American LeMans
  • Peg It on GarageMonkey
LE MANS: Revised WEC Regulations For LMP1
Best six of eight results and only top-finishing LMP1 car to be scored for Manufacturers' World Championship...
John Dagys  |  Posted February 15, 2012   Chicago, IL
The FIA World Endurance Championship will see Toyota fight head-to-head with Audi, thanks to a revision in the sporting regulations this week. (Photo: Toyota Racing)
In a bid to spice up the fight for this year's FIA World Endurance Championship, series organizers unveiled Wednesday changes to the sporting regulations, aimed at seeing factory juggernauts Audi and Toyota go head-to-head for the Manufacturers' World Championship.

As revealed by SPEED.com on Monday, only the highest-finishing car in LMP1 will now score points for the Manufacturers' World title, with only the best six of eight results also counting towards the championship. The 24 Hours of Le Mans, which acts as a double points round, must be one of the six.

The changes will now allow Toyota, which has entered only one season-long TS030 Hybrid and will miss next month's season-opener at Sebring, a chance to challenge Audi for the 2012 title. Audi, meanwhile, will have two full-season entries for it R18 Hybrids.

“The changes were requested following the withdrawal of Peugeot from the FIA World Endurance Championship last month and were agreed by all parties,” said FIA WEC CEO Gerard Neveu. “The changes will allow Toyota, who have brought forward their participation in the championship to Round 2 in Spa, to fight with Audi for the inaugural World Endurance Championship Manufacturer’s title.
 
“These changes to the regulations will certainly make the 2012 season more exciting for both teams and spectators alike.”

Regulations for the Drivers' World Championship remain unchanged, as do the rules for the LMP2, GTE-Pro and GTE-Am categories in the global sports car series, which kicks off at the 60th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring on March 17.

Sixty-four cars are expected for the combined WEC/ALMS, including significant car debuts from Honda Performance Development, Lola and Morgan.

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
john_dagys's avatar

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

John Dagys

MORE BY THIS AUTHOR
Advertising | Jobs | Feedback | FAQ | Terms of Use | NEW Privacy Policy | Ad Choices | Site Map
Fox Sports | FUEL TV | FX Network | National Geographic | IGN | AskMen
The Motor Sports Authority, SPEED and associated logos are registered trademarks of Speed Channel Inc.
All Rights Reserved © Speed Channel, Inc. 2013

All external links will open in a new browser window. SPEED.com does not endorse external sites.