Allan McNish brought his 2013 season to a close in disappointing fashion when the Scotsman’s hybrid-diesel Audi sportscar retired even before the Scotsman had a chance to take part in today’s (SAT) final race of the series in Bahrain.

The Audi R18 e-tron quattro of McNish, Tom Kristensen and Loïc Duval rolled to a standstill with a rare drivetrain failure when placed second shortly before mid-distance in the Six Hours of Bahrain.

But the Anglo-Danish-French combination was still confirmed as this year’s world sportscar champions.

FIA World Endurance Championship regulations require each driver to undertake a minimum of 45minutes behind the wheel but because their Audi had not completed 70% of the race, or taken the chequered flag, it mattered not that McNish had failed to take part in the race.

It was a frustrating end to what has been a tremendously successful season for McNish who nets his first world title after scoring three wins – including the Le Mans 24 Hours – three seconds and one third place in the eight race series.

“We came to Bahrain without the pressures of a championship battle on our hands and free to race and we took the fight to Toyota,” reflected McNish.

“Tom and Loïc had fantastic stints and I’d got my helmet on to take over from Loïc when I looked at the television screen and saw he had come to a stop out on the track.

“It was a shame as we were in striking distance of catching the leading Toyota when we had a drive related technical problem.”

The McNish/Kristensen/Duval Audi started the Six Hours of Bahrain around the 3.91-mile circuit in Sakhir from fourth on the 28-car grid but immediately moved into third at the start and was second with two hours gone.

McNish was about to take over from co-driver Duval approaching race mid-distance when the Frenchman coasted to a standstill with no drive.

The “sister” hybrid-diesel Audi of out-going WEC champions Marcel Fässler (CH)/André Lotterer (D)/Benoît Tréluyer (F) started from third position and went on to finish second. McNish/Duval/Kristensen finally ended the season 12.75pts ahead of Fässler/Lotterer/Tréluyer in the final Driver’s standings.

Allan continued: “It’s been a fantastic year. Tom, Loïc and I secured big wins starting off at Silverstone and winning the Tourist Trophy on ‘home’ soil, then Le Mans and at Austin, and to effectively tie up the World Championship title one race early was a superb achievement for everybody at Audi Sport and for our car crew.

“Today was disappointing, however one race doesn’t make a championship and overall we have had a tremendous season and we were taking the race as we should have done, attacking from the start with a good strategy, and trying to win.”  

The current era in endurance racing came to an end in Bahrain. Next year new regulations focus on saving energy, a change to the sport so fundamental that virtually not a single bolt used on Audi’s 2014 R18 will be the same as in the current race car which has now won 13 races since making its debut in 2011.

McNish now faces a busy week off track. Allan flew to Britain immediately after the Bahrain race so as to attend the annual Autosport Awards at the Grosvenor House Hotel on London’s Park Lane tomorrow evening (Sun 1 Dec). He is short-listed for the “British Competition Driver of the Year” while the Audi R18 e-tron quattro and Audi’s DTM championship winning RS 5 are nominated for the “Racing Car of the Year” award.

On Monday (2 Dec), McNish attends the British Racing Drivers’ Club’s Annual Awards ceremony at the Great Connaught Rooms in London. Allan has won the ACO Plate – awarded to the highest-placed British driver at Le Mans each year – and the Silverstone-Le Mans Challenge which is given to the drivers who achieve the highest aggregate position in the Silverstone Six Hours and the Le Mans 24 Hours. McNish, Kristensen and Duval won both races and Allan will be joined by Tom and Loïc at these Awards.

On Friday (6 Dec), McNish attends the FIA Prize-Giving Ceremony along with the likes of Formula One World Champion Sebastian Vettel then the following day (Sat 7 Dec) collects his world sportscar “silverware” at a FIA WEC ceremony – both events taking place in Paris.