FIA WEC

2016 WEC Schedule to be Announced at COTA

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The 2016 FIA World Endurance Championship calendar will be announced at the series’ 6 Hours of Circuit of The Americas round in September.

Rumours suggest that the organisers are in talks with multiple circuits at the moment. Tracks like Montreal, Monza and Mexico City are all potential candidates for a 2016 round.

Furthermore, Road America was recently suggested to be in the running but a lot of upgrades to the track and its facilities would have to be made.

“We are always looking at new opportunities,” said series boss Gerard Neveu. “We are in contact with promoters around the world who are keen to bring the WEC to new venues. But we will only add events to the calendar if the conditions are right to do so and in full agreement with our stakeholders and partners.”

Rounds at Le Mans, Silverstone, Spa-Francorchamps, Fuji and Bahrain are expected to stay on the calendar and despite Circuit of The America‘s attendance struggles, it is unlikely that it will be removed from the schedule. While the Nurburgring is only on a one-year contract, it is probably going to be renewed.

“The 6 Hours of Nurburgring is a new event on the FIA WEC calendar, replacing the 6 Hours of São Paulo this year because of the work that is being done there to improve the facilities at Interlagos.

“With Audi and Porsche being major German manufacturers and partners, plus Toyota Racing being based in Cologne, the decision to have a race in Germany made a great deal of sense.”

A winter calendar had been suggested for the series but it appears that this isn’t going to be implemented any time soon.

“To build the brand awareness of the events we need consistency and the best way to engage with local fans and local media is to hold the events at the same time of year.  This will be the fourth time we have visited Fuji, Shanghai and Bahrain and it will be the third event in Austin and in each case we have seen bigger crowds and more media interest every year.”

Following its post-Le Mans hiatus, the World Endurance Championship returns on August 30 with the inaugural 6 Hours of Nurburgring.

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Jake covers sportscars for The Checkered Flag, mainly Tudor United SportsCar Championship and World Endurance Championship, along with a variety of other series including World Rally Championship.
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