[WEC] FIA World Endurance Championship

[carsten66]

The shared races with ILMC/LMS and ILMC/ALMS are working really fine - big grids, well-attended and the mix of the big fishes and the smaller ones fighting together - so I think it isn't a very good idea to skip these type of events... but we will see what will happen and still nothing is fixed definitively...

[JAG]

Providing budgets and schedules allow I don't see why LMS entrants wouldn't enter European WEC rounds.

I don't know if it will happen but it would be good if the South American WEC round was part of the ALMS, or at least provision made for ALMS teams to enter.

[AGD]

Originally Posted by JAG

I don't know if it will happen but it would be good if the South American WEC round was part of the ALMS, or at least provision made for ALMS teams to enter.

Hopefully so. They'll probably want the additional car count.

[NaBUru38]

Rather than an ALMS round in South America, I'd do an American Le Mans Cup with Sebring, South America and Long Beach. That way, poorer ALMS teams wouldn't be at disadvantage.

[AndrewF31]

Did you mean Road America instead of South America?

highly doubt Long Beach.

Maybe Sebring, Road America and Petit, but still wishful thinking.

[gregtummer]

And add a Canadian round at Mosport!

[johntt]

Originally Posted by gregtummer

And add a Canadian round at Mosport!

Unfortunately Mosport isn't up to FIA standards.

However there have been rumours that the Nascar/Grand-Am weekend at Montreal might not gone in the next year or two.

With Montreal only allowed to hold two race weekends a year I can't help but think that WEC would make a good replacement.

[19dodge]

Originally Posted by johntt

Unfortunately Mosport isn't up to FIA standards.

However there have been rumours that the Nascar/Grand-Am weekend at Montreal might not gone in the next year or two.

With Montreal only allowed to hold two race weekends a year I can't help but think that WEC would make a good replacement.

+1

[The Badger]

Here is something that shouldnt be allowed to happen .

Oreca did all the races up to and including Le mans , but hasnt showed up since with the Pug .
They are also planning on doing PLM .

I raised this question at the start of the thread . Whats to stop a team from competing in the events up to Le Mans , and pulling out afterwards ..... the answer was given : "unless they want a workshop full of chassis and gear and no place to race it" might prevent this , obviously not .

Oreca came out with the excuse of a lack of spares ..... I reckon thats a crap excuse , considering that Pug must have had at least 4 tubs available , 3 for Le Mans plus a spare , and Oreca would not have commited to a series if the parts were not there to do the season . They would have known this when they originaly announced their plans .

So , again , how do you stop this from happening in the WEC ?

[joeb]

Originally Posted by The Badger

Here is something that shouldnt be allowed to happen .

Oreca did all the races up to and including Le mans , but hasnt showed up since with the Pug .
They are also planning on doing PLM .

I raised this question at the start of the thread . Whats to stop a team from competing in the events up to Le Mans , and pulling out afterwards ..... the answer was given : "unless they want a workshop full of chassis and gear and no place to race it" might prevent this , obviously not .

Oreca came out with the excuse of a lack of spares ..... I reckon thats a crap excuse , considering that Pug must have had at least 4 tubs available , 3 for Le Mans plus a spare , and Oreca would not have commited to a series if the parts were not there to do the season . They would have known this when they originaly announced their plans .

So , again , how do you stop this from happening in the WEC ?

I don't know, tougher fines? I don't think that Oreca used an ILMC entry to guarantee a spot at Le Mans. I'm pretty sure they would have been given an entry even if that was the only race they ran. Oreca seems to have other things going on...

[The Badger]

No , I dont think they did either , at least not on porpose , but it certainly panned out that way with respect to the ILMC .

[Deleted]

http://translate.google.com/translat...%2F250897.html

Originally Posted by Turun Sanomat

Räikköstä on kaavailtu jo Pedro Lamyn tai Nicolas Minassianin tilalle Peugeotin Le Mans -miehistöön. 24 tunnin kisan lisäksi mahdollinen sopimus edellyttäisi muitakin kestävyyskoitoksia.
– Jos menisin Peugeotille, tulisi ainakin kolme testikisaa varsinaisen Le Mansin lisäksi, Räikkönen selvitti.

Ignore the rest but this indicates that there should be at least three WEC rounds before Le Mans next year. Unless Pug goes whacko and does an extra ALMS round

[Deleted]

Originally Posted by joeb

I don't think that Oreca used an ILMC entry to guarantee a spot at Le Mans. I'm pretty sure they would have been given an entry even if that was the only race they ran.

