2024 WEC Season: The All-Star League of Motorsport?
Why the 2024 WEC season is worth watching
There's no denying that Formula One remains the most popular motorsport in the world. If you take a look at the Philippine setting alone, you won't see any other motorsport series holding live viewings and watch parties week in and week out other than Formula One.
Perhaps this is the effect of the genius of Liberty Media making the most out of promoting F1 on social media and creating a new global fanbase especially with the Netflix series Drive To Survive.
However, as popular as Formula One might be, it's far from being the all-star game of motorsport in terms of manufacturer involvement. That distinction may well and truly be deserved by the World Endurance Championship.
In Formula One, 10 teams are currently competing. But when you take a look at it, there are only four engine manufacturers (Ferrari, Honda, Renault, Mercedes) and only three teams can be truly called a works team (or the team that makes its own engines).
For the 2024 WEC season though, there will be 14 manufacturers making up the 37-car grid. And yes, most of these manufacturers build cars you see on the road. In WEC, these competing teams are racing prototypes, but some will also be using race car versions of their road-going sports cars. There are even drivers coming from other forms of motorsport that are competing in the endurance races.
What's new?
Ever since the Hypercar class was introduced in 2021, top-class endurance racing has proved to be an attractive proposition for manufacturers as they have free reign over the design of the car and the engine provided they adhere to the set dimensions, the cost limit, the weight limit, and the power outputs of the race cars. In 2023, there are already 7 different cars in the Hypercar class. But for 2024, that number goes to 11 as four more manufacturers are joining the top-tier category.
The newest regulation change though for 2024 is the LMGT3 class, which are essentially road-going sports cars fitted with the necessary parts for endurance racing. This replaces the former GTE Am category. In this class alone, 10 different cars will be fighting against each other over 8 rounds of endurance racing. And yes, that includes the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Who's new?
Participating manufacturers in the Hypercar class of 2023 included Toyota, Ferrari, Porsche, Cadillac, Peugeot, Glickenhaus, and Vanwall. Toyota won the WEC manufacturer's title but Ferrari stole the show by winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans in its return to top-class endurance racing since 1965.
For 2024, manufacturers Alpine, BMW, Lamborghini, and Isotta Fraschini are joining the Hypercar class. Furthermore, notable names such as former F1 drivers Nyck de Vries, Robert Kubica, Stoffel Vandoorne, and Mick Schumacher will be behind the wheel of the Toyota GR010 Hybrid, Ferrari 499P, Peugeot 9X8, and the Alpine A424 Hypercars, respectively.
On the other hand, the new-for-2024 LMGT3 class will feature cars such as the Ferrari 296 GT3, Ford Mustang GT3, Lexus RC F GT3, McLaren 720S GT3 Evo, and the Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo2 racing in the WEC series for the first time. As for the drivers, seven-time MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi will be making his WEC debut in 2024, racing the BMW M4 GT3 for Team WRT.
Where are they racing?
The 2024 WEC season will start in February for the Prologue, while the endurance races will begin at the Qatar 1812 km in March. This will be followed by the 6 Hours of Imola and the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps in April and May. The crown jewel, the 24 Hours of Le Mans will be held in its usual June calendar, while the July race will be the 6 Hours of Sao Paulo in Brazil.
There will also be an endurance race held on American soil, as the Lone Star Le Mans returns in the Circuit of the Americas, serving as the 6th round of the series. The penultimate round of the 2024 WEC will be in Japan for the 6 Hours of Fuji in September, while the final WEC round will be at Sakhir for the 8 Hours of Bahrain.
