LE MANS: FIA, ACO Set To Launch World Endurance Championship

Le Mans / ALMS

LE MANS: FIA, ACO Set To Launch World Endurance Championship

FIA to sanction official World Championship under Le Mans ruleset, set for 2012 launch...

John Dagys | Posted June 03, 2011 Le Mans, (FRA)

The shape of the international sportscar racing scene is set to be changed dramatically, with the FIA now joining forces with the ACO to launch the World Endurance Championship for 2012. (Photo: John Dagys)

Le Mans Watch Presented by Corvette Racing - 24 Hours of Le Mans - June 11-12, 2011

The FIA announced Thursday that it has joined forces with the Automobile Club de l’Ouest, organizers of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and Intercontinental Le Mans Cup, for an official sportscar World Championship, set for a 2012 launch.

Revealed during its World Motor Sport Council meeting in Barcelona, the “World Endurance Championship” will comprise of at least six events, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

FIA World Endurance Championship titles will be awarded to constructors and drivers, while an FIA GT Endurance World Cup will be created for constructors in the production-based ranks.

“I am delighted to welcome the return of the FIA Endurance World Championship, especially with a promoter like ACO," said FIA President Jean Todt in a statement. "I am also very pleased to have a legendary race like the 24 Hours of Le Mans as part of it.”

While there are no further details beyond the above details, released by the FIA, the ACO confirmed that a press conference will be held at Le Mans on Thursday to formally launch the championship. Additionally, Todt will wave the tri-colour flag to start the 79th Le Mans 24 Hours on June 11.

"I am very happy we have reached this agreement with the FIA , a partnership which underlines the rightful place that endurance racing has in motorsport, something we have been promoting since we first established the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in 1923," said ACO President Jean-Claude Plassart. "Jean Todt has accepted my invitation to start this year's 24 Hours race on Saturday June 11, a symbolic and visible way to celebrate our partnership."

The World Endurance Championship, or WEC for short, will mark the first officially sanctioned sportscar World Championship for Le Mans-spec cars since the demise of the World Sportscar Championship in 1992. Coincidentally, the WSC ran under the WEC name between 1981-1985.

WEC will take the place of the ILMC, a seven-round global sportscar championship launched this year by the ACO. It currently awards teams and manufacturers titles in LMP1 and GTE, while team's championship additionally in LMP2 and GTE-Am. It’s unclear what the exact structure of the WEC would be.

However, the ACO confirmed that the ILMC's 2011 schedule, which includes rounds at Sebring, Spa, Le Mans, Imola, Silverstone, Road Atlanta and Zhuhai, China, will be used as a base to determine the 2012 WEC calendar.

The transition to a FIA-sanctioned World Championship does not come as a complete surprise, as the ACO hasn't hidden its desire to take the ILMC to the next level. However, ILMC director Frederic Henry-Biabaud told SPEED.com last month that World Championship status was a long-term goal, and not something that could happen overnight.

The FIA also confirmed Thursday an overhaul of its FIA GT1 World Championship, which will remain a standalone sprint-race series format. Beginning in 2012, 2009-spec GT2 cars and 2011-spec GT3 cars will be eligible to compete alongside the current batch of GT1 cars.

All three categories of cars will be performance balanced in order to provide a single-class of GT cars within the Stephane Ratel-run championship, which will become known as the FIA GT World Championship.

Despite the similarity between names of the FIA GT Endurance World Cup (for ACO-spec GTE cars) and the FIA GT World Championship (for a mix of GT-spec cars), both championships will remain separate, according to reliable sources.

SPEED.com will have continuing updates as they develop.

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

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John Dagys

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