One of the four drivers who will take part in the FIA World Endurance Championship’s third, official ‘Rookie Test’ at Bahrain International Circuit on Sunday 19 November has been announced today. However, the identity of the remaining three drivers won’t be known until less than 24 hours before the start of the test. The young driver chosen to test the Toyota TS050 HYBRID will be Frenchman Thomas Laurent (19) (pictured below), who was selected as having shown exemplary performance, determination and race skills during 2017.  The Jackie Chan DC Racing team member, who made his LMP2 debut at the 6 Hours of Silverstone in April of this year, has so far won three times including a memorable result at the 24 Hours of Le Mans when he and his team mates finished second overall. He has been leading the LMP2 drivers’ championship since the start of the season.  The other three drivers who will be officially part of the WEC Rookie Test in Bahrain all come from World Series Formula V8 3.5 but, with the drivers’ championship not due to be settled until the final race of the season in Bahrain, their identity won’t be confirmed until less than 24 hours before the test begins.  The eventual winner of the World Series Formula V8 3.5 championship will test the Porsche 919 Hybrid, the driver finishing second in the classification will test and ORECA 07 Gibson with the winner of the FIA Endurance Trophy for LMP2 Teams, and the driver finishing third in the classification will test with the team which has won the FIA Endurance Trophy for LMGTE Pro Teams.  To read who the the other drivers might be, and quotes from Pierre Fillon and Gerard Neveu on Thomas Laurent and the Rookie test CLICK HERE

Bahreïn Rookie Test 2017 : Thomas Laurent pilotera la Toyota TS050 HYBRID L'identité de l'un des quatre pilotes participant au troisième Rookie Test officiel du Championnat du Monde d'Endurance FIA (WEC), prévu le dimanche 19 novembre sur le Bahrain International Circuit, a été annoncée aujourd'hui. Mais celle des trois autres pilotes conviés ne pourra être dévoilée qu'à peine 24 heures avant le début de ce test.  Le jeune pilote désigné pour piloter la Toyota TS050 HYBRID est le Français Thomas Laurent (19 ans). Il a été choisi pour ses performances exemplaires, sa détermination et son sens de la course pendant cette saison 2017.  Le pilote de Jackie Chan DC Racing, qui a fait ses débuts en catégorie LMP2 en avril dernier aux 6 Heures de Silverstone, a signé à ce jour en compagnie de ses deux coéquipiers trois victoires, dont un résultat mémorable aux 24 Heures du Mans, avec la deuxième place du classement général. Il est actuellement en tête du Trophée Endurance FIA des Pilotes LMP2 depuis la première manche WEC 2017.  Les trois autres pilotes qui participeront au Rookie Test de Bahreïn proviendront tous du championnat monoplaces Formula V8 3.5 World Series, dont le titre ne se jouera qu'à l'issue de la dernière manche 2017 à Bahreïn. Leur identité sera donc connue moins d'une journée avant le début du Rookie Test. Le futur champion 2017 de Formula V8 3.5 World Series effectuera le Rookie Test au volant de la Porsche 919 Hybrid, le futur deuxième sur l'ORECA 07-Gibson de l'équipe lauréate du Trophée Endurance FIA LMP2, et le troisième au sein de l'équipe qui remportera le Trophée Endurance FIA des Equipes LMGTE Pro.  Pour découvrir cette actualité, y compris les déclarations de Pierre Fillon et Gérard Neveu CLIQUEZ ICI

All stories on the 2017 season are available online on the official FIAWEC website at www.fiawec.com

Thomas Laurent to test Toyota in Bahrain Rookie Test

• Bahrain Bahrain International Circuit Drivers FIA World Endurance Championship’s Toyota
• At 10/27/2017 04:34:00 p.m.
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Toyota Gazoo Racing took a memorable 1-2 finish at their home race this afternoon after a dramatic seventh round of the 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship at Fuji Speedway.  In challenging wet and foggy conditions Sebastien Buemi, Kazuki Nakajima and Anthony Davidson took the No.8 Toyota TS 050 Hybrid to victory. They headed home the sister No.7 Toyota driven by Kamui Kobayashi, Mike Conway and Jose-Maria Lopez.  Toyota seemed to have a tyre performance throughout the weather affected race which saw six Safety Car periods, one Full Course Yellow and two red flag periods in an eventful race.  The result means that the destination of this year's drivers' title is still not known as the leading No.2 Posrche trio of Brendon Hartley, Earl Bamber and Timo Bernhard finished in fourth place. The gap between them and the No.8 Toyota crew is now 39 points with 52 to play for in the last two races of the season. Rounding out the podium was the No.1 Porsche 919 Hybrid driven by Andre Lotterer, Neel Jani and Nick Tandy.  Andre Lotterer started the race but suffered contact with the back of Buemi’s Toyota. A broken dive plane from his 919 Hybrid affected his pace and he soon fell back to fourth position. However, after taking a new front bodywork section Neel Jani and Nick Tandy fought back and were in contention to challenge for the win before the multiple stoppages for rain and fog came.  For all classifications CLICK HERE For race facts CLICK HERE Retrouvez ICI tous les articles de notre site en version française

