FIA WEC

Silverstone back in WEC ‘Superseason’

2 Mins read
After not being on the original 'superseason' WEC calendar, Silverstone has been given an August race date

After the breaking news that the World Endurance Championship would run over two years for its seventh season, it has been announced that Silverstone, which was not on the original calendar, will appear in WEC’s ‘superseason’. Moving from its April date as the opening round, the 6 Hours of Silverstone will be held in August.

The initial calendar that was announced had a four month break after the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans and it was expected that the WEC management would fill it with an event. Silverstone was speculated as the favourite. When the WEC originally formed in 2012, the British event was held in the summer. It will continue to be a double header, with the WEC 6-hour event and the European Le Mans Series 4-hour event.

The WEC had been hoping to bring in an extra event in February between the final round of 2018 that would be in November and the introduction of the 12 Hours of Sebring in March. It was hoped that either Interlagos or Mexico City could be brought in on a February race date so that the WEC cars cold be sea-freighted to Florida for the 12-hour event. However, when neither of these two deals came to light the back up of Silverstone was taken up

“We are not discussing the 2019/20 calendar at the moment, but when we go somewhere we want to stay for a long time and build something,” WEC chief, Gerard Neveu said. “People need to understand that an event will happen at the same time every year.”

The dates for the Fuji and Shanghai rounds have been pushed backwards to prevent the original clash between the 6 Hours of Fuji and the Petit Le Mans round of the IMSA SportsCar Championship that a lot of the WEC drivers also compete in.

“We are avoiding a clash with WEC, which is good news for the teams and many of the drivers in the paddock,” said Neveu, thanking the organisers of the Asian rounds for being flexible with the dates of their events.

Spa-Francorchamps continues as the opening round of the ‘super season’, with the prologue being held back at Paul Richard in April. The 2019 24 Hours of Le Mans will be the second addition of the blue ribbaned event and the season finale.

2018/19 WEC Calendar

April 5/6 2018 -Prologue, Paul Richard

May 5 2018 – 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps

June 16/17 2018 – 24 Hours of Le Mans

August 19 2018 – 6 Hours of Silverstone

October 21 2018 – 6 Hours of Fuji

November 18 2018 – 6 Hours of Shanghai

March 15/16 2019 – 12 Hours of Sebring

May 4 2019 – 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps

June 15/16 2019 – 24 Hours of Le Mans

 

Avatar photo
574 posts

About author
The Checkered Flag’s correspondent for the FIA World Endurance Championship. Working in motorsport as a hobby and as a professional, Alice is a freelance digital communications manager, video editor and graphic designer at OrbitSphere. She also runs and manages her own YouTube channel - Circuit The World - with videos on gaming, travel, motorsports and reviews.
Articles
Related posts
FIA WEC

Sebastien Bourdais: "We played the long game"

2 Mins read
Cadillac Racing stuck to their plan achieved a great fourth place finish in the Qatar 1812km. Read the drivers’ reactions here.
FIA WEC

Kevin Estre: "It wasn't nearly as easy as it might have looked from the outside"

3 Mins read
Read what the Porsche Motorsport drivers have to say about their triumphant weekend at the Qatar 1812km.
FIA WEC

Callum Ilott Secures Podium Finish in Hypercar Debut with Hertz Team JOTA

2 Mins read
Callum Ilott shines in Hypercar debut with Hertz Team JOTA, securing podium & FIA World Cup lead in thrilling Qatar race.