World Endurance Championship boss Gerard Neveu believes there’s no reason the Sebring double-header won’t go ahead.
WEC will share the Sebring paddock with the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar championship in March 2019, when WEC’s 1500 Miles race will run just two hours after the end of the IMSA’s 12 Hours of Sebring.
The tight schedule has caused doubts over the doubleheader’s feasibility, but Neveu insists there won’t be a problem. He sites the success of the 2014 Circuit of the Americas double header – the first joint WEC/IMSA event – as proof it can be done.
“I’m sure we can do it,” he told Sportscars365. “When you start to do something different, people are always concerned.
“I remember when we went to COTA together, everyone said it would be impossible to improve the pit wall to do everything, it would be impossible to race together.
“Honestly, if we want to do it, we can do it. I can’t see why this is so impossible.
“We will have this incredible chance to propose for the American fans a double race in the same weekend, a big double event.”
WEC and IMSA officials met with Sebring representatives at Daytona last month to discuss the preparations for the event, the sixth round of the 2018-19 WEC superseason and second round of the ’19 IMSA championship.
Using a second pit lane for the 1500 Miles of Sebring has been ruled out, and Neveu admits compromises will have to be made to accommodate all the teams.
“I’m sure we will find a solution and we will be able to share the pit lane,” he said.
“I believe that the people from Porsche, all the GTE teams will be able to share together.
“We have to try to be creative. It will be a strong effort, but there are a lot of professional people in IMSA and I believe there is a good team also in WEC.
“I don’t see any reason why we cannot do it to achieve it.”
