WEC Sebring
WEC assessing Sebring alternative for US round from 2024
The FIA World Endurance Championship has admitted that it is examining alternatives to Sebring for the US round of the series from 2024.
Gary Watkins
Edited: Jan 29, 2023, 7:09 AM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Pierre Fillon, president of championship promoter the Automobile Club de l’Ouest, has insisted that it is far from certain the WEC will continue to join the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship at Sebring in March beyond the end of its current five-season deal with the Florida venue this year.
His comments follow those of WEC series boss Frederic Lequien in December that he was not looking beyond the Sebring 1000 Miles for the US round of the championship.
He said he did not “want to discuss other options” on the announcement last month that the Lusail circuit in Qatar would replace Sebring as the WEC series opener from 2024.
Lequien suggested that it would still be feasible for the WEC round to run on the Friday before IMSA’s traditional mid-March Sebring 12 Hours fixture even with Qatar opening the season.
He insisted that a three-week gap between the two races, meaning the Qatar event would have to take place in late February, would be workable.
At a joint ACO/IMSA press conference at the Daytona 24 Hours on Friday, Fillon said that the two organisations will continue to collaborate on a WEC round in the US beyond this year and the end of their current deal to join up for what is dubbed the SuperSebring weekend.
“I can say today that our partnership will continue and we will continue to have an American event,” he explained.
“But it is too early to answer the question [where it will be].
“The idea is to continue an event with IMSA, but we are thinking about how we can do that. We have to re-think how we can build a double event, is it Sebring?”
#9 Prema Orlen Team Oreca 07 - Gibson: Robert Kubica, Louis Deletraz, Lorenzo Colombo
Photo by: Prema Powerteam
He highlighted a number of issues standing in the way of the continuation of the Sebring double-header, including those faced by the manufacturers competing in both the WEC round on Friday and the IMSA race on the Saturday.
He hinted that clashes of sponsorship between the two events were also be an obstacle.
IMSA boss John Doonan said that there were a “a big list of factors” to be sorted out before the venue for the US WEC round from 2024 could be announced.
Other options for the WEC round in the USA would appear to include the Indianapolis road course, which will this year will return to the IMSA schedule with a race in September.
Track boss Roger Penske has outlined a desire to host a major endurance event at the former home of the US Grand Prix.
A race at Road Atlanta one week ahead of the Petit Le Mans 1000-mile IMSA curtain-closer has also been rumoured.
Doonan said IMSA would “welcome any discussions about that”, while denying that the track in Georgia owned by IMSA was already in the mix.
The initial deal for Sebring to host the 1000 Miles began in in 2019. The race was subsequently cancelled in both 2020 and ’21 as a result of the international travel restrictions arising from COVID-19.
The fixture returned for its second running in 2022, year four of the contract, and will open this year’s WEC on 17 March.
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Toyota WEC ace Lopez to race for Cool LMP2 team in ELMS
Next article Kvyat, Bortolotti join Prema's expanded WEC line-up for 2023
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Gary Watkins
When Can-Am made its controversial comeback
General
When Can-Am made its controversial comeback
WEC Barcelona: Genesis secures maiden series pole from Toyota
WEC
WEC
Barcelona
WEC Barcelona: Genesis secures maiden series pole from Toyota
Ford steps up WEC preparations with second test car
WEC
WEC
Ford steps up WEC preparations with second test car
Latest news
Toyota clinches 2026 NASCAR Cup manufacturer championship early after dominant season
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Phoenix II
4 h
Toyota clinches 2026 NASCAR Cup manufacturer championship early after dominant season
Tyler Reddick really needed NASCAR Phoenix win for several reasons
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Phoenix II
4 h
Tyler Reddick really needed NASCAR Phoenix win for several reasons
Bubba Wallace laments mistake after heartbreaking Phoenix loss
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Phoenix II
5 h
Bubba Wallace laments mistake after heartbreaking Phoenix loss
NASCAR is getting the championship finish it has pursued since 1992
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Phoenix II
6 h
NASCAR is getting the championship finish it has pursued since 1992
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe