[FIA + ACO] Welcome to the World Endurance Championship !!!!

[Tom206wrc]

Hi,


Officially announced today, and on june 9th(ACO Le Mans press conference next week)in 2012 there will be the FIA World Endurance Championship :D

Splendid news if the endurance will be at last recognized as the motorsport it deserves to be(not under F1) :cool:

More to be known next thursday... ;)

[Mark]

Excellent if confirmed. Le Mans is great but even better if it's part of a proper championship. I might change the forum name, or at least the description. Maybe pickems too.

[Mark]

FIA press release http://fia.com/en-GB/mediacentre/pressreleases/fiasport/2011/Pages/fia-wec.aspx

The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) and the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) are proud to announce that a partnership has been defined to launch the FIA World Endurance Championship starting in 2012.

In establishing this new category of motorsport championship, both the FIA and ACO are keenly aware it needs to be a laboratory for innovation and the development of new technologies, allowing motor manufacturers to express, through the rigours of competition, their ability to be inventive and, as this is an endurance championship, to also highlight their capacity to produce high quality and safe machines and components.

The calendar of the first season in 2012 will mirror the existing Intercontinental Le Mans Cup series of which the 24 Le Mans race will be the highlight.

In order to symbolically seal this historic partnership, Jean Todt, President of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile, has been asked to start the 79th edition of the 24 Hours Le Mans race at 15.00 on June 11, 2011.

Further details concerning the new championship will be outlined by Mr Todt and Mr Plassart, ACO President, at a press conference to be held at 10.00 on June 9 at the Musée des 24 Heures du Mans.

Jean Todt said: “I am delighted to welcome the return of the FIA Endurance World Championship, especially with a promoter like ACO. I am also very pleased to have a legendary race like the 24 Hours of Le Mans as part of it.”

Jean-Claude Plassart said: "I am very happy we have reached this agreement with the FIA, a partnership which underlines the rightful place that endurance racing has in motorsport, something we have been promoting since we first established the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in 1923. Jean Todt has accepted my invitation to start this year's 24 Hours race on Saturday June 11, a symbolic and visible way to celebrate our partnership."

[ioan]

Great news, looking forward to it!

[Alfa Fan]

Now we just need a set of rules that allow the cars to go back to being as awesome as the Group C monsters! But we all know the FIA won't allow that as it will start detracting from F1. They'll hinder it much like Group C was back in the early 90s and WRC in the mid 00s.

[Tom206wrc]

By the way, Jean Todt from FIA will also make the race start ;)

[AndyRAC]

Now we just need a set of rules that allow the cars to go back to being as awesome as the Group C monsters! But we all know the FIA won't allow that as it will start detracting from F1. They'll hinder it much like Group C was back in the early 90s and WRC in the mid 00s.

Can't disagree with that. Saying that with Jean Todt now the President, and not being a mate of Bernie - there's a chance of other series making progress.
We want a competitive series, with a good media coverage/package - that is fairly important, a good way to get more Manufacturers. I'm a little bored of Audi v Peugeot.

[ArrowsFA1]

Great to see the return of the WEC :up:


FIA press release 2012 FIA World Endurance Championship (http://fia.com/en-GB/mediacentre/pressreleases/fiasport/2011/Pages/fia-wec.aspx)

...both the FIA and ACO are keenly aware it needs to be a laboratory for innovation and the development of new technologies, allowing motor manufacturers to express, through the rigours of competition, their ability to be inventive and, as this is an endurance championship, to also highlight their capacity to produce high quality and safe machines and components.
Good to see. IMHO the WEC is a far more relevant "laboratory" for car manufacturers than F1.

[ioan]

Now we just need a set of rules that allow the cars to go back to being as awesome as the Group C monsters! But we all know the FIA won't allow that as it will start detracting from F1. They'll hinder it much like Group C was back in the early 90s and WRC in the mid 00s.

LMP1 cars are already better than F1 cars, so I think the rules are OK.

[AndyRAC]

LMP1 cars are already better than F1 cars, so I think the rules are OK.

Are you Dr Ulrich in disguise..???

[wedge]

Don't understand what the excitement is about.

It's ILMC, ACO rules and promotion and Jean Todt endorsing endorsing endurance racing by plastering with FIA all over it with both teams and driver championship. Kinda odd considering ACO doesn't allow a drivers' championship at present.


Now we just need a set of rules that allow the cars to go back to being as awesome as the Group C monsters! But we all know the FIA won't allow that as it will start detracting from F1. They'll hinder it much like Group C was back in the early 90s and WRC in the mid 00s.

Do you think ACO will take orders from the FIA? They own Le Mans 24hr! In the late 90s the ACO lumped the FIA GT1 cars into their own GTP category.

WEC will need factory cars. I wonder if Toyota will step up their engine program, even full factory team?

[ioan]

Are you Dr Ulrich in disguise..???

Huh?!

Anyway if he said that I can only agree with him.

[AndyRAC]

Huh?!

Anyway if he said that I can only agree with him.

Ha ha, yeah I agree - Audi keep denying that they are interested in F1. It's not their scene - LMP Sportscars suits their image far better, and is much more road car relevant. I wish the F1 media would stop going on about it. There's more to Motorsport than F1!!

[ioan]

Ha ha, yeah I agree - Audi keep denying that they are interested in F1. It's not their scene - LMP Sportscars suits their image far better, and is much more road car relevant. I wish the F1 media would stop going on about it.

They are right, F1 technology is not really road relevant and it is also very restricted.


There's more to Motorsport than F1!!

Luckily, there is a lot more! :)

[Tom206wrc]

A lot more...but that you can't see on TV, because they prefer F1 instead :mad:

So I really hope the FIA ACO deal will improve Endurance on TV :rolleyes:

[AndyRAC]

A lot more...but that you can't see on TV, because they prefer F1 instead :mad:

So I really hope the FIA ACO deal will improve Endurance on TV :rolleyes:

The weekend is a perfect example of the problem all non F1 Motorsports have. Look what we had:

IoM TT Races,
British MotoGP,
Le Mans 24 Hours,
WSBK,

Oh and F1 from Montreal.

Yet the papers and TV/Radio were dominated by F1. The rest got a little snippet if lucky, and maybe a few lines if mentioned at all. The MotoGP had commentary on 5Live because the tennis was rained off…..
The TT and Le Mans maybe made the papers because of crashes. In fact, the Guardian had an article on the TT, but it was a light hearted one.

These are massive events, Le Mans gets 250,000+ spectators, with 60-70,000 Brits making the pilgrimage.

The WEC needs more than 2 Manufacturers challenging at the front – the more there are, the more chance of better coverage. The ACO also need to put their races on the series website, like the GT1 series do.

[BDunnell]

And it needs the involvement of some drivers that more people than just racing aficionados have heard of.

[wedge]

And it needs the involvement of some drivers that more people than just racing aficionados have heard of.

Really?

[BDunnell]

Really?

Yes, I think so. If the public is to be interested in sportscar racing, they need to have heard of some of the drivers. You and I may be very well aware of Kristensen's outstanding achievements, but they mean little to the average man in the street. And, let's face it, the great periods of sportscar racing in the past have always involved the participation of what we would now (in slightly vulgar fashion) refer to as 'big names'.

[wedge]

Yes, I think so. If the public is to be interested in sportscar racing, they need to have heard of some of the drivers. You and I may be very well aware of Kristensen's outstanding achievements, but they mean little to the average man in the street. And, let's face it, the great periods of sportscar racing in the past have always involved the participation of what we would now (in slightly vulgar fashion) refer to as 'big names'.

Must have been decades since 'big names' drove at Le Mans.

The likes of Derek Warwick and Martin Brundle were journeyman/midfield F1 drivers but established success in Group C

Cars & manufacturers are more of the stars.

[BDunnell]

Must have been decades since 'big names' drove at Le Mans.

The likes of Derek Warwick and Martin Brundle were journeyman/midfield F1 drivers but established success in Group C

Cars & manufacturers are more of the stars.

I would describe Derek Warwick and Martin Brundle as rather more than F1 'journeymen'. And, from just prior to Warwick and Brundle's regular involvement, the likes of Jacky Ickx and Stefan Bellof could hardly be placed in that bracket either.

[Daniel]

Yes, I think so. If the public is to be interested in sportscar racing, they need to have heard of some of the drivers. You and I may be very well aware of Kristensen's outstanding achievements, but they mean little to the average man in the street. And, let's face it, the great periods of sportscar racing in the past have always involved the participation of what we would now (in slightly vulgar fashion) refer to as 'big names'.

Their loss basically :) That said I'm sure Sebastien Loeb will be in this championship, could he be the first person for a while to win two proper FIA championships?

