Interview with Gérard Neveu (2/4) – The new 2019-2020 WEC calendar

What issues guided your choices when considering the overhaul of the end of the 2019-2020 season of the WEC ?

We did not want to degrade the season and therefore wanted to keep the same number of races to respect sporting fairness, which would not have been the case if we had removed one. They are not in the order we would have liked, for the reasons cited above not allowing us to organize two races before the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps are rescheduled for August 15, in a format similar to that scheduled for April. On September 19 and 20, there will be the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Then we should finish on November 21 in Bahrain, with an 8-hour event offering the same number of points as the 1000 miles of Sebring, appointment that we were forced to cancel.

Why did you choose Bahrain?

There are existing contracts that cannot be destroyed and Bahrain had the costs of the Super Season (no event in 2018. Editor's note). Penalizing them again would have been a bit harsh. It is, moreover, a great place to end the season on a sporting level, notably with relatively safe weather. Economically, even if there will be travel by boat, it is not the most expensive race of the year.

See as well :

• Part one: The coronavirus, the overhaul of calendars…
• Third part: The return to classic seasons from 2021
• Part four: The overhaul of the 2020 ELMS calendar

Have you considered going to Sebring on November 14, at the same time as the final of theIMSA ?

In terms of freight, it was tight. We will go next year (the 2021 season will begin there in March. Editor’s note), of course. But it is one of the most expensive races of the year, particularly because there is a paddock that needs to be built and accommodation there is expensive and scarce.

Can we imagine this calendar still being very provisional?

There will be a rather strange period, namely the moment between which the confinement will be lifted and the moment when the competitions will resume. In Europe, it is likely that deconfinement will take place in stages and through the gradual enlargement of territories. Europe will take precautions at the borders, after which what will happen between intra-community countries, it is too early to know. But we hope that in August these movements will be authorized in Europe.