The 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship season enters its final chapter in Bahrain this weekend, with Team Abu Dhabi-Proton Racing welcoming its latest recruit in round eight.

Making his debut in Bahrain will be Italian driver Marco Mapelli.

He will be hoping to inspire his new team to top spot on the podium aboard the number 88 Porsche 911 RSR in the LMGTE Am category.

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Teammate Khaled Al Qubaisi has so far been impressed by Mapelli and is excited to see him in action on race day.

“First I would like to welcome Marco [Mapelli] to the team; he is a very talented driver and has raced before in the European Le Mans Series with team Proton Competition so he has experience with the RSR.

“I think together we can get a great result in Bahrain.”

For the second time since 2012 the Kingdom of Bahrain is hosting the FIA World Endurance Championship’s season finale at the Bahrain International Circuit.

The course provides the challenge of a sandy and sometimes slippery track surface as well as racing into the night as the sun sets over the Arabian Gulf.

The track surface and heat make Bahrain demanding for the drivers, especially in the Porsche RSR.

“We had a tough race last year in Bahrain finishing 4th in class,” added Al Qubaisi.

“This year the challenge will be finding a way to manage the tires till the end of the race. The track is very aggressive with low grip so getting the traction we need will be a challenge particularly as Porsche engines are in the rear.

“However, we will try to improve on last year result and end the season on a good note.”

Weekend schedule (Times GST)
Free Practice 1  Nov. 19 16:15
Free Practice 2  Nov. 19 20:30
Free Practice 3  Nov. 20 12:00
Qualifying          Nov. 20 18:00
Race                 Nov. 21 16:00