FIA World Endurance Championship

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For the FIA World Endurance Championship contested from 1981 to 1985, see World Sportscar Championship.
FIA World Endurance Championship
FIA WEC logo.png
Category Le Mans Prototypes,
Grand tourers
Country International
Inaugural season 2012
Classes LMP1, LMP2
LMGTE Pro, LMGTE Am
Teams About 20
Tyre suppliers Michelin, Dunlop
Drivers' champion Germany Timo Bernhard
New Zealand Brendon Hartley
Australia Mark Webber
Teams' champion LMP1: Rebellion Racing LMP2: G-Drive Racing GTE-Pro: Porsche Team Manthey GTE-Am: SMP Racing
Makes' champion Germany Porsche
Official website http://www.fiawec.com
Motorsport current event.svg Current season

The FIA World Endurance Championship is an auto racing world championship organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) and sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The series usurps the ACO's former Intercontinental Le Mans Cup which began in 2010, and is the first endurance series of world championship status since the demise of the World Sportscar Championship at the end of 1992. The World Endurance Championship name was previously used by the FIA from 1981 to 1985.

The series feature multiple classes of cars competing in endurance races, with sports prototypes competing in the Le Mans Prototype categories, and production-based grand tourers competing in the LM GTE categories. World champion titles are awarded to the top scoring manufacturers and drivers over the season,[1][2] while other cups and trophies will be awarded for drivers and private teams.[3]

Format[edit]

The World Endurance Championship follows much of the format of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup and features seven endurance races across the world, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans, with all races being at least six hours in duration.[2] The calendar includes four races in Europe, one in the Americas, two in Asia and one in the Middle East,[4] with a possible future expansion to eight or nine races.[5] There are four categories: LMP1 and LMP2 prototypes and the GTE category, divided into GTE Pro for teams with professional driver line-ups, and GTE Am for teams featuring a mixture of amateur drivers.

Six titles are awarded each season based on total point tally, with two being deemed world championships: Manufacturers' World Endurance Champion and Drivers' World Champion. The GTE Pro class champion are awarded a World Cup, while the leaders in LMP2 and GTE Am are awarded a Trophy. The final Trophy is awarded to the best privateer team amongst all four classes.[3] The points system is similar to that that used in the FIA's other world championships, awarding points to the top ten finishers on a sliding point margin scale from first to tenth. Cars finishing the race but classified eleventh or further are awarded a half point. Double points are awarded for the 24 Hours of Le Mans.[3]

Races[edit]

Race Circuit
6 Hours of Silverstone United Kingdom Silverstone Circuit
WEC 6 Heures de Spa-Francorchamps Belgium Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
24 Heures du Mans France Circuit de la Sarthe
6 Hours of Nürburgring Germany Nürburgring
6 Hours of Circuit of the Americas United States Circuit of the Americas
6 Hours of Fuji Japan Fuji Speedway
6 Hours of Shanghai China Shanghai International Circuit
6 Hours of Bahrain Bahrain Bahrain International Circuit

Future races[edit]

Race Circuit
6 Hours of Mexico City Mexico Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez

Former races[edit]

Race Circuit
12 Hours of Sebring United States Sebring International Raceway
6 Hours of São Paulo Brazil Autódromo José Carlos Pace

Champions[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "2012 FIA World Endurance Championship". fia.com. Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 2011-06-03. Retrieved 2011-06-04. 
  2. ^ a b "World Motor Sport Council". fia.com. Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 2011-06-03. Retrieved 2011-06-04. 
  3. ^ a b c "The FIA World Endurance Championship is unveiled!". lemans.org. Automobile Club de l'Ouest. 2011-06-09. Retrieved 2011-06-09. 
  4. ^ "Calendar, FIA World Endurance Championship". Retrieved 2014-02-12. 
  5. ^ Marcel ten Caat (2011-06-09). "Le Mans Press Conference: 2012 and further". planetlemans.com. Planet Le Mans. Retrieved 2011-06-09. 

External links[edit]