Ferrari take clean sweep in LMGTE to increase lead in GT World Championship  Ferrari claimed maximum points in the LMGTE Pro and Am categories today at a severely weather-disrupted 6 Hours of Fuji, the 7th round of the 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship. The race was eventually stopped with 4 hours 24 minutes and 50 seconds on the clock.  AF Corse Ferrari’s James Calado and Alessandro Pier Guidi took their No.51 Ferrari 458 GTE to first place in the LMGTE Pro category and their third win of the season, eventually finishing just 0.96s ahead of the No.91 Porsche 911 RSR of Frédéric Makowiecki and Richard Lietz.  In third place was the second Porsche GT, the No.92 of Kevin Estre and Michael Christensen, with the No.66 Ford Chip Ganassi GT, No.71 Ferrari 458 GTE and the No.97 Aston Martin Vantage taking the remaining positions in the top six.  The race was disrupted by six safety car periods and two red flag stoppages during an afternoon which saw fog and rain cover the Fuji Speedway track frequently, and in different intensities. Low visibility was the reason for both the red flag periods, with drivers’ safety being paramount at all times.  Calado and Pier Guido now lead the GT FIA World Endurance Drivers’ Championship and Ferrari has extended its lead in the GT Manufacturers’ title race to 47 points. Porsche has overtaken Ford for second place after the American manufacturer had a tough weekend and were not able to follow up their 2016 victory.

Vaillante Rebellion comes through for 2nd win of the season LMP2 saw the Vaillante Rebellion crew of Bruno Senna, Nicolas Prost and Julien Canal take their second victory of the season.  Bruno Senna and Nicolas Prost completed epic multiple stints at the wheel of the No.31 car to lead home the Signatech Alpine car of Nicolas Lapierre, Gustavo Menezes and Andre Negrao.  Completing the LMP2 podium was the points leading No.38 Jackie Chan DC Racing car of Oliver Jarvis, Ho-Pin Tung and Thomas Laurent. They still lead the LMP2 points table but now by a reduced lead of 10pts to Senna and Canal.  The race featured a spectacular and controversial incident between CEFC Manor TRS Racing driver Jan-Eric Vergne and No.13 Vaillante Rebellion racer Matthias Beche in the fourth hour. The two touched several times before Beche impacted the barriers.  51,000 dedicated fans witnessed the action at Fuji in difficult conditions, cementing the reputation of Japanese fans as some of the most passionate in the world of motorsport.

Spirit of Race take first WEC victory in LMGTE Am For the 51,000 passionate Japanese fans coming to Fuji Speedway over the three-day weekend, there was just as much close competition and excitement in the LMGTE Am category for them to witness, particularly in today’s race.  Taking a first win of the season and a first victory in the WEC was the Spirit of Race Ferrari trio of Thomas Flohr, Francesco Castellacci and Miguel Molina. The No.54 Ferrari 488 GTE was 1.137s ahead of the class pole-sitting No.61 Clearwater Ferrari of Weng Sun Mok, Matt Griffin and local Japanese driver Keita Sawa at the second red flag which was deployed at 15:30 local time. The race was eventually not re-started as weather conditions continue to deteriorate.  Third in class was the No.77 Dempsey Proton Porsche 911 RSR – with team owner Patrick Dempsey present in Japan to see their podium finish – sporting a pink ribbon livery in support of the Dempsey Center cancer charity.  Next stop on the calendar is the 6 Hours of Shanghai on Sunday 5th November, the 8th round of the 9-race 2017 season.  All provisional classifications can be found HERE  Race facts can be found HERE

Toyota takes home 1-2 in incident filled Fuji race

• Championship Drivers FIA Fuji Speedway Racing Toyota
• At 10/15/2017 07:07:00 p.m.
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Toyota Gazoo Racing will go into race week for the 24 Hours of Le Mans with plenty of confidence after filling the first three places on the time sheets at the only official test day on the 13.629 km track which is largely composed of public roads. 

