This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/nov/16/anthony-davidson-wins-drivers-fia-world-endurance-championship
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Anthony Davidson wins drivers’ FIA World Endurance Championship | Anthony Davidson wins drivers’ FIA World Endurance Championship |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Britain’s Anthony Davidson, alongside team-mate Sébastien Buemi, has won the drivers’ title in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Toyota at the seventh and penultimate round in Bahrain. The duo finished only 11th in the race, which was won by their sister car of Alex Wurz, Mike Conway and Stéphane Sarrazin, but it was enough to claim the title when their main rivals and this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours winner, Audi’s Benoît Tréluyer, Marcel Fässler and André Lotterer, finished in fourth place. | Britain’s Anthony Davidson, alongside team-mate Sébastien Buemi, has won the drivers’ title in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Toyota at the seventh and penultimate round in Bahrain. The duo finished only 11th in the race, which was won by their sister car of Alex Wurz, Mike Conway and Stéphane Sarrazin, but it was enough to claim the title when their main rivals and this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours winner, Audi’s Benoît Tréluyer, Marcel Fässler and André Lotterer, finished in fourth place. |
| Davidson, who raced at Minardi and Super Aguri in F1 and remains a test driver for Mercedes, was hugely pleased with the result. It is the first championship he has won and the high point of his career since he switched to racing prototype sports cars in 2009, since when he has also driven for Aston Martin and Peugeot. It is also the second year in a row a British driver has won the championship after Allan McNish took the title last year. | Davidson, who raced at Minardi and Super Aguri in F1 and remains a test driver for Mercedes, was hugely pleased with the result. It is the first championship he has won and the high point of his career since he switched to racing prototype sports cars in 2009, since when he has also driven for Aston Martin and Peugeot. It is also the second year in a row a British driver has won the championship after Allan McNish took the title last year. |
| The victory will also come as a major consolation to the British driver after his bitter disappointment at this year’s Le Mans when an accident during heavy rain meant third place was the best the crew could manage. “It’s been an amazing year,” he said. “For me this is the biggest achievement in my career by a long way, so it is a big day. | The victory will also come as a major consolation to the British driver after his bitter disappointment at this year’s Le Mans when an accident during heavy rain meant third place was the best the crew could manage. “It’s been an amazing year,” he said. “For me this is the biggest achievement in my career by a long way, so it is a big day. |
| “I have never been a world champion before so this means a lot and it still hasn’t really sunk in yet. The team did an amazing job and have given us the fastest car. It wasn’t exactly the way we wanted to win the title but I’m not complaining.” | “I have never been a world champion before so this means a lot and it still hasn’t really sunk in yet. The team did an amazing job and have given us the fastest car. It wasn’t exactly the way we wanted to win the title but I’m not complaining.” |
| Toyota will be mightily pleased by the result as well. Having endured an unsuccessful period winless in F1 between 2002‑09, they returned to sportscar racing only two years ago, having previously scored a second place at the 1999 Le Mans with the GT-One. It is the team’s first driver’s championship victory since Didier Auriol won the World Rally Championship driving a Celica GT-Four in 1994. | |
| This title always looked to be within their grasp, however. They have been the class of the field this year. Up on power and pace on both their main rivals, Audi, and Porsche, who are, to an extent, still finding their feet having only returned to the top prototype class this season. | This title always looked to be within their grasp, however. They have been the class of the field this year. Up on power and pace on both their main rivals, Audi, and Porsche, who are, to an extent, still finding their feet having only returned to the top prototype class this season. |
| Davidson and Buemi took a confident win at the season opener in Silverstone and followed it up with another victory at the second race in Spa. The third place and the double points (rightly) awarded at Le Mans brought their Audi rivals right back into contention and despite having taken pole at the next race in Austin, an off aquaplaning in treacherous conditions that were red-flagged shortly afterwards meant the crew could manage only third again and their lead had been narrowed to 11 points. | Davidson and Buemi took a confident win at the season opener in Silverstone and followed it up with another victory at the second race in Spa. The third place and the double points (rightly) awarded at Le Mans brought their Audi rivals right back into contention and despite having taken pole at the next race in Austin, an off aquaplaning in treacherous conditions that were red-flagged shortly afterwards meant the crew could manage only third again and their lead had been narrowed to 11 points. |
| They fought back immediately, however, and took wins again at the next two rounds in Fuji and Shanghai with dominant drives. It was enough to put them within touching distance of the title. | They fought back immediately, however, and took wins again at the next two rounds in Fuji and Shanghai with dominant drives. It was enough to put them within touching distance of the title. |
| An alternator problem in the second hour of Saturday’s race in Bahrain cost Davidson and Buemi time but with the two Porsche’s of Neel Jani, Romain Dumas, Marc Lieb and Mark Webber, Timo Bernhard and Brendon Hartley coming home in second and third, fourth in Bahrain was not enough for the Audi trio and the Toyota crew claimed the title on 148 points to 117 with one race, at Interlagos, remaining. | An alternator problem in the second hour of Saturday’s race in Bahrain cost Davidson and Buemi time but with the two Porsche’s of Neel Jani, Romain Dumas, Marc Lieb and Mark Webber, Timo Bernhard and Brendon Hartley coming home in second and third, fourth in Bahrain was not enough for the Audi trio and the Toyota crew claimed the title on 148 points to 117 with one race, at Interlagos, remaining. |
| Toyota will expect a good run there too and will look to complete their success this season by securing the manufacturers’ championship in Brazil on 30 November. They lead Audi by 40 points with a maximum of 44 available at the final round. “This championship has been a real team effort and I’m so grateful to everyone who has made it happen,” said Davidson. “It’s a great day but there is still one more job to do in Brazil; win the manufacturers’ World Championship.” | Toyota will expect a good run there too and will look to complete their success this season by securing the manufacturers’ championship in Brazil on 30 November. They lead Audi by 40 points with a maximum of 44 available at the final round. “This championship has been a real team effort and I’m so grateful to everyone who has made it happen,” said Davidson. “It’s a great day but there is still one more job to do in Brazil; win the manufacturers’ World Championship.” |