class took seventh, ninth and thirteenth places on the grid.

The 15-minute timed session was held mid-afternoon with air temperatures of 29.3°C, and 33.9°C on the asphalt. The task of qualifying the cars, according to the championship rules, was given to each crew’s Bronze-licensed driver.

Thanks to Takeshi Kimura’s time of 1'59''162, the No. 57 488 GTE was able to secure fourth place with a 0''470 gap from the No. 85 Porsche, which took pole position. The Japanese racer will share the driving tasks in the Kessel Racing team car with Esteban Masson and Daniel Serra.

Fourth row went to the number 54 Ferrari of AF Corse, driven by Thomas Flohr (1'59''761), who will take turns in the car alongside Francesco Castellacci and Davide Rigon. Fifth row for the number 83 Richard Mille - AF Corse 488 GTE after the time set by Louis-Perez Companc, partner of Lilou Wadoux and Alessio Rovera, both official drivers for the Maranello marque. Seventh row for the No. 21 AF Corse Ferrari of Franck Dezoteux - at the wheel during the timed session – in the crew alongside Simon Mann and Kei Cozzolino.

The programme. The 8 Hours of Bahrain gets underway tomorrow, Saturday, November 4, at 2 p.m. (local time).