There were contrasting fortunes across the whole WEC field last weekend
The very first World Endurance Championship 6 Hours of Barcelona was a race of contrasting fortunes up and down the field.
Some had their best races of the year, for others it was an event to forget.
Here's our winners and losers from the 6 Hours of Barcelona.
Winner: Toyota
By any metric, this race belonged to the now eight-time manufacturers’ champions.
After making short work of the Genesis at the start, both Toyotas were virtually untroubled.
A couple of brief intra-team duels were the only real concerns, and with the No.8 crew doing everything required to cover the No.7 car at each stop, this win was a foregone conclusion.
The 39-second margin separating the winning Toyota and No.50 Ferrari in third sums up the TR010’s unmatched race pace in Barcelona.
Loser: Genesis
The highs of that maiden pole position must feel like a long time ago.
Genesis’ bid for victory lasted less than half a lap. After a great start, the No.19 car was caught out at turn five, while the No.17 car struggled with traction control issues.
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A series of offs in the damp conditions compounded the team’s issues, and once the track dried, the GMR-001’s race pace was sorely lacking.
This has been an encouraging weekend for the team, but failing to score with either car is not what Genesis would have expected.
Winner: No.92 The Bend Manthey Porsche
The No.92 Porsche’s race is best summed up by how little it featured on the official broadcast.
After taking the lead at the half-hour mark, the No.92 Porsche was in command for the majority of the race.
Unfazed by the multiple safety cars, the No.92 crew controlled the pace and finished 4.7 seconds ahead of the pole-sitting McLaren for a commanding first win of the season.
Loser: No.91 Manthey DK Engineering Porsche
On the other side of the garage, the No.91 Porsche had a race to forget.
Starting 12th, James Cottingham was a casualty of the multi-car incident at the first corner and had to pit due to suspension damage.
By the time the No.91 car rejoined the race, it was six laps down, and there was little Timur Boguslavisky and Ayhancan Guven could do from that point on.
Unable to capitalise on the ensuing safety cars, it eventually finished 16th, nine laps down on the winner.
Winner: No.15 BMW
With Toyota wrapping up the manufacturer’s title, this was a hollow victory for the No.15 BMW.
However, after a disappointing performance in qualifying, the No.15 car made solid progress in the race.
After receiving a five-second penalty, Dries Vanthoor managed a credible recovery stint, and the car ended up seventh.
The team may be out of the Constructors' race, but with this result, BMW has limited the damage and heads to the final round at Monza with a 24-point lead over Ferrari.
Loser: Proton Competition
Proton Competition had the worst afternoon of all, at least as far as results were concerned.
The No.88 car was one of many high-profile victims of the first-corner chaos, but recovered to a creditable eighth by the end.
However, Logan Sargeant coasted to a halt at turn 11 on the way to parc ferme due to a fuel problem. The No.88 car was eventually disqualified as a result.
The No.77 car ran as high as third during the race but couldn’t contend with the likes of Porsche or McLaren in the closing stages, and heartbreakingly ran out of fuel just a few meters shy of the checkered flag on the final lap.
After securing a (slightly fortuitous) maiden pole position at the previous round at Fuji, Proton Competition will be glad to see the back of Spain.
The very first World Endurance Championship 6 Hours of Barcelona was a race of contrasting fortunes up and down the field.
Some had their best races of the year, for others it was an event to forget.
Here's our winners and losers from the 6 Hours of Barcelona.
Winner: Toyota
By any metric, this race belonged to the now eight-time manufacturers’ champions.
After making short work of the Genesis at the start, both Toyotas were virtually untroubled.
A couple of brief intra-team duels were the only real concerns, and with the No.8 crew doing everything required to cover the No.7 car at each stop, this win was a foregone conclusion.
The 39-second margin separating the winning Toyota and No.50 Ferrari in third sums up the TR010’s unmatched race pace in Barcelona.
Loser: Genesis
The highs of that maiden pole position must feel like a long time ago.
Genesis’ bid for victory lasted less than half a lap. After a great start, the No.19 car was caught out at turn five, while the No.17 car struggled with traction control issues.
Sign up for The Pit Stop Endurance
Incredible stories from across the world of endurance racing
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
A series of offs in the damp conditions compounded the team’s issues, and once the track dried, the GMR-001’s race pace was sorely lacking.
This has been an encouraging weekend for the team, but failing to score with either car is not what Genesis would have expected.
Winner: No.92 The Bend Manthey Porsche
The No.92 Porsche’s race is best summed up by how little it featured on the official broadcast.
After taking the lead at the half-hour mark, the No.92 Porsche was in command for the majority of the race.
Unfazed by the multiple safety cars, the No.92 crew controlled the pace and finished 4.7 seconds ahead of the pole-sitting McLaren for a commanding first win of the season.
Loser: No.91 Manthey DK Engineering Porsche
On the other side of the garage, the No.91 Porsche had a race to forget.
Starting 12th, James Cottingham was a casualty of the multi-car incident at the first corner and had to pit due to suspension damage.
By the time the No.91 car rejoined the race, it was six laps down, and there was little Timur Boguslavisky and Ayhancan Guven could do from that point on.
Unable to capitalise on the ensuing safety cars, it eventually finished 16th, nine laps down on the winner.
Winner: No.15 BMW
With Toyota wrapping up the manufacturer’s title, this was a hollow victory for the No.15 BMW.
However, after a disappointing performance in qualifying, the No.15 car made solid progress in the race.
After receiving a five-second penalty, Dries Vanthoor managed a credible recovery stint, and the car ended up seventh.
The team may be out of the Constructors' race, but with this result, BMW has limited the damage and heads to the final round at Monza with a 24-point lead over Ferrari.
Loser: Proton Competition
Proton Competition had the worst afternoon of all, at least as far as results were concerned.
The No.88 car was one of many high-profile victims of the first-corner chaos, but recovered to a creditable eighth by the end.
However, Logan Sargeant coasted to a halt at turn 11 on the way to parc ferme due to a fuel problem. The No.88 car was eventually disqualified as a result.
The No.77 car ran as high as third during the race but couldn’t contend with the likes of Porsche or McLaren in the closing stages, and heartbreakingly ran out of fuel just a few meters shy of the checkered flag on the final lap.
After securing a (slightly fortuitous) maiden pole position at the previous round at Fuji, Proton Competition will be glad to see the back of Spain.
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