2017 FIA WEC calendar revealed

Porsche 919 Hybrid

The 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship calendar, presented today to the FIA Endurance Commission, presided over by Sir Lindsay Owen-Jones, and which will be submitted in the coming days to the FIA World Motor Sport Council for validation, once again offers the WEC’s manufacturers, teams and partners the stability, visibility and geographic spread of prestigious worldwide venues that have been a mark of the championship to date.

While the nine rounds closely echo the 2016 calendar in terms of venues and dates, a significant addition to the calendar is the debut of the WEC at the temple of Italian motorsport, Monza, for the official pre-season test – The Prologue. The addition of the high-speed circuit to the calendar will be a welcome addition for teams as part of their preparations for the cornerstone event of the world championship, the Le Mans 24 Hours.

All events will be of a duration of six hours, other than Le Mans. The season starts, as is now tradition, with European rounds at Silverstone, Spa, Le Mans and Noyes's, before the trans-continental journey begins to Mexico, USA, Japan, China and Bahrain.

“We are very pleased to have maintained this level of stability in the five years of the WEC to date, and our 2017 calendar allows us to continue to build on the tradition of endurance racing around the world," said Pierre Fillon, President of the ACO. “Our increasing number of fans year on year is proof that returning to a venue at a similar time of year encourages people to make their plans to attend well in advance…and to bring friends with them to enjoy all the entertainment and access that the WEC offers. The Le Mans 24 Hours needs no introduction, but we know that audiences in countries such as Mexico can only increase as their knowledge and interest in the WEC grows. We look forward to an exciting 2017 starting with our first visit to Italy."

“The opportunity to start our season at Monza is one we are sure will please competitors, fans and media alike," said Gerard Neveu, CEO of the WEC. “We hope that our calendar not only meets the expectations and requirements of all our partners and competitors, and makes economic and logistical sense, but also that it fits in with the increasing number of events that each venue hosts. The WEC continues to offer fans access to the most technologically relevant, competitive, and open championship possible, as well as offering our manufacturers Aston Martin, Audi, Ferrari, Ford, Porsche and Toyota the perfect showcase for their products on and off track."

2017 FIA World Endurance Championship Provisional Calendar**

** Subject to approval by the FIA World Motor Sport Council