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WEC - FIA Champions Abound for FIA WEC Season Opener

25.04.18

Round 1 of the 2018/19 FIA World Endurance Championship, the Total 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps on Saturday 5 May, will see a record-breaking 37 cars for an FIA World Endurance Championship 6 Hour race with 10 cars in LMP1, 8 in LMP2, 10 in LMGTE Pro and 9 in LMGTE Am.

Round 1 of the 2018/19 FIA World Endurance Championship, the Total 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps on Saturday 5 May, will see a record-breaking 37 cars for an FIA World Endurance Championship 6 Hour race with 10 cars in LMP1, 8 in LMP2, 10 in LMGTE Pro and 9 in LMGTE Am.

In LMP1 the mighty Toyota TS050-Hybrid will face a new challenge from five private teams and the ten car field boasts no less than five FIA World Champions. 2016 FIA World Endurance Driver’s Champion Neel Jani and 2012 FIA WEC Champion Andre Lotterer will join forces in the no1 Rebellion Racing R13-Gibson and they will be joined by 2017 LMP2 Champion Bruno Senna.

Toyota Gazoo Racing boasts three world champions from three different disciplines.   2014 FIA WEC Champion Sebastien Buemi will drive the no8 Toyota with double Formula 1 World Champion Fernando Alonso, while the no7 TS050 will feature triple FIA World Touring Car Champion Jose Maria Lopez in the three driver line up.

In the LMGTE Pro class Ferrari will be defending their new FIA world manufacturers title with an unchanged line up with 2017 FIA World Endurance GT Driver Champions James Calado and Alessandro Pier Guidi will be back in the no51 F488.

Prior to 2017 the LMGTE Pro class was for the FIA World Endurance Cup and there are four previous winners of this title on the grid.  2016 title winners Marco Sorensen and Nicki Thiim are joined by reigning 24 Hours of Le Mans LMGTE Pro champion Darren Turner in the no95 Aston Martin Racing Vantage. 

In the no91 Porsche GT Team 911 RSR 2015 FIA World Cup winner Richard Lietz is joined by 2013 and 2014 winner Gianmaria Bruni.

On the LMP2 grid the 2013 FIA World Endurance Drivers Champion Loic Duval will race for TDS Racing in an all French driver line up in the no28 Oreca 07-Gibson.

The 37 car grid will feature 25 teams and no fewer than 104 drivers representing an incredible 27 different nations.  One thing will be certain: victory will be hard fought for in all four classes, and well celebrated somewhere in the world!

 

CLICK HERE for the entry list for the Total 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, Round 1 of the 2018/19 FIA World Endurance Championship.