WEC replaces Sebring with Portimão

In accordance with what we had suggested to you, the 2021 edition of 1000 miles of Sebring cannot be held, the fault of Covid-19 and the resulting travel restrictions. Especially since the freight should have left at the very beginning of February.

A little less than 24 hours after revealing the list of 33 entrants for the year in WEC, the ACO has in fact confirmed this morning that the next World Championship campaignEndurance would open in Europe.

And as expected, it will be done in Portimão, on the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve, with an eight-hour race. The Portuguese circuit will also host the Prologue (pre-season collective tests) a week before, on March 30 and 31.

« Over the last few months we have seen that the pandemic is extremely unpredictable and, after several discussions with key players, the decision was made for the start of the season to stay in Europe, where most of our teams are based, explains Frédéric Lequien, the new president of the WEC. A last minute cancellation would have had economic consequences for the entire WEC family, so we opted for a responsible decision. Portimão offered extremely close races in ELMS and has excellent facilities, we can't wait to start our new season with an 8 hour race there in April. »

Of the six rounds on the program this year, only two will not take place on the Old Continent: the 6 Hours of Fuji and the 8 Hours of Bahrain.

2021 WEC Calendar

April 4: 8 Hours of Portimão (Portugal)

May 1: 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium)

June 12-13: 24 Hours of Le Mans (France)

July 18: 6 Hours of Imola (Italy)

September 26: 6 Hours of Fuji (Japan)

November 20: 8 Hours of Bahrain (UAE)