New points scale for the 24 Hours of Le Mans

Since 2012 and the rebirth of WEC, 24 Hours of Le Mans earns 50 points to its winner, compared to 25 over a six-hour round. But over the years, it became clear that in a championship of eight or nine rounds, the influence on the titles was too great.

Indeed, in six seasons, it was only in 2014 that the LM P1 crew registered in the WEC best placed at the finish of the Le Mans classic was not titled, namely the pair Sébastien Buemi-Anthony Davidson, third in Sarthe.

At the end of September, when revealing the overhaul of the WEC calendar, the ACO revealed that it intended to abandon this points allocation system. “ This does not seem fair to us, even more so if Le Mans is the final, Gérard Neveu, general director of the WEC, told us. In the event of retirement at Le Mans, for a reason beyond his control, a competitor could see his season wiped out and that is not fair. But just like Sebring, bonuses should still be distributed at the end of long races. »

This week, AUTOhebdo (see n°2141, currently on newsstands) reveals various new features of the sporting regulations – including the new scale – which must be ratified at the FIA ​​World Council in early December, in Paris. According to our information, the winners of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 1500 Miles of Sebring will be awarded 37,5 and 31,25 points respectively, or 50% and 25% more than in a six-hour race.