2012 FIA World Endurance Championship

[vetteheadracer]

The Automobile Club de l’Ouest and the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile have decided in partnership to create 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 current Intercontinental Le Mans Cup will serve as the base for the 2012 season’s programme. The Automobile Club de l’Ouest hereby agrees to integrate the Le Mans 24 Hours into the calendar, but the event remains the exclusive property of the ACO and is not a participant in this agreement.

To seal this landmark agreement, the start of the 79th Le Mans 24 Hours will be given at 15h00 on 11th June 2011 by Mr. Jean Todt, the FIA President.
The full details of the World Endurance Championship will be announced by Mr Jean-Claude Plassart and FIA President Jean Todt, at the ACO Press Conference, which will take place on Thursday 9th June in the Le Mans 24-Hours museum at the north entrance to the Le Mans 24-Hours circuit.

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.”

ACO Président "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."

For further information on the ACO, please consult our Internet site:
www.Lemans.org

For further information on the FIA, please consult FIA’s Internet site:
www.fia.com

[stephenk24]

It involves the FIA, it can't be a good thing....

[Great Dane]

I wonder what the teams think of this ? Have they been consulted - not exactly good timing for such an announcement if you are about to start the most important race of your season...

If the race format is like current GT1 with sprint race , then I am not interested and last year the sprinters in GT1 didn't exactly cover themselves in glory at Le Mans....

and with regards to FIA they can take a hike...

[Truckosaurus]

No mention of Stefan Ratel (proprietor of the current FIA GT1, 3 and 4 series), does that mean he's been dumped in favour of the ACO?

[Ash1751]

Things are great as they are, why change them?!

[Red Firecracker]

It's a renaming (and expansion) of the ILMC, so proper races, not the qualifying sessions by another name of some series....

The current FIA GT1 World Championship will remain and be renamed as well.

[Great Dane]

Rumour has it that Audi and Pug wanted to contest a World Championship and only FIA can do those... hence the 'merger'

[muppetdave]

Great Dane said:

Rumour has it that Audi and Pug wanted to contest a World Championship and only FIA can do those... hence the 'merger'

This was the angle I understood, than only the FIA can endorse a 'world championship', be interesting to see how it fares, hope it doesn't do damage.

[Great Dane]

what about lms and alms? Are they continuing as 'regional' championships, I wonder?

Edited by Great Dane on Saturday 4th June 09:20

[Red Firecracker]

I imagine there will be strong encouragement from the ACO to join the new series, certainly for the LMS teams. ALMS is rather a different kettle of fish, but this could be a life line for them as entries are waning, the LMP classes being particularly sparse.

The interesting thing will be how or if the FLM cars will be integrated.