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Le Mans / ALMS
LE MANS: 2013 WEC Schedule Released
Eight-race calendar, Austin replaces Sebring as U.S. round in FIA World Endurance Championship for next year...
The FIA WEC will kick off its 2013 season in Silverstone. (Photo: LAT)
Following weeks of anticipation, the calendar for the 2013 FIA World Endurance Championship was released Friday by the World Motor Sport Council in Paris, in conjunction with an announcement in Bahrain, site of this weekend’s Six Hours WEC race.
While again featuring eight events, the same number in this year’s inaugural championship, the 2013 season will kick off at Silverstone instead of Sebring, with the traditional ALMS season-opener being replaced by a round at the new Circuit of the Americas in September.
Both rounds will be part of the new "Super Endurance Weekend" billing, which sees the European Le Mans Series join the WEC for a separate race at Silverstone the day before. The American Le Mans Series will share its weekend in Austin with the WEC in the same capacity.
The revised ordering in the calendar, sees a three-race European stretch of races to kick off the season, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans, prior to a trip to the Americas for the Sao Paulo and Austin rounds.
The Six Hours of Mt. Fuji will signal the start of the Asian rounds, followed by a return to Shanghai, China. Bahrain will now close out the season, two months later than its current date.
“With the current economic situation it was important to save money on transportation of the cars around the world," said FIA WEC CEO Gerard Neveu. "This calendar allows us to send the cars by sea freight rather than by air as many times as possible, which will help drive down the costs for everyone involved in the FIA WEC.
"This is very important for the long term future of the championship and I’m confident that this calendar will allows us to attract more teams and more drivers to the World Endurance Championship next season.”
Neveu added that despite the Twelve Hours of Sebring not being part of the WEC calendar, the gap in the schedule will allow teams to contest the ALMS season-opener. No travel assistance will be provided to teams, however.
SPEED.com will have more on the schedule announcement in this weekend's notebook from Bahrain.
2013 FIA World Endurance Championship Calendar
April 14 - Six Hours of Silverstone (UK)*
May 4 - Six Hours of Spa (Belgium)
June 22-23 - 24 Hours of Le Mans (France)
Aug. 31 - Six Hours of Sao Paulo (Brazil)
Sept. 22 - Six Hours of Austin (USA)* / **
Oct. 20 - Six Hours of Mt. Fuji (Japan)
Nov. 10 - Six Hours of Shanghai (China)**
Nov. 30 - Six Hours of Bahrain (Bahrain)
*Super Endurance Weekend
** To Be Confirmed
John Dagys is SPEED.com’s Sportscar Racing Reporter, focusing on all major domestic and international championships. You can follow him on Twitter @johndagys or email him at
While again featuring eight events, the same number in this year’s inaugural championship, the 2013 season will kick off at Silverstone instead of Sebring, with the traditional ALMS season-opener being replaced by a round at the new Circuit of the Americas in September.
Both rounds will be part of the new "Super Endurance Weekend" billing, which sees the European Le Mans Series join the WEC for a separate race at Silverstone the day before. The American Le Mans Series will share its weekend in Austin with the WEC in the same capacity.
The revised ordering in the calendar, sees a three-race European stretch of races to kick off the season, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans, prior to a trip to the Americas for the Sao Paulo and Austin rounds.
The Six Hours of Mt. Fuji will signal the start of the Asian rounds, followed by a return to Shanghai, China. Bahrain will now close out the season, two months later than its current date.
“With the current economic situation it was important to save money on transportation of the cars around the world," said FIA WEC CEO Gerard Neveu. "This calendar allows us to send the cars by sea freight rather than by air as many times as possible, which will help drive down the costs for everyone involved in the FIA WEC.
"This is very important for the long term future of the championship and I’m confident that this calendar will allows us to attract more teams and more drivers to the World Endurance Championship next season.”
Neveu added that despite the Twelve Hours of Sebring not being part of the WEC calendar, the gap in the schedule will allow teams to contest the ALMS season-opener. No travel assistance will be provided to teams, however.
SPEED.com will have more on the schedule announcement in this weekend's notebook from Bahrain.
2013 FIA World Endurance Championship Calendar
April 14 - Six Hours of Silverstone (UK)*
May 4 - Six Hours of Spa (Belgium)
June 22-23 - 24 Hours of Le Mans (France)
Aug. 31 - Six Hours of Sao Paulo (Brazil)
Sept. 22 - Six Hours of Austin (USA)* / **
Oct. 20 - Six Hours of Mt. Fuji (Japan)
Nov. 10 - Six Hours of Shanghai (China)**
Nov. 30 - Six Hours of Bahrain (Bahrain)
*Super Endurance Weekend
** To Be Confirmed
John Dagys is SPEED.com’s Sportscar Racing Reporter, focusing on all major domestic and international championships. You can follow him on Twitter @johndagys or email him at
Monterey
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