The 2019-2020 calendar presented, new formats and new destinations

The press conference of the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) and the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) held Friday morning in Silverstone (Great Britain) revealed the calendar for the 2019-2020 season of the World Endurance Championship (WEC).

As is the logic established by the organizers of the championship, the campaign should begin at the end of summer 2019 in England and will conclude with the 24 Hours of Le Mans (Sarthe) in mid-June 2020. Eight rounds will be included in this calendar spanning two years : three in Europe, two in Asia, two in America and one in the Middle East.

Compared to the 2018-19 Super-Season, two circuits return to the program. The return of 6 Hours of Sao Paulo (Brazil) is the major novelty. The Interlagos circuit had previously hosted the WEC three times between 2012 and 2014, already on a 6 Hour schedule. Less popular, Bahrain is also announced during the month of December.

More subtle, the format of certain races has been redesigned. The Silverstone events (Great Britain), Shanghai (China) go from six to four hours. Conversely, WEC competitors will have to ride for eight hours in Bahrain.

“We are very pleased to be able to present a calendar that offers both great stability and a familiar character while responding, with certain changes, to the wishes of our thousands of fans around the world., declares Pierre Fillon, President of the ACO. Revamping the racing format may echo endurance events of the past, but we never stop looking to the future to ensure a lasting, relevant and exciting championship. »

The Director General of the WEC, Gérard Neveu, Explain “that this new calendar will meet the expectations and needs (from WEC actors), while satisfying the fans who are so important to all of us. Our goal is to incorporate an additional round into the 2020-2021 calendar, which will result in approximately one race per month to help maintain consistent interest. »

2019-2020 World Endurance Championship Calendar:
4 Hours of Silverstone (Great Britain): September 1, 2019
6 Hours of Fuji (Japan): October 13, 2019
4 Hours of Shanghai (China): November 17, 2019
8 Hours of Bahrain (Bahrain): December 14, 2019
6 Hours of Sao Paulo (Brazil): February 1, 2020
1000 Miles of Sebring (Florida): during March 2020
6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium): May 3, 2020
24 Hours of Le Mans : June 13 and 14, 2020