Race History
The FIA/ACO announced a provisional schedule on 1 September 2017 that shifted the FIA World Endurance Championship calendar from a spring to autumn layout with the 24 Hours of Le Mans marque event held in the middle of the championship, and include two runnings of Le Mans. This "super season" of eight races spanned more than a year instead of the usual eight months. The shift allowed the following 2019–20 season to return to a shorter length by starting in the autumn and concluding at Le Mans in the summer. The Provisional Calendar saw a raft of changes, with several races dropped, but included a return to Sebring for the first time since 2012. [1] In the provisional calendar issued, the race was originally planned to be run as a second 12-hour race after the IMSA Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring on the same weekend, and would start at midnight after the conclusion of the IMSA 12 hours. [2] On 21 September 2017, the race became known as the 1,500 Miles of Sebring, to avoid confusion between the 2 events, at the FIA World Motor Sport Council meeting in Paris. [3] On 4 April 2018, it was announced that the race would become shortened to 1,000 Miles or 268 laps, have a time limit of 8 Hours, and would take place on 15 March instead, prior to the start of the 12 Hours of Sebring, rather than after the race. A new pit lane, on Ullman Straight before the finishing turn, would also be built for the race. [4]
The second race, originally scheduled for 20 March 2020, was cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. On 11 March, minutes after Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert returned a positive coronavirus test, causing the NBA to cancel the Utah Jazz at Oklahoma City Thunder match, the United States Department of State announced a suspension of travel by non-US citizens from Europe to the United States. Many of the drivers and team personnel were in Europe, and thus would be unable to travel to the United States for the race. The next day, the WEC announced the cancellation of the race. [5] The 2020 race was also planned to include a time change in the schedule. Previously, the race had run from 4 p.m. to midnight, with the short duration between the 1,000 Mile race and 12 Hour race causing challenges for track and support personnel as well as drivers competing in both races. The change, which had the 1,000 Mile race scheduled from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m., ensured a 15-hour break between the WEC race and the 12 Hours of Sebring the following day. [6] The race was again not held in 2021 as European restrictions were still in effect.
The 2013 6 Hours of Shanghai was an endurance auto race held at the Shanghai International Circuit in Shanghai, China on 9 November 2013. The race was the seventh round of the 2013 FIA World Endurance Championship season.
The 2016 FIA World Endurance Championship season was the fifth edition of the FIA World Endurance Championship auto racing series co-organised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) and the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The series was open to Le Mans Prototypes and grand tourer-style racing cars meeting four ACO categories. The season began at the Silverstone Circuit in April and ended at the Bahrain International Circuit in November, and included the 84th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This season was also the last WEC season for Audi Sport Team Joest as they decided not to race in the 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship Season.
The 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship was the sixth season of the FIA World Endurance Championship, an auto racing series co-organised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) and the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The series is open to Le Mans Prototypes and grand tourer-style racing cars divided into four categories. The season began at the Silverstone Circuit in April and will end at the Bahrain International Circuit in November, and include the 85th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. World championship titles will be awarded to the leading prototype drivers and manufacturers, while for the first time in the World Endurance Championship the leading grand touring drivers and manufacturers will also be awarded a world championship.
The 2018–19 FIA World Endurance Championship was the seventh season of the FIA World Endurance Championship, an auto racing series co-organised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) and the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The series is open to Le Mans Prototypes and grand tourer-style racing cars divided into four categories. The season marked the first move to a winter schedule for the championship, with the season starting at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in May 2018 and concluding at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June 2019. World championship titles were awarded for LMP drivers, GTE drivers, LMP1 teams and GTE manufacturers.
The 2019–20 FIA World Endurance Championship was the eighth season of the FIA World Endurance Championship, an auto racing series co-organised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) and the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The series is open to Le Mans Prototypes and grand tourer-style racing cars divided into four categories. World Championship titles were awarded for LMP drivers, LMP1 teams, GTE drivers and GTE manufacturers. With the new winter scheduling format, the series began at Silverstone Circuit in September 2019 and ended with the 2020 8 Hours of Bahrain in November 2020.
The Strakka-Dome S103 is a Le Mans Prototype LMP2, built to the ACO/FIA Le Mans Prototype LMP2 Regulations. The car was originally eligible for use in the FIA World Endurance Championship, European Le Mans Series, Asian Le Mans Series as well as the IMSA sanctioned WeatherTech Sportscar Championship. Following the 2017 rule changes for the class, the car is no longer eligible for use in the FIA World Endurance Championship, the WeatherTech Sportscar Championship and the European Le Mans Series. However, it is still eligible for use in the LMP2-Am Asian Le Mans Series.
Racing Team Nederland is a Dutch endurance racing team founded by F1 driver and Le Mans winner Jan Lammers and businessman Frits van Eerd.
