Porsche travel to the Middle East as 2016 World Endurance Manufacturer Champions, while the no2 Porsche 919 crew of Neel Jani, Romain Dumas and Marc Lieb are leading the Drivers’ Championship by 17 points. The no6 Toyota crew of Stephane Sarrazin, Mike Conway and Kamui Kobayashi are the only rivals for the prestigious title.

The 6 Hours of Bahrain will also be the final race for 2015 World Endurance Champion Mark Webber, the Australian having already announced his retirement earlier this year. 

This will also be the final race for Audi after 18 years at the highest levels of endurance racing, which includes 13 victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, along with two Manufacturer and two Driver World Championships.

Mark Webber  - no1 Porsche Team Porsche 919 Hybrid

“Bahrain is obviously not a normal race for me. It will be pretty emotional. To arrive there knowing it is the last time I will compete seriously will be a big moment. I’m looking forward to the weekend. I’ve got a lot of friends coming from all around the world, especially from Australia and Europe, to watch me drive for the last time. Of course we would love to go out with a victory, but, irrespective of the result, I think it would be nice for me to have a smooth day and look back on a very, very long career of which I’m, of course, very proud. I thought about it a few times: I will walk away from the car just one more time – take the helmet and balaclava off and the ear plugs out, doing all these things for one last time. That will be very different, but I’m looking forward to not having to do this in the future.”

Neel Jani – no2 Porsche Team Porsche 919 Hybrid

“The season ending is always special and this year it is even more so. For us it is all about the championship. Our position in the points is good. At the most recent race in Shanghai our pace was very good in the beginning, we were on track for the title win, but then we lost ground. This was analysed and we found the reason for it. This makes me very positive before the finale. After having secured the manufacturers’ title, it would be the greatest joy to now seal the drivers’ title as well.” 

Anthony Davidson – no5 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota TS050 Hybrid

“I can’t believe that we’re already at the end of the 2016 season. It’s been a long hard year but Bahrain is a track I always enjoy because I like the facilities and the flow of the circuit. I have usually been strong there as well. In car #5 we are really motivated to end the season on a high; we want a win from this season and I feel we deserve one after being denied at Spa and Le Mans. We will be doing everything we can.”

Kamui Kobayashi – no6 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota TS050 Hybrid

“The most important point for us is that we go to Bahrain still with a chance of the World Championship; that’s going to be our target even if it will not be easy. For me the season has already been fantastic, considering it was my first in LMP1. I know the Bahrain track very well from the past and I enjoy driving there, so I’m feeling pretty confident. I think our car will suit the track so let’s go and fight for the win.”

Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich, Head of Audi Motorsport

“The event in Bahrain will no doubt be a very emotional farewell for all of us.  What this program means to the brand is hard to express in words.  To this day, the various rally models of the Audi quattro, with which everything began in 1981, have kept a special place in the hearts of the audience. I am sure that the sports cars, which are esteemed by a worldwide fan community, are going to continue to define the historic image of our brand for a long time.”