Paris (AFP)
The 2019-2020 World Endurance Championship (WEC) season, disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic, is expected to resume on August 15 and end on November 21, the organizers announced in a statement on Friday.
"The circumstances of this global health crisis have left us no choice, to date it is impossible to consider organizing an international motor race before next summer," says WEC director general Gérard Neveu.
The 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps are therefore rescheduled on August 15, before the 24 Hours of Le Mans on September 19 and 20 and finally the 8 Hours of Bahrain on November 21, replacing the 1000 Miles of Sebring which have been canceled.
The figure of eight events is therefore maintained "in order to guarantee sporting equity", specifies the WEC.
"It is of course understood that this revised calendar could undergo further modifications depending on the evolution of the current health crisis or the programming of the other FIA world championships (Editor's note: International Federation of the Automobile)", indicates the press release.
As a result of these postponements, the calendar for the following season must be "completely redesigned". This "will not start before March 2021", it is added.
"We have to prepare for big changes for next season because we will have to integrate many parameters, starting with the economic difficulties to come which will be inevitable," explains Gérard Neveu.
Provisional revised calendar of the 2019-2020 World Endurance Championship:
September 01, 2019: 4 Hours of Silverstone (GBR)
October 13, 2019: 6 Hours of Fuji (JPN)
November 17, 2019: 4 Hours of Shanghai (CHN)
December 14, 2019: 8 Hours of Bahrain (BAH)
February 23, 2020: Lone Star Le Mans (USA)
August 15, 2020: 6 Hours of Spa Francorchamps (BEL)
September 19-20, 2020: 24 Hours of Le Mans (FRA)
November 21, 2020: 8 Hours of Bahrain (BAH)
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