[WEC] 2015 WEC Discussion

[TF110]

Stepping away from the track limit talk, lets see what NEW Track talk will happen...
http://www.racer.com/wec-le-mans/ite...o-gerard-neveu
A good question on the scheduling and the huge summer gap by Marshall Pruett

MP: The WEC has been left with one of the strangest schedules of any racing series this year due to some unforeseen changes. We leave Le Mans in mid-June, then wait until mid-September for the next round – can we expect a more progressive calendar next year and beyond?

GV: ...We are working on different options for the future. But, for sure, all the options consider that we have to reduce the gap in summer and we have to respect after Le Mans a certain time to let the team fix their cars, rest the team because everybody is stretched to the limit. But the idea is to say, OK, if we can do it, we will try to organize a race by the end of August, for example, which is a great delay. After that, one race September, one October, one November, one beginning of December.

[ger80]

Hope Le Mans will be the start of the WEC season ...

[Deleted]

Originally Posted by TF110

Stepping away from the track limit talk, lