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WEC could introduce GTE Pro qualifying races for 2018
The FIA World Endurance Championship is investigating the possibility of introducing a qualifying race for GTE Pro cars to raise the profile of the class from next season.
Gary Watkins
Edited: Apr 20, 2017, 10:43 AM
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Discussions about increasing the visibility of the GTE Pro class began following the granting of full FIA world championship status for the overall GT classifications for this season in the wake Ford’s entry into the category last year and the announcement that BMW will join in 2018.
WEC boss Gerard Neveu revealed that a sprint race, most likely of a 60-minute duration, the day before the main event at WEC's six-hour rounds was one of the ideas on the table.
“We are thinking about the idea for a sprint race for GTE on Saturday and believe it could be quite interesting, but it is just an idea at the moment and we have to follow FIA processes," he told Motorsport.com.
“There are many questions, like how many drivers would take part and how we would award points. There are no clear answers and we will talk about it over this season as we go through the proper processes.”
The manufacturers competing in GTE Pro – Ferrari, Porsche, Ford and Aston Martin – appear open to the idea.
Frank-Steffen Walliser, the Porsche Motorsport vice-president in charge of GT racing, said: “Anything that makes the weekend more fun and more interesting for the fans is welcome.
"We are open to the idea, but it is something that needs to be discussed.”
Walliser also suggested that the idea of sprint races needed to be part of a wider discussion about the championship.
“We have to remember that the WEC is not just about one 24-hour race at Le Mans,” he said. “We’ve got to make it attractive.
"There are many things to discuss, like double points at Le Mans, yes or no?”
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