The FIA and the ACO have revealed the calendar for the 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship, with no significant changes to the competitive championship. There is, however, one major difference compared to the 2016 season: the official Prologue – two days of official testing for all WEC runners – will be held at the Italian circuit of Monza, not Circuit Paul Ricard as has been the case for the past four years.
The WEC has its now-traditional season debut at Silverstone in mid-April, before moving to Spa-Francorchamps on the first weekend of May. The 24 Hours of Le Mans will be held on the 17 and 18 June, with the post-LM Nürburgring race remaining in mid-July. Teams reconvene after the summer break in Mexico City in early September, before they embark on four more flyaway at COTA, Fuji, Shanghai and Bahrain, where the season ends on 18 November.
“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 Gérard Neveu, CEO of the WEC. “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 calendar:
24/25 March – Prologue, Monza
16 April – 6 Hours of Silverstone
6 May – 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps
17/18 June – Le Mans 24 Hours
16 July – 6 Hours of Nürburgring
3 September – 6 Hours of Mexico City
16 September – 6 Hours of Circuit of the Americas
15 October – 6 Hours of Fuji
5 November – 6 Hours of Shanghai
18 November – 6 Hours of Bahrain
Image (c) WEC-Magazin