Following the second round of the 2017 FIA WEC, here's a roundup of who is leading which points table as the competitors head towards the double-points-scoring 24 Hours of Le Mans.

LMP1 – Toyota takes the lead 

Toyota’s success at the WEC 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps last weekend has not only given the Japanese manufacturer the lead in the Manufacturers’ World Championship standings, 8.5 points ahead of Porsche, but also a very positive boost as the team goes forward to the third round of the FIA World Endurance Championship, the 24 Hours of Le Mans. 

The win for the No.8 Toyota TS050 HYBRID crew of Sébastien Buemi-Anthony Davidson-Kazuki Nakajima means they now have a 17-point lead in the World Endurance Drivers Championship over the No.2 Porsche line up of Brendon Hartley-Timo Bernhard-Earl Bamber. Third in the standings are Porsche’s André Lotterer-Neel Jani-Nick Tandy on 28 points. 

World Championship and class points classifications after Spa

• 24 Hours of Le Mans 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps Championship FIA WEC FIA World Endurance Championship Porsche Toyota’s
• At 5/12/2017 09:31:00 p.m.
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For many decades, the inclusion of Grand Touring sportscars has been an integral part of major endurance racing events across the globe, most notably the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Competitors and fans have benefited from the high performing, evocative sights and sounds of marques such as Aston Martin, BMW, Corvette, Ferrari, Ford and Porsche.  These GTE cars are based on production models, and are fundamentally different from each other. To create a more level playing field for competition, regulators have the ability to apply fine adjustments in the performance of individual cars to allow each model to be competitive.  The Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) and the GTE Manufacturers entered in the FIA World Endurance Championship have now agreed upon a plan for the governance of Balance of Performance (BOP). An innovative and ground-breaking automatic system will be introduced from the opening round of the 2017 season, the 6 Hours of Silverstone.  Adjustments to the balance of performance for cars entered in the LMGTE Pro category during the season will now be made automatically after certain rounds, according to evaluation criteria defined and agreed by all parties before the start of the season.  A calculation tool has been created which will allow the targets for balancing the different car models to be met, without human interpretation or decision-making, and using mathematical formulas based on the quantified, public, specific, measured data obtained during each race. More specific details can be found in the attached document which was jointly prepared by the FIA and ACO.  This new system will be applicable for all rounds of the 2017 WEC except for the 24 Hours of Le Mans which will be treated separately. It will only be used for the manufacturers in the LMGTE Pro class, and the same system used up until 2016 will be applied to the LMGTE Am competitors.  The manufacturers and regulators have decided not to make the first adjustments until after the first two races so as not to over-react. It has therefore been agreed that the first adjustments will be calculated after Spa, applicable for Round 4, the 6 Hours of Nürburgring.

Innovative new LMGTE Balance of Performance system to be introduced

• Aston Martin BMW Corvette Ferrari Ford Grand Touring sportscars Le Mans Porsche Racing
• At 4/05/2017 04:21:00 p.m.
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A meeting of the FIA World Motorsport Council was held today in Vienna, Austria. At this occasion the creation of the FIA World Endurance Championship for GTE Drivers and Manufacturers title was announced for 2017.  As a reminder, four manufacturers - Ferrari, Aston Martin, Ford and Porsche - are already entered in the WEC.  Pierre Fillon (President of the ACO): "I would like to warmly thank Jean Todt, President of the FIA and Sir Lindsay Owen-Jones, President of the FIA Endurance Commission, for their total involvement in obtaining this title. I would like also to acknowledge the efforts made by the manufacturers and their sporting performances that fully justify this world title label.”  Gérard Neveu (CEO of the FIA WEC): "The announcement of this world title is excellent news for the WEC and rewards a grid of the highest quality. This decision should speed up the arrival of other manufacturers to this category.”

