The West COMPETITION McLaren and her sister Endurance GT racers served as an exciting christening for the newly built Zhuhai circuit. Qualifying in eighth position on the grid, Thomas Bscher and John Nielsen set out to secure their podium place in the final World Championship Standings of the 1996 GT series, and their sixth place finish did just that. The race would see a number of "new" entries to the competitors' list. The GTC McLarens sported their new Marlboro colours, while the Ennea Ferraris took on Montagut livery to finish the season. Porsche AG decided to end its season in style, fielding two 911 GT1 cars- one driven by Collard/Kelleners and the other by Wollek/Dalmas.

The name of the game for the West COMPETITION team in this last round of the GT series was to keep the Olofsson/Della Noce Ferrari, trailing the Nielsen/Bscher West car by only six points in the standings, behind it for the duration of the race. For Nielsen/Bscher, it was a race for third place.

Adding to the drama, Nielsen spun on lap 10, making contact with a Ferrari. When Nielsen finally pitted on the 33rd lap, the Dave Price Racing mechanics tore the damaged section of the tail panel off, and sent the Dane to rejoin the fray in fifth- behind the two 911 GT1s, the #6 Marlboro McLaren of Raphanel/Brabham, and the #28 Ferrari of Bernard/Belmondo/Gounon.

Running in third for a spell, the West COMPETITION car's sixth place finish kept Olofsson and Della Noce at bay. Taking points for fourth under BPR rules, the West team secured third place in the Championship and missed knocking the #56 Porsche out of second place by only three points.

A race otherwise without major retirements, only the #88 Porsche was involved in a serious accident. The car slammed into a wall, though the driver was found to be OK by the attending medical team.

The #36 Collard/Kelleners Porsche 911 GT1 ran away with the victory, finishing the race a good two laps ahead of the second place finisher. The #2 Marlboro McLaren of Bellm/Weaver/Lehto looked sure to finish second, punctuating its World Championship, but a spin on the penultimate lap allowed the #28 Ennea Ferrari to slip past and claim the spot, gaining maximum points as the Porsche 911 GT1s do not qualify under BPR rules. The result leaves the Marlboro car to be content with third, and Ray Bellm "satisfied to have won 10 out of 22 races in the last two years."

And so the season ends for the West COMPETITION team on an excellent note. In front of 120,000 spectators, taking points for fourth place at Zhuhai, they secured a third place finish in both the World and European Championships, with two outright victories and five top six finishes during the season. John Nielsen's tenacity and Thomas Bscher's dedication gave the West COMPETITION fans a season full of excitement and a proud finish.