Larbre Competition travelled to the final FIA World Endurance Championship round of 2013 in Bahrain last month hoping to conclude a frustrating season with a podium finish.

 Unfortunately an electrical failure during qualifying relegated the #50 Corvette C6.R of Patrick Bornhauser, Julien Canal and Fernando Rees to the back of the grid, condemning the trio to another difficult race.

 They would still come close to hitting their target. Running third with just one hour’s racing remaining, the #50 eventually crossed the line in fourth spot, under 40 seconds shy of a remarkable podium finish.

 But ultimately their valiant efforts would end in frustration, summing up the team’s 2013 campaign.

 The reigning GTE Am World Champions thus end the season fifth in the standings, placing them outside the top-three for the first time since 1996. This can be directly linked to the new Balance of Performance (BoP) regulations set by the ACO and the FIA ahead of this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours. At La Sarthe and the subsequent events in Brazil and the United States, Bornhauser, Canal and Rees gave their all to produce strong performances, despite their car being much slower on the straights than its competitors’.

 The partial readjustment of the BoP mandated by the Endurance Committee ahead of the 6 Hours of Fuji brought some cheer to the French squad. However bad luck impeded their progress in Japan as severe rain resulted in the event’s cancellation. A spectacular pit-lane fire in China and alternator problems during qualifying in Bahrain compounded their 2013 miseries.

 The team had begun the Bahrain contest in buoyant mood following the pace displayed in free practice, where their #50 recorded competitive times between third and fifth positions. That gave them real hope heading into qualifying, where Bornhauser and Rees handled driving duties.

 Unfortunately, an electrical failure scuppered the Corvette during Bornhauser’s first flying lap. This prevented Rees from taking the wheel, a great disappointment for the Brazilian whose friends in the Bahraini Royal Family – with whom he studied in Paris – were watching on. What’s more, it left the team to start from the back of the grid.

 However the Larbre crew’s hopes remained high ahead of the 6-hour race. Bornhauser produced a solid first stint, despite a slight mistake five laps before handing over the car. This didn’t stop the #50 gradually climbing the order, leaving it in third place with one hour remaining.

 Unfortunately Canal had to complete the race on the slower hard compound tyres, allowing the soft-shod #61 Ferrari to force its way past. Larbre would eventually take the flag in fourth spot, just shy of the podium.

 Patrick Bornhauser: “The final race of the season could not have come quickly enough. Thanks to the Balance of Performance, we’ve had no pace since Le Mans. To invest so much money, then watch on as politics shakes everything up… this is not the way I see motor racing, and it could have an impact on my passion for the sport.

 “For two years we have supported the efforts of the organisers and this is the reward we get! These sporting and technical misdemeanours have relegated the top three in the GTE Am class from 2012 to mere foils to the Aston Martins.

 “It’s sad to say this, but the only good memories I will keep from 2013 are the times we spent in very comfortable hotels. Special mention must go to Bahrain on this front, where everything was even more luxurious than usual.

 “We are a long way from the spirit of competition that I am looking for. I like properly disputed races, and on-track fights with fair play.”

 Julien Canal: “We gave our all in Bahrain. 2013 has been a difficult year for our Corvette C6.R thanks to the new Balance of Performance, which is supposed to equalise all cars but penalised us too much. At the same time, we must accept that we cannot win the world championship every year. A big thank you to my Larbre Competition team, my friends, my sponsors and my fans. You’ll definitely be seeing me back on-track next year!”

 Fernando Rees: “It was good to have a race without any major issues. Fourth was not bad in the end, but a podium was definitely possible. After starting last due to technical problems in qualifying, I managed to climb back to third place during my double stint. It was a solid drive: fast and with no mistakes, while also overtaking other cars.

 “In any case, it was a pleasure to compete in Bahrain again, in front of all my friends. It is like my second home event, so although I was a bit disappointed to miss the podium it was nevertheless an amazing experience.”

 Jack Leconte: “The final event of the season took place quite late in the year, meaning the weather was far more clement than in 2012, when it was 45 degrees Celsius in the shade! Rain had watered the desert a week before we arrived and, with the subsequent evaporation and the heat returning, a thick fog was present during free practice on Thursday.

 “Ahead of the 6 Hours of Bahrain we forged a new partnership with DHL Global Aviation Middle East, a company managed by Malcolm Macbeth. This allowed us to welcome 240 DHL staff employed in the Middle East and Africa into the pits. This was an excellent initiative.

 “The team’s objective in Bahrain was to end the season as it started at Silverstone: on the podium. We showed good overall performance in free practice and, while our Corvette was not working well on soft tyres, the balance was perfect on the hard compound. Unfortunately this would create problems during the latter hours of the race.

 “For the final qualifying session of the year the team trusted Fernando and Patrick to set our time. Fernando in particular wanted to shine for the members of the Royal Family he studied with in Paris some years ago. Unfortunately an electrical failure on the alternator which manages the automatic gear change halted the car during its first flying lap and, with no time set, we would start last on the grid.

 “Feeling confident in the car and its drivers, our team manager gave a great deal of motivation to all three, as well as the technical staff, encouraging them to deliver an aggressive race and make their way through the pack. Patrick took the start and pushed hard to maintain pace with the pro drivers in the other GTE Am cars. This out-of-sync strategy looked like it was going to pay off until Patrick, who was struggling to manage tyre degradation, spun five laps before the end of his stint. We then lost contact with the cars ahead, while nightfall brought with it a drop in temperatures.

 “From here onwards all three drivers gave faultless performances, placing us third as we approached the final hour of racing – the podium was in sight! Unfortunately, we had to keep running hard tyres during the final stint. Julien could not increase the pace and the #61 Ferrari was able to beat us to the chequered flag by just 39 seconds.

 “Fourth place in Bahrain leaves us fifth in the GTE Am standings, which ultimately ranks as a disappointing result for Larbre Competition. The BoP hamstrung our Corvette at Le Mans, where points count double, and the absence of a reaction during the following three months damaged the drivers’ spirit. It is very unfortunate that the joint technical department of the ACO and the FIA should remove a competitor from the title challenge in this way…

 “The management of a championship where manufacturers utilise full-time lobbying requires permanent attention and reactivity. The fact that our partner is based in the US, as well as our decision to enter only one car, has handicapped us in 2013. We will have to take this into account for the future, or consider our involvement altogether.

 “Complications regarding the homologation of Corvette’s new C7.R mean we can’t yet confirm our 2014 plans, but we will go back to the team’s roots in order to create new challenges which we’ll announce as early as January. Until then, merry Christmas and a very happy new year to all our partners and supporters!”