De Gerus, Henrion Selected for Bahrain Rookie Test

European Le Mans Series drivers Reshad de Gerus and Gillian Henrion have been selected to take part in the FIA World Endurance Championship’s end-of-year rookie test at Bahrain International Circuit.

De Gerus will get behind the wheel of the title-winning car from the Hypercar category, while Henrion is set to pilot the No. 92 Manthey PureRxcing Porsche 911 GT3 R that clinched the LMGT3 title with a race to spare at Fuji.

The official WEC rookie test will take place on Sunday, Nov. 3, one day after the 8 Hours of Bahrain season finale.

De Gerus, 21, has been competing in LMP2 since transitioning away from single seaters in 2022 and has raced for Duqueine Team, Cool Racing and IDEC Sport.

His tenure with the latter resulted in a class podium at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, finishing third behind United Autosports and Inter Europol Competition.

It has not yet been decided which car De Gerus will drive at the test, with the No. 6 Porsche 963, No. 50 Ferrari 499P and No. 7 Toyota GR010 Hybrid still in contention to win the world title heading into Bahrain.

“I was really happy to receive the news – it was a fantastic start to my day,” said De Gerus.

“This has been a great year for me so far, and this is a wonderful opportunity for my career. It feels like all my efforts are really beginning to pay off.

“I’m super-excited to get the chance to discover the Hypercar. It will be a completely new experience for me.

“I know there will be more technology to get to grips with, and a big learning curve to understand how everything works. The Hypercar is heavier than my LMP2 car and obviously more powerful – and faster in every way!

“I will take the test one step at a time, with the objective of learning as much as I can. My ultimate goal is to race for a manufacturer at Hypercar level, so if I can show my potential in Bahrain, even better!”

Henrion, meanwhile, is in the midst of a debut LMP3 campaign in ELMS that saw him take victory in the season opener at Paul Ricard with Team Virage.

Prior to that, he won back-to-back titles in the Ligier European Series and Michelin Le Mans Cup.

“I’m extremely happy and proud to have been selected for the WEC Rookie Test,” said Henrion.

“This will mark my first steps in the FIA World Endurance Championship, and getting closer to my goal of one day competing in this prestigious series is an amazing opportunity.

“It will be my first time in GT machinery, but I will do my best and learn in the best possible environment with Manthey PureRxcing.

“Nothing has been decided yet for next year, but I hope this experience will help me in the future.

“I would like to thank ACO President Pierre Fillon and WEC CEO Frederic Lequien for giving me this chance.

The path offered by the ACO pyramid proves that it’s possible to gradually reach the pinnacle of the sport.

“I started with the Ligier European Series in 2022, and two years later, here I am making my WEC debut. It’s a dream come true.”