Record to beat for the World Endurance Championship (WEC): this season, no less than 14 manufacturers are lining up at the start of the eight rounds of the competition (including the first, this weekend, in Qatar ).
Of these 14 manufacturers, nine are among the – queen – Hypercar category which only brings together prototypes: these are respectively Ferrari, Lamborghini, BMW, Alpine, Peugeot, Toyota, Porsche, Cadillac and Isotta Fraschini.
The five other manufacturers race in the GT category – for Grand Touring –, sports cars originally specially reconfigured for endurance racing.
“This enthusiasm on the part of manufacturers is not the result of chance
,” underlines Frédéric Lequien, general director of the WEC.
With this championship,
manufacturers find a format that suits them, with sporting appeal, visibility, a means of working on car design and reasonable budgets.
»
Even though no figures are officially circulating, the average budget of a team is around 25 million euros.
For comparison, we climb to more than 200 million euros in Formula 1.
The sporting appeal lies largely in the “balance of performance” established by the WEC organization.
Simply put, limits are set for the power, weight and aerodynamics of cars, among other things.
In such a way that there is no team that outrageously dominates the others, unlike what happens in F1.
Last year for example, while Toyota came first in the manufacturers' standings, the 24 Hours of Le Mans (the most emblematic race of the championship) was won by Ferrari, which was making its return to Sarthe after fifty years of absence.
Another limit provided by the WEC concerns staff, with a threshold of 18 people per car not to be exceeded.
Knowing that these cars (with a top speed of 350 km/h for the Hypercar category) are a concentrate of high technology.
“
It’s very simple, endurance racing has always served as a laboratory for manufacturers to test innovations which then became the standard
,” continues Frédéric Lequien.
Thus the fog lights, the disc brakes, the turbo engine or more recently the hybridization were first tested at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
»
As for the organization of the championship, Frédéric Lequien directs Le Mans Endurance Management: with around fifty people, the company promoting the WEC is itself an emanation of the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO), the organizer of the 24 Hours of Le Mans (directed by Pierre Fillon).
Both are in direct contact with the International Motorsport Federation (FIA), on which the various competitions depend (F1, WEC, World Rally Championship, etc.).
This is why endurance has a commission within the FIA, with Richard Mille, the famous watchmaker, as the reference contact.
More and more former Formula 1 drivers
In any case, it is up to Le Mans Endurance Management to organize the eight races which follow one another until the beginning of November (after Qatar, we will pass through Italy, Belgium, France, Brazil, the United States, Japan and Bahrain).
Frédéric Lequien and his teams deal directly with the host countries, who pay an entry fee to host the competition.
As for TV rights, it is a partner, In Front, which negotiates with the broadcasters.
“A major phenomenon in recent years is the rise of social networks and we are not complaining about it
,” continues Frédéric Lequien.
It is a vector in perpetual turmoil for commenting on our news.
»
Another sign that the WEC audience continues to grow: more and more former F1 drivers are crossing swords in endurance racing.
And this could well arouse vocations: when we ask future champions, they no longer dream of Formula 1 as massively, aware of the advantages of endurance.
Among the arguments opposed to motorsport, some are recurrent, such as the inflation of carbon emissions.
On this point, the WEC immediately recalls that it has systematized the use of hybrid vehicles - with the exclusive use of biofuels.
That is 70% fewer emissions compared to cars running on fossil fuel.
This year, if you were planning to attend the 24 Hours of Le Mans in mid-June and you haven't yet taken your place, it's a little late.
From the first days of rental, a few weeks ago, the gauge was completely filled.
Confirming the status of endurance races as a great popular spectacle, capable of bringing together enthusiasts as well as entire families.