The 67th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Presented by Advance Auto Parts was an endurance sports car racing event held at Sebring International Raceway near Sebring, Florida, from 14–16 March 2019. The race was the second round of the 2019 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, as well as the second round of the Michelin Endurance Cup. Action Express Racing and Wayne Taylor Racing brought home a Cadillac 1-2-3 finish for the overall honours, with the win going to the #31 crew of Eric Curran, Felipe Nasr and Pipo Derani, who won the 12 Hour race for a third time in the previous four editions. the #911 Porsche GT Team won in the GTLM class over the #66 Ford GT of Chip Ganassi Racing, LMP2 was won by Performance Tech Motorsports, and the Grasser Racing Team took a second straight victory in the GTD class, winning over fellow Lamborghini GTD team Magnus Racing, who came 2nd in only their second start as a Lamborghini team.
The 2019 1,000 Miles of Sebring was an Endurance sportscar racing event held on the 15th of March 2019, as the sixth round of the 2018-19 FIA World Endurance Championship. This was the inaugural running of the race, a 268-lap event, and the first FIA WEC race to be held at Sebring International Raceway since the 2012 12 Hours of Sebring.
The 2021 FIA World Endurance Championship was the ninth season of the FIA World Endurance Championship, an auto racing series organised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) and the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The series is open to prototype and grand tourer-style racing cars divided into four categories. World Championship titles were awarded to the leading manufacturers and drivers in both the prototype and grand tourer divisions.
The 2020 IMSA SportsCar Championship was the 50th racing season sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA). This was also the seventh United SportsCar Championship season and fifth under the name as the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The series began on January 25 with the 24 Hours of Daytona, and ended on November 14 with the 12 Hours of Sebring.
The 2019 4 Hours of Shanghai was an endurance sportscar racing event held on 10 November 2019, as the third round of the 2019-20 FIA World Endurance Championship. This was the inaugural running of the race, in a four-hour format, having previously been run as the 6 Hours of Shanghai. The race was won overall by Bruno Senna, Gustavo Menezes, and Norman Nato, in the #1 Rebellion Racing Rebellion R13, with the race being the first win on the road for a non hybrid LMP1 since the first ever WEC race, the 2012 12 Hours of Sebring.
A Le Mans Hypercar (LMH) is a type of sports prototype race car that competes alongside LMDh entries in the Hypercar class of the FIA World Endurance Championship. It will also compete in the Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class of the IMSA SportsCar Championship from 2023.
The 2020 Lone Star Le Mans was an endurance sportscar racing event held on 23 February 2020, as the fifth round of the 2019–20 FIA World Endurance Championship. This marked the return of the FIA WEC to the Circuit of the Americas for the first time since 2017, and the inaugural running of the race under the banner of Lone Star Le Mans, which had previously been utilised by the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for races run at COTA, while WEC races occurring on the same weekend had been run as the 6 Hours of Circuit of the Americas.
The 2020 12 Hours of Sebring was an endurance sports car race held at Sebring International Raceway near Sebring, Florida from 11–14 November 2020, after being postponed from its original date on 14-15 March 2020 due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The race was the final round of the 2020 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, as well as the final round of the Michelin Endurance Cup. Action Express Racing entered as the defending overall winners of the 12-hour event.
An LMDh is a type of sports prototype race car that competes alongside Le Mans Hypercar entries in the Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class of the IMSA SportsCar Championship from 2023. It also competes in the Hypercar class of the FIA World Endurance Championship.
Josh Pierson is an American racing driver. He currently competes in Indy NXT for HMD Motorsports, the FIA World Endurance Championship for United Autosport, and in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for TDS Racing. He previously competed in the U.S. F2000 National Championship with Pabst Racing.
The 2022 12 Hours of Sebring was an endurance sports car race held at Sebring International Raceway near Sebring, Florida from 16 to 19 March 2022. It was the second round of both the 2022 IMSA SportsCar Championship and the Michelin Endurance Cup. JDC-Mustang Sampling Racing entered as the defending overall winners of the 12-hour event.
The 2023 IMSA SportsCar Championship is the 53rd racing season sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association, which traces its lineage back to the 1971 IMSA GT Championship. It is also the tenth season of the IMSA SportsCar Championship since the merger between the American Le Mans Series and the Rolex Sports Car Series in 2014, and the eighth under the sponsorship of WeatherTech. The 2023 season marks an overhaul season for the championship, with a change in class structure and a new race on the season calendar at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The championship began with the 24 Hours of Daytona on January 28 and is scheduled to conclude with the Petit Le Mans on October 14 after 11 races.
The 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship is the eleventh season of the FIA World Endurance Championship, an auto racing series organised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) and the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The series is open to prototype and grand tourer-style racing cars divided into three categories. World Championship titles will be awarded to the leading drivers in both the prototype and grand tourer divisions and to the leading manufacturer in prototype division.
