Revived Kyalami joins WEC for 2020/21 season,
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| Kyalami, South Africa |
The 2020-2021 FIA World Endurance Championship provisional calendar announced today sees the advent of two new venues, Monza and Kyalami, while retaining many of the traditional competitor and fan favorites that have become an integral part of the WEC’s success around the world.
The eight races, to be run in Europe, Asia, Middle East, Africa and America, allow the WEC’s manufacturers, teams and partners true intercontinental visibility at well-established venues in key regions around the world. While continuity and regularity have been a mark of the championship to date, the WEC has never been shy of innovating and introducing new horizons.
Season 9 will feature an additional European round at Monza in October; the temple of Italian motorsport at which the WEC Prologue took place in April 2017 has never before hosted an FIA WEC race but has always been a strong favorite with teams and fans alike.
Completely new to the calendar is the historic but extensively redeveloped and upgraded Kyalami circuit in South Africa. Situated between Johannesburg and Pretoria, the 6 Hours of Kyalami will open up new vistas to endurance racing fans across the world and firmly establish world-class racing in Africa.
These two venues are complemented by popular and iconic tracks such as Silverstone, Fuji, Sebring, Bahrain, Sebring and Spa-Francorchamps. Six and eight-hour races will feature ahead of the season finale, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, in June 2021.
The FIA WEC 2020-2021 calendar will be presented to the FIA Endurance Commission, presided over by Richard Mille, and will be submitted to the FIA World Motor Sport Council for approval in Geneva on 6th March 2020.
Gerard Neveu, CEO of the WEC said: “When you have a list which includes Silverstone, Monza, Fuji, Bahrain, Kyalami, Sebring, Spa and, of course, Le Mans, you are at the heart of endurance racing’s history and heritage, its present and its future. The calendar is also great for our logistical road map as it provides our teams with the most cost-effective package possible. We hope this Season 9 schedule will make our competitors and fans very happy."
Pierre Fillon, President of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) commented: “What better way to usher in the new era of Le Mans Hypercars than with this excellent 2020-21 calendar. Reflecting an ever-evolving automotive industry, the WEC continues to present automotive manufacturers with an ideal showcase for their products, and even more so as we look towards the future and the introduction of different renewable energy platforms."
2020-2021 FIA World Endurance Championship Provisional Calendar *
31 Aug/01 Sep 2020 Pre-Season Test, Silverstone (Great Britain)
05 September 2020 6 Hours of Silverstone (Great Britain)
04 October 2020 6 Hours of Monza (Italy)
01 November 2020 6 Hours of Fuji (Japan)
05 December 2020 8 Hours of Bahrain (Bahrain)
06 February 2021 6 Hours of Kyalami (South Africa)
19 March 2021 1000 Miles of Sebring (8 hours) (USA)
24 April 2021 TOTAL 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium)
12-13 June 2021 24 Hours of Le Mans (France)
* Subject to approval by the FIA World Motor Sport Council