I just hope that they allow the petrols to challenge for victories. I understand the point Peugeot and Audi are trying to make with diesels, but don't most people realise these days that diesels aren't tractors anymore? Now lets go back to having a crapload of RPM and engines squealing their nuts off :)

[wedge]

I would describe Derek Warwick and Martin Brundle as rather more than F1 'journeymen'. And, from just prior to Warwick and Brundle's regular involvement, the likes of Jacky Ickx and Stefan Bellof could hardly be placed in that bracket either.

They were hardly household names in the 80s. Brundle and Warwick both acknowledged that their achievements in WSC helped them more than F1 did at that time.

Stefan Bellof - was he a 'star name' or massively overhyped by aficionados?

I think you're letting nostalgia get in the way.

[Daniel]

Stefan Bellof - was he a 'star name' or massively overhyped by aficionados?

I think you're letting nostalgia get in the way.

Everyone always gets faster and better when they die. I'll admit that I don't know much of Bellof, but Henri Toivonen seems to be one driver who seemed to be crowned multiple WDC without ever taking a title.

[BDunnell]

They were hardly household names in the 80s. Brundle and Warwick both acknowledged that their achievements in WSC helped them more than F1 did at that time.

Stefan Bellof - was he a 'star name' or massively overhyped by aficionados?

I think you're letting nostalgia get in the way.

Not at all.

[wedge]

Not at all.

Then care to elaborate?

In recent decades and even Group C era - one of the greatest eras in endurance racing, the drivers were mainly average F1 drivers, leftovers and up & comers. Hardly star names and yet coverage was stuck on satellite TV in UK, gained immense popularity enough to frighten Bernie Ecclestone.

[BDunnell]

Then care to elaborate?

I believe my definition of 'journeyman' in F1 terms is rather different to yours. I would apply it to someone like Johnny Dumfries as opposed to a Warwick or a Brundle.

[wedge]

I believe my definition of 'journeyman' in F1 terms is rather different to yours. I would apply it to someone like Johnny Dumfries as opposed to a Warwick or a Brundle.

Stuck in midfield F1 car rut, in & out of F1 via WSC.

Rather subjective isn't it?

Hence: is an F1 driver driving midfield teams really a 'big name'? Would the average person on the street with the untrained eye care about an F1 nobody being successful sportscar racing?

[BDunnell]

Stuck in midfield F1 car rut, in & out of F1 via WSC.

Rather subjective isn't it?

Hence: is an F1 driver driving midfield teams really a 'big name'? Would the average person on the street with the untrained eye care about an F1 nobody being successful sportscar racing?

I wasn't actually talking about that period in the first place, but rather earlier.

[wedge]

I wasn't actually talking about that period in the first place, but rather earlier.

But Group C rarely had 'big names' from F1 and yet its popularity was said to have rivalled F1 which peaked with the Silk Cut Jags.

And what about GT1 cars of the mid-late 90s? Surely the variety of manufacturers generated greater interest in endurance racing than in the past decade?

[nigelred5]

My whole problem with current sportscar racing lies in the lack of a perceptable performance difference between street cars their racing counterparts. Even the prototypes just aren't awe inspiring when there are more than a handful of street cars with higher top speeds straight from the showroom. How often are street versions actually MORE powerful, quicker and have higher top speeds than the racing counterparts? Reliability is also just too darn good. I"ll never forget the year Audi changed the entire transmission and rear suspension on the R8's and nary missed a lap. Not sure what was more exciting, that something broke, or that they could actually make that magnitude of a change is such a short time frame.

I fully understand the technical challenges and marketing angles of Audi and Pugeot running diesels for the past few years, but they are generally boring cars. The R18 is Amazing to look at, but it might as well be a stealth fighter. Lemans was a reasonably interesting race this year, but reliability is almost a non issue, so where's the challenge. I can drive 24 straight hours solo with a sixer of redbull and be reasonably sure my car could back that up on a return trip.

I went through the same problem with hydroplanes and powerboat racing in general. My personal river runner was faster than every last boat on the race course because of tightly controlled performance specifications. I pretty much lost all interest in the racing.

[Tom206wrc]

Annoying rumour about the retirement of the two longer distance american races of ILMC for 2012(Sebring and PLM)...can't and don't want to believe that :mad:

[AndyRAC]

Annoying rumour about the retirement of the two longer distance american races of ILMC for 2012(Sebring and PLM)...can't and don't want to believe that :mad:

A huge mistake if true.....

[Tom206wrc]

In addition there could be a round in Brazil(Interlagos)and another one in Japan(Suzuka??) :confused: