The FIA WEC rounds: First-class calendar

In 2016, the WEC is racing on some of the world’s best tracks again. The classics at Silverstone and Spa are on the calendar as well as the tradition-steeped circuit at Fuji, the unusual facility at Austin, and the unique circuit at Le Mans.

Round 1: April 17, Silverstone (GB) 6 Hours.

Track length:

5.891 kilometers

Victories clinched by Audi’s LMP race cars:

2004 Allan McNish/Pierre Kaffer, Audi R8; 2005 Allan McNish/Stéphane Ortelli, Audi R8; 2008 Dindo Capello/Allan McNish, Audi R10 TDI; 2012 Marcel Fässler/André Lotterer/Benoît Tréluyer, Audi R18 e-tron quattro; 2013 Loïc Duval/Tom Kristensen/Allan McNish, Audi R18 e-tron quattro; 2015 Marcel Fässler/André Lotterer/Benoît Tréluyer, Audi R18 e-tron quattro

Track description by Lucas di Grassi:

“The season opener at Silverstone stands for a great mix. Originally, the facility was a high-speed track on a former airfield. In the meantime, several narrow sections in the first track sector have been added. As a result, the race car’s set-up requires a good compromise. As drivers, we particularly enjoy the first corners such as Maggotts or Becketts. In an LMP1 race car, these sections are incredible fun.”

Round 2: May 7, Spa-Francorchamps (B) 6 Hours

Track length:

7.004 kilometers

Victories clinched by Audi’s LMP race cars:

2003 Seiji Ara/Tom Kristensen, Audi R8; 2004 Jamie Davies/Johnny Herbert, Audi R8; 2012 Romain Dumas/Loïc Duval/Marc Gené, Audi R18 ultra; 2013 Marcel Fässler/André Lotterer/Benoît Tréluyer, Audi R18 e-tron quattro; 2015 Marcel Fässler/André Lotterer/Benoît Tréluyer, Audi R18 e-tron quattro; 2016 Lucas di Grassi/Loïc Duval/Oliver Jarvis, Audi R18

Track description by Marcel Fässler:

“The track at Spa is a very special one for any race driver. The track managed to preserve its character even in this day and age and the many vertical differences on each lap are real fun. The famous Eau Rouge corner, as well as the double left-hander near Pouhon and the Blanchimont section on the way back to the start and finish are simply fantastic in the Audi R18. My teammates and I have won in Belgium twice in the past three years.”

Round 3: June 18–19, Le Mans (F) 24 Hours

Track length:

13.629 kilometers

Victories clinched by Audi’s LMP race cars:

2000 Frank Biela/Tom Kristensen/Emanuele Pirro, Audi R8; 2001 Frank Biela/Tom Kristensen/Emanuele Pirro, Audi R8; 2002 Frank Biela/Tom Kristensen/Emanuele Pirro, Audi R8; 2004 Seiji Ara/Dindo Capello/Tom Kristensen, Audi R8; 2005 Tom Kristensen/JJ Lehto/Marco Werner, Audi R8; 2006 Frank Biela/Emanuele Pirro/Marco Werner, Audi R10 TDI; 2007 Frank Biela/Emanuele Pirro/Marco Werner, Audi R10 TDI; 2008 Dindo Capello/Tom Kristensen/Allan McNish, Audi R10 TDI; 2010 Timo Bernhard/Romain Dumas/Mike Rockenfeller, Audi R15 TDI; 2011 Marcel Fässler/André Lotterer/Benoît Tréluyer, Audi R18 TDI; 2012 Marcel Fässler/André Lotterer/Benoît Tréluyer, Audi R18 e-tron quattro; 2013 Loïc Duval/Tom Kristensen/Allan McNish, Audi R18 e-tron quattro; 2014 Marcel Fässler/André Lotterer/Benoît Tréluyer, Audi R18 e-tron quattro

Track description by Benoît Tréluyer:

“Competing in this event as a Frenchman is overwhelming every year. There’s hardly another race with such a tradition. The number of fans at the venue alone is incredible and media from all over the world come to the event. The track keeps us in awe. It punishes a mistake a lot more severely than most other circuits. The track length, the changes between day and night, between public roads and the short section on the Circuit Bugatti, Audi’s string of success, the enormous pressure of expectations – this race really leaves no one cold. Three times my teammates and I have won this race with Audi. And, still, we have to deal with the specific conditions again every year. Plus, we hope for the necessary racing fortune.”

Round 4: July 24, Nürburgring (D) 6 Hours

Track length:

5.137 kilometers

Victories clinched by Audi’s LMP race cars:

2004 Allan McNish/Pierre Kaffer, Audi R8

Track description by André Lotterer:

“At the Nürburgring, we showed a great German premiere with the FIA WEC a year ago. The fans were thrilled by our sport and the grandstands well-filled. The track combines highly different sections. In the first part, there are slow ones that permit many lines, which make overtaking easier. Later, there are various semi-fast and fast turns, for instance on the back-straight. A lap is completed by slow sections such as the chicane and the last turn.”

Round 5, September 3, Mexico (MEX) 6 Hours

Track length:

4.304 kilometers

Victories clinched by Audi’s LMP race cars:

–

Track description by Oliver Jarvis:

“The altitude is a major special aspect in Mexico. We drive 2,285 meters above sea level and the air is notably thinner. Unusual as well is a track section that leads through a baseball stadium. The corners there are very challenging and the atmosphere in this bowl is guaranteed to be unique. I remember the nice atmosphere well when I won a single-seater race there in 2007. When we’re racing there with the FIA WEC, the fans can look forward to many overtaking maneuvers. The braking areas at the end of the three straights are practically made for that.”

Round 6, September 17, Circuit of the Americas (USA) 6 Hours

Track length:

5.513 kilometers

Victories clinched by Audi’s LMP race cars:

2013 Loïc Duval/Tom Kristensen/Allan McNish, Audi R18 e-tron quattro; 2014 Marcel Fässler/André Lotterer/Benoît Tréluyer, Audi R18 e-tron quattro

Track description by Loïc Duval:

“Austin is a nice circuit. The vertical differences that tend to be rare for a modern race track and the fast sections in the first sector are a lot of fun. However, there are also several turns, which results in a special rhythm. Unusual at Austin is the large number of 20 turns, plus driving counter-clockwise. We always enjoy racing in Texas and have experienced some great events there. There have been years in which the weather was unpredictable. Cloud bursts two years ago caused the race to be interrupted. My best memories of the track are those of 2013. That’s when my teammates and I won for Audi there.”

Round 7, October 16, Fuji (J) 6 Hours

Track length:

4.563 kilometers

Victories clinched by Audi’s LMP race cars:

–

Track description by Benoît Tréluyer:

“Japan is my second home in racing because I drove there for 13 years. I have fond memories of the track at Fuji because that’s where I clinched most of my victories in Japan. The track has many unusual characteristics, such as the nearly one-and-a-half-kilometer start-and-finish straight, a long omega-shaped corner and the special conditions in rain. In the mountainous region east of Mount Fuji, the weather is often changeable. When it rains, there’ll be streams running across the track. It’s hardly possible then to keep driving. The fans in Japan are first-class. They love sports car races and greatly appreciate the European drivers as well.”

Round 8, November 6, Shanghai (CN) 6 Hours

Track length:

5.451 kilometers

Victories clinched by Audi’s LMP race cars:

2013 Marcel Fässler/André Lotterer/Benoît Tréluyer, Audi R18 e-tron quattro

Track description by Loïc Duval:

“Shanghai is special in every respect. We’re racing in Audi’s largest market. Plus, unusual turns like the ones on this track exist nowhere else in the world. After the start and finish, the first right-hander features a helical shape, followed by some very fast corners. Later, turn 13 opens up like a helix as well. Two of the very long straights make high speeds possible, but they are followed by hard braking areas. On four sections of the track, we even have to downshift all the way into first gear. So the set-up of our race car requires a lot of compromises.”

Round 9: November 19, Bahrain (BRN) 6 Hours

Track length:

5.412 kilometers

Victories clinched by Audi’s LMP race cars:

2012 Marcel Fässler/André Lotterer/Benoît Tréluyer, Audi R18 e-tron quattro

Track description by Marcel Fässler:

“Our only race in the desert has almost traditionally been the finale of the WEC season. While you’re driving, an abrupt stop-and-go rhythm develops – three long straights are followed by very narrow turns. There are two faster turns in succession in the middle part of the track as well. The desert sand which the wind blows onto the track clearly changes grip. Typical for Bahrain are the high temperatures and lighting conditions during the race. We primarily drive in darkness under floodlights.”