WEC - The new "World Endurance Championsship"

The FIA World Endurance Championship is an auto racing world championship organised by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) and sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA).

The series usurps the ACO's former Intercontinental Le Mans Cup which began in 2010, and is the first endurance series of world championship status since the demise of the World Sportscar Championship at the end of 1992. The World Endurance Championship name was previously used by the FIA from 1981 to 1985.

The series will feature multiple classes of cars competing in endurance races, with sports prototypes competing in the Le Mans Prototype categories, and production-based grand tourers competing in the GT Endurance categories. World champion titles will be awarded to the top scoring manufacturers and drivers over the season, while other cups and trophies will be awarded for drivers and private teams.

The World Endurance Championship will follow much of the format of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup and feature eight endurance races across the world, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans, with all races (except Le Mans) being six hours in duration.

The calendar is as follows:

The same regulations cover all these events, with minor differences for Le Mans. The four current categories utilized in ACO events will continue to be used in the World Endurance Championship through 2014: LMP1 (-H and -L)and LMP2 prototypes and the GTE category, divided into GTE Pro for teams with professional driver line-ups, and GTE Am for teams featuring a mixture of amateur drivers.

Titles will be awarded each season based on total point tally, with two being deemed world championships:

The points system will be similar to that that used in the FIA's other world championships, as follows:

Position24h of Le MansAll other WEC rounds
1st50 points25 points
2nd36 points18 points
3rd30 points15 points
4th24 points12 points
5th20 points10 points
6th16 points8 points
7th12 points6 points
8th8 points4 points
9th4 points2 points
10th2 points1 point
Beyond1 point0.5 point

An additional point will be awarded, at each event, to the “pole position” team, as well as to all the drivers making up the crew of the cars concerned, in each category.

Only those competitors appearing on the official list of entries in the WEC are entitled to score points for the championship titles. Teams which will participate only occasionally will not be awarded WEC points, but will retain their place in the classification at the end of each race. If a race is suspended or stopped and cannot be resumed, no points will be awarded to the crews if the leader has completed less than two laps, half points will be awarded if the leader has completed more than two laps but less than 75% of the original race time, and full points will be awarded if the leader has completed more than 75% of the original race time.

Cars finishing the race but classified eleventh or further will be awarded a half point. Double points will be awarded for the 24 Hours of Le Mans.