This will be a premiere for the Nürburgring, with the FIA WEC taking place in Germany for the first time since it came into existence in 2012. After Formula 1, the WEC is the leading world championship in motor sport. 

"I am delighted that an internationally renowned and absolutely top class race series that is held in such high regard by motor sport fans can now be held for the first time in Germany and specifically here at the Nürburgring", said Carsten Schumacher, managing director of capricorn NÜRBURGRING GmbH (CNG).

The 2015 FIA WEC calendar will feature eight races on four continents with races in England, Belgium, USA, Japan, China, Bahrain and, of course, France, with the pinnacle of endurance the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which this year attracted more than 250,000 spectators who travelled to the world’s most famous motorsport event. The dates for holding the WEC on the Grand Prix circuit, 28 to 30 August 2015, have already been included in the racing calendar of the Nürburgring.

Gerard Neveu, CEO of the FIA World Endurance Championship, said: “Germany is a very important market for the partners of the FIA WEC and the Nürburgring was a good choice when we considered a fourth race in Europe on the calendar. The Nürburgring is no stranger to Le Mans style endurance racing as this will be in evidence next August when the circuit celebrates the 50th anniversary of the 1000km of Nürburgring. This weekend will be a big event and we are expecting a lot of fans to have a great weekend with us at the Nürburgring. We look forward to working with Carsten Schumacher and his team to make the 6 Hours of Nürburgring a huge success.”

Pierre Fillon, President of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO), said: “The addition of a race in Germany is going to be one of the highlights of the 2015 calendar. Every year at the 24 Heures du Mans we welcome thousands of German fans who come to watch the world’s premier endurance race. Now, in 2015, we will bring Le Mans to Germany to race on the magnificent Nürburgring for a celebration of endurance racing. We now have four premier circuits for the European leg of FIA WEC - Silverstone, Spa-Francorchamps, Nürburgring and, of course, Le Mans - which are all modern tracks but with a long tradition of high profile sportscar racing. We will now start a new chapter at the Nürburgring in August next year.”   

Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich, Head of Audi Motorsport, said: “We are very pleased that the WEC, in its fourth season, will be hosted in Germany for the first time. The Nürburgring is a circuit steeped in endurance tradition. It is great news for all sportscar fans in Germany and the neighbouring countries that the Le Mans prototypes will return to Germany on the occasion of the 50th edition of the 1,000 kilometre race. Now the FIA WEC will hold a race in Germany like the other FIA World Championships. I hope that the fans will support us in the best way in this sportscar extravaganza.“

Wolfgang Hatz, Member of the Board, Research and Development, Porsche AG said:  “For Porsche the race at the Nürburgring is certainly a more than welcomed step of the WEC. This traditional circuit, where we have been celebrating numerous wins, means home to us. When the 50 years’ heritage of the 1000 kilometre race will be reviewed and celebrated, for sure Porsche will play its role. But more recently, for example, the Nordschleife, was also the venue for Marc Lieb’s lap record with the Porsche 918 Spyder in 2013. Our sports cars and „the Ring“ are related in passion. This new event, perhaps, has the potential to become the second WEC season highlight after Le Mans.“

The FIA WEC is organised by the ACO in partnership with the FIA. It is held for LMP and GTE vehicles according to the rules of the 24 Heures du Mans. The race series arose from the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup, to which the FIA first gave official World Championship status in 2012. The exciting new high-tech race series will see works teams from Audi, Toyota, Porsche, Nissan, Ferrari and Aston Martin line up on the starting grid. Famous ex-Formula 1 drivers such as Mark Webber, Nick Heidfeld, Lucas di Grassi and Kazuki Nakajima are now competing at the top level in the FIA WEC to showcase their skills alongside the established stars of endurance racing like Tom Kristensen, Andre Lotterer, Stephane Sarrazin, Romain Dumas and Gianmaria Bruni.

2015 FIA World Endurance Championship Provisional Calendar**

·        27 / 28 March :                      Prologue Castellet 

·        12 April :                               6 Hours of Silverstone

·        02 May :                                6 Hours of Spa

·        31 May :                                Tests Le Mans

·        13 / 14 June :                         24h du Mans

·        30 August :                            6 Hours of Nürburgring 

·        19 September :                     6 Hours of Circuit of the Americas ( Lone Star le Mans)

·        11 October :                          6 Hours of Fuji

·        1 November:                          6 Hours of Shanghai

·        21 November :                      6 Hours of Bahrain

** subject to confirmation by the FIA World Motor Sport Council