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:

• April 20 - Silverstone, UK
• May 3 - Spa, (Belgium)
• June 14-15 - Le Mans, (France)
• September 20 - Circuit of Americas, USA
• Oct 12 - Fuji, Japan
• November 2 - Shanghai, PRC
• November 15 - Bahrain
• November 30 - Sao Paulo, Brazil

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 title of FIA World Endurance Champion Driver – The driver(s) having scored the greatest number of points in the general classification for each event, all categories combined.
• The title of FIA World Endurance Champion Manufacturer, LMP1. The title may be conferred only if at least two Manufacturers are entered. Only cars with highest scores will receive points for the constructors’ world title - so a team which enters only one car has at least in theory equal chances compared to a 2-car entry. Another change was that only the six best scores, which will include points obtained at the 24h of Le Mans, will be counted towards the title.
• A World Cup for LMGTE Manufacturers, reserved for Manufacturers entered in LMGTE (whether Pro or Am). This cup will be awarded to the manufacturer that has scored the greatest number of points in the classification of the categories LMGTE Pro and LMGTE Am combined.
• An FIA Endurance Trophy awarded to the best LMP2 team
• An FIA Endurance Trophy awarded to the best LMGTE AM team
• An FIA Endurance Trophy awarded to the best LMGTE PRO team
• An FIA Endurance Trophy awarded to the best private LMP1 team, officially entered in the Championship but not competing for the title of FIA World Endurance Champion Manufacturer, and which does not depend, directly or indirectly, from a financial or technical point of view, on a Manufacturer.

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

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.