The weather conditions were perfect, all 60 cars ran, and there were no major incidents…it’s now all systems go for race week, with the third round of the FIA World Endurance Championship taking place on 17/18th June. 

While it is worth remembering that test days are just that, and that times are not wholly representative, it gives fans and teams alike a first glimpse of how the competitors measure up against each other. 

Toyota 1-2-3 after Le Mans test day!

• 24 Hours of Le Mans FIA FIA World Endurance Championship Toyota
• At 6/04/2017 10:13:00 p.m.
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After a thrilling and dramatic 2017 season opener in Britain, attention now turns towards the iconic Belgian circuit of Spa-Francorchamps for the second round of the FIA World Endurance Championship.  Historically an event which never fails to deliver its own drama, and often its share of unpredictable weather to potentially shake things up, it will definitely be a race not to miss as Porsche looks to balance the victory score sheet, and Toyota aims to top the points classification.  A firm favourite of every team and driver, the WEC 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps on Saturday 6th May will welcome the many thousands of passionate, multi-national, endurance racing fans who flock to the Ardennes for the traditional final rehearsal for the third round of the WEC, the 24 Hours of Le Mans.  The grid of 30 cars includes an additional third Toyota TS050 HYBRID in preparation for Le Mans, plus two more LMP2 cars than at Silverstone.  Practice and qualifying sessions are run on the two days prior to the big event, and there is a full programme of entertainment lined up for spectators both on and off the track. This includes support races from World Series Formula V8 3.5, the TCR International Series and the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Benelux which, for this round, also welcomes competitors from Porsche Carrera Cup France.

Want to re-live all the drama of Silverstone? Full replays of the WEC rounds are now available immediately after the races on cross platforms - desktop, tablet or smartphone - if you sign up for the FIAWEC App.  There has been no increase in the price of the application from 2016, and content also includes exclusive interviews, onboard cameras, more extensive live timing plus sector times, team and driver information and much more.

Instagram your way to meeting the WEC stars! For 2017 the WEC is re-launching its popular photography competition for fans which will be on INSTAGRAM. On offer as the Grand Prize is the opportunity for the lucky winner and his/her guest to attend as VIP guests the season finale, 6 Hours of Bahrain 2017, plus the WEC Awards Ceremony.  Opening on 17th April and running until 23rd October 2017, entrants must post on Instagram a photo representing the “Spirit of Le Mans” from one of the FIA WEC races (listed below) that they have attended. They must use the hashtag #WECPhotoComp2017 in their photo’s description, state at which race the photo was taken, and must follow the FIA WEC’s official Instagram @fiawec_official.

WEC 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps ready to thrill fans across the world

• FIA FIA World Endurance Championship Le Mans Toyota
• At 4/19/2017 09:32:00 p.m.
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The second day of the FIA WEC's Prologue has come to an end in Italy, with the No. 8 Toyota TS050 HYBRID of Nicolas Lapierre setting the fastest time of the weekend during the fifth and final session on Sunday afternoon. 

It marked a successful conclusion to the WEC's official pre-season test at Autodromo Nazionale Monza, attended by thousands of enthusiastic Italian fans who turned out to watch the cars and meet the drivers in an autograph session (Sunday) and pitwalks (Saturday and Sunday).   

The highlights of the day were as follows: 

On his return to LMP1 with Toyota Gazoo Racing, Nicolas Lapierre set the fastest time of The Prologue in the final afternoon session. The Frenchman’s No.8 Toyota TS050 HYBRID set his best lap of 1m30.547s on his second lap, which remained unbeaten for the remainder of the session. 
Lapierre, who celebrated his 33rd birthday today, was 0.785 seconds faster than the best time set by team-mate Mike Conway in the No. 7 Toyota yesterday afternoon, with team-mate Anthony Davidson being the only other driver to lap under the 1m30s barrier. 
The two Porsche 919 Hybrids were third and fourth, with the top 4 cars separated by just 1.2 seconds. The ByKolles ENSO CLM P1/01-Nismo did not run today following a mechanical issue yesterday.
In LMP2, Ho-Pin Tung’s No.38 Jackie Chan DC Racing ORECA posted the fastest time of the afternoon session, 0.111 seconds ahead of Nelson Panciatici in the No.35 Signatech-Alpine A470-Gibson. 
The Chinese/Dutch driver’s time put him third fastest overall, behind the No.28 TDS Racing ORECA of Mathieu Vaxivière and the No.31 Vaillante Rebellion of Bruno Senna. 
However, the session was not without incident as the No.36 Signatech-Alpine of Matt Rao was caught out by a brief shower of rain at the first Lesmo and slid off track into the barriers.

All times from the test sessions can be found HERE

Retrouvez ICI tous les articles de notre site en version française

Great competition ahead in LMGTE:  Porsche narrowly heads Ford at The Prologue 

In preparation for their attack on the new FIA World Endurance Championship for GT Drivers and Manufacturers, Aston Martin, Ferrari, Ford and Porsche took to the Autodromo Nazionale Monza track for two full days of testing to the delight of the Italian fans. The results promise some very close competition during the season ahead! 

Harry Tincknell topped LMGTE in the No.67 Ford with a 1m47.530s, narrowly ahead of team-mate Stefan Mücke in the No. 66 car. 
The Briton’s time placed him third overall in the test, behind Michael Christensen’s new for 2017 No.92 Porsche 911 RSR, which set a best lap of 1m47.379s on Saturday morning. 
Making its first appearance at an official WEC event, the mid-rear engined Porsche took first and second in class with Frédéric Makowiecki 0.136s behind. The top four cars in class were separated by two tenths of a second. 
In the LMGTE Am class, Matt Griffin’s No. 61 Clearwater Racing Ferrari 488 GTE was quickest in the afternoon session, 0.205 seconds ahead of the No. 54 Spirit of Race Ferrari driven by Miguel Molina. 
However, WEC rookie Molina set the fastest time for the class overall, the only Am class driver to lap under the 1m50s bracket on Sunday morning. 

Next stop on the WEC calendar is the opening round of the 2017 season, the 6 Hours of Silverstone, which takes place at the home of British motor racing between 14-16 April. A festival of endurance and single-seater racing awaits fans – don’t miss a second of it! 

Lapierre's Toyota fastest at The Prologue on his return to LMP1; TDS Racing ahead in LMP2

• Autodromo Nazionale Monza FIA Sport Toyota
• At 4/03/2017 05:21:00 p.m.
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Following what was surely the standout race of the season in Fuji last week, the scene is now set for some of the 2016 title battles to reach their final, exciting stages while, for others, every single point will count right to the end of the season. 

The imposing Shanghai International Circuit is the venue for the eighth round of the FIA World Endurance Championship season, the 6 Hours of Shanghai, the second of the two Asian races on the calendar. 

All eyes will be on the FIA World Endurance Manufacturers Championship which Porsche should secure in China, barring major setbacks for both cars. Audi and Toyota will both be looking for further victories to boost their drivers’ title hopes, and expect another scintillating race between the leading contenders in LMP2 and the LMGTE categories. 

The FIA Endurance Cup for GT Manufacturers couldn’t be closer, with only three points between Ferrari and Aston Martin and that particular battle will go down to the wire in Bahrain.

For the full entry list CLICK HERE

To read all about the new faces coming to the 6 Hours of Shanghai CLICK HERE

The timetable for the weekend can be found HERE

Update on Championship points following Fuji The points at the top of the FIA World Endurance Championship are closer than ever after Toyota’s drivers prevailed in a nail-biting finish to the 6 Hours of Fuji to vault themselves firmly into contention.  In the FIA World Endurance Manufacturers Championship Porsche has maintained its firm hold, with a lead over Audi of 59 points.  Having entered the weekend third in the standings, half a point behind the No.8 Audi R18 of Loïc Duval, Lucas di Grassi and Oliver Jarvis, victory for the No.6 TS050 Hybrid crew of Kamui Kobayashi, Stéphane Sarrazin and Mike Conway on Toyota’s home turf puts them into second with just two rounds remaining. As a result, they now sit just 23 points behind the No. 2 Porsche 919 Hybrid of Neel Jani, Marc Lieb and Romain Dumas, which has led the points since the beginning of the season. To see all the championship standings CLICK HERE    To read the whole story CLICK HERE

Rebellion Racing - LMP1 Privateer Champions A special tribute Rebellion Racing has been a staple of the FIA World Endurance Championship’s LMP1 privateer class from its inception, winning the FIA Endurance Trophy for Private LMP1 Teams every year since 2012. Following the announcement that the Anglo-Swiss outfit will switch to racing in LMP2 class next year, here are some of its finest moments in its LMP1 career to date. To read about Rebellion's success by the numbers CLICK HERE

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

Shanghai set for superb 2016 title battle 

• Audi Championship FIA World Shanghai Shanghai International Circuit Toyota
• At 10/21/2016 08:00:00 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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