Un Titre Mondial de la FIA pour les GTE  Aujourd’hui se tenait à Vienne le Conseil Mondial du Sport Auto de la FIA. A cette occasion, il a été annoncé la création dès 2017 d’un titre Mondial GTE Constructeur et Pilotes dans le cadre du Championnat du Monde d’Endurance de la FIA (WEC).  Pour rappel, quatre constructeurs à savoir Ferrari, Aston Martin, Ford et Porsche sont déjà engagés dans le WEC.  Pierre Fillon (Président de l’ACO) : « Je tiens à remercier très chaleureusement Jean Todt, Président de la FIA et Sir Lindsay Owen-Jones, Président de la Commission d’Endurance de la FIA, pour leur totale implication dans l’obtention de ce titre.  Il faut saluer les efforts consentis par les constructeurs et la qualité de leurs performances sportives qui justifient amplement le label de ce titre mondial. »  Gérard Neveu (Directeur General du FIA WEC) « L’annonce de ce titre mondial est une excellente nouvelle pour le WEC et vient récompenser une grille GTE de grande qualité. Cette décision devrait accélérer l’arrivée prochaine d’autres constructeurs dans cette catégorie. »

All stories on the 2016 season ahead are available online on the official FIAWEC website at : www.fiawec.com Twitter and Facebook : Follow the FIAWEC on Twitter @fiawec and 'like' FIA WEC on Facebook

An FIA World Championship title for GTE

• Aston Martin Ferrari FIA World Championship Ford Motorsport Porsche
• At 12/01/2016 04:56:00 p.m.
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Monza to host official pre-season test   The 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship calendar, presented today to the FIA Endurance Commission, presided over by Sir Lindsay Owen-Jones, and which will be submitted to the FIA World Motor Sport Council for validation in the coming days, once again offers the WEC’s manufacturers, teams and partners the stability, visibility and geographic spread of prestigious worldwide venues that have been a mark of the championship to date.  While the nine rounds closely echo the 2016 calendar in terms of venues and dates, a significant addition to the calendar is the debut of the WEC at the temple of Italian motorsport, Monza, for the official pre-season test – The Prologue. The addition of the high-speed circuit to the calendar will be a welcome addition for teams as part of their preparations for the cornerstone event of the world championship, the Le Mans 24 Hours.  All events will be of a duration of six hours, other than Le Mans. The season starts, as is now tradition, with European rounds at Silverstone, Spa, Le Mans and Nürburgring, before the trans-continental journey begins to Mexico, USA, Japan, China and Bahrain.  “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 Pierre Fillon, President of the ACO. “Our increasing number of fans year on year is proof that returning to a venue at a similar time of year encourages people to make their plans to attend well in advance…and to bring friends with them to enjoy all the entertainment and access that the WEC offers. The Le Mans 24 Hours needs no introduction, but we know that audiences in countries such as Mexico can only increase as their knowledge and interest in the WEC grows. We look forward to an exciting 2017 starting with our first visit to Italy.”  “The opportunity to start our season at Monza is one we are sure will please competitors, fans and media alike,” said Gérard Neveu, CEO of the WEC. “We hope that our calendar not only meets the expectations and requirements of all our partners and competitors, and makes economic and logistical sense, but also that it fits in with the increasing number of events that each venue hosts. 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.”

The 2017 Calendar 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship Provisional Calendar**  24/25 March        The WEC Prologue, Monza (Italy)  16 April               6 Hours of Silverstone (UK)  06 May                WEC 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium)  17/18 June          Le Mans 24 Hours (France)  16 July                6 Hours of Nürburgring (Germany)  03 September       6 Hours of Mexico (Mexico)  16 September       6 Hours of Circuit of the Americas (USA)  15 October           6 Hours of Fuji (Japan)  05 November        6 Hours of Shanghai (China)  18 November        6 Hours of Bahrain (Bahrain)   ** Subject to validation by the FIA World Motor Sport Council       Soumis pour validation par le Conseil Mondial du Sport Automobile de la FIA

2017 FIA WEC Calendar Revealed

• 2017 FIA WEC Calendar Audi Championship Ferrari FIA Ford Porsche Toyota World Motor Sport
• At 9/22/2016 12:37:00 p.m.
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