Agreed, but I still think there's a big loophole in the rules. Unless you have a really good reason that you can prove 100%, there should be larger sanctions than fines or whatever kitty litter ACO might or might not give. Like excluding you from next year's Le Mans, taking off all your championship points or dismissing automic entry you might have gotten

Bad excuses include
"Our car is ready but not properly tested yet!!!"
"Our car belongs to someone else who needs it so we must miss the next rounds, but we'll come back next year"
"We are too busy/concerned so we'll be missing the next few races"
"We just lost one of our sponsors so it's goodbye I guess"
"BoP doesn't favour us so bye"
"Logistics make it impossible for us to travel there"
"Results haven't been what we expected"
"We realised endurance racing isn't for us"

[JAG]

Originally Posted by The Badger

No , I dont think they did either , at least not on porpose , but it certainly panned out that way with respect to the ILMC .

ORECA aren't competing because they are putting together a (semi) factory deal for 2012, something the ACO will likely be aware of.

There's a difference between a team with a long-term commitment and some rich individual who enters the WEC to guarantee a Le Mans entry before bolting.

[The Badger]

Ask Larbre about long term commitments ..... supporters of ACO races for eons ..... shafted (a few years back) for doing no less than others are doing .

But yes , I generally agree with your comment Jag

[Deleted]

You mean 2009 with the Saleen? Yeah that was pretty pitiful from ACO

[AGD]

Oreca had an LMP1 auto-invite this year at Le Mans due to their 2010 LMS championship. Their ILMC entry wasn't some sort of scam to back into the 24 hours.

The fact that Oreca even entered the ILMC was a bit of a surprise. At first it seemed like Oreca did not have the money and/or their sponsors did not want to race overseas. Something like that, I think there were even quotes on that topic. Then they announced they were in. Maybe Oreca (perhaps with Peugeot's help) had a secret backroom deal with the ACO to do a partial season anyway.

[JAG]

Looks like Sebring and PLM will both be in the WEC according to Atherton in Autosport. The deadlines getting a bit tight to include a South American round for 2012 given the calender will be announced in September.

[AGD]

Originally Posted by JAG

Looks like Sebring and PLM will both be in the WEC according to Atherton in Autosport. The deadlines getting a bit tight to include a South American round for 2012 given the calender will be announced in September.

That would be fantastic if true. Ok, maybe not for Peugeot and the South American fans, but it's good news for the rest of us. Of course, this could just be empty optimism from Atherton. We'll have to see, but it would be great for Petit to score another miracle inclusion.

How would Petit work with the penciled in Fuji date? Are there any issues in that regard?

[Coach Ep]

Originally Posted by AGD

That would be fantastic if true. Ok, maybe not for Peugeot and the South American fans, but it's good news for the rest of us. Of course, this could just be empty optimism from Atherton. We'll have to see, but it would be great for Petit to score another miracle inclusion.

How would Petit work with the penciled in Fuji date? Are there any issues in that regard?

Put the Petit back a couple of weeks and run it second half of October, done before. Or change the Fuji date. Either way: great news if true!

[NaBUru38]

Originally Posted by AndrewF31

Did you mean Road America instead of South America?

No, I really meant South America (or Brazil, to make it clearer). It would run from March to April/May as a tour.

Originally Posted by gregtummer

And add a Canadian round at Mosport!

Only if ti moved to right after Long Beach. But I prefer three races.

[FordCosworthPanoz]

Originally Posted by JAG

Looks like Sebring and PLM will both be in the WEC according to Atherton in Autosport. The deadlines getting a bit tight to include a South American round for 2012 given the calender will be announced in September.

I think Im going to wait until the schedule is announced.

[JAG]

http://www.autoweek.com/article/20110825/ALMS/110829915

[Fogelhund]

So Atherton **thinks/hopes** they will be on the schedule, but isn't certain as of yet. (Or can't say)

[Purist]

On this one, I think Scott could actually have the ball in his court. That is, he could tell them that the two come as a package. Also, the WEC organizers must know that they probably can't get all that great a grid here unless they partner with the ALMS. So, they can either take it, or Scott can just about scuttle the World Championship status of the WEC right there.

Honestly, I'm NOT holding my breath on a Brazilian round materializing, and without LMS/ALMS support/entries, they can't expect a great turnout for a race down there. Even if they do get a round, you can bet they will be calling in back-up from entries in the Itaipava GT Brasil series to fill out the field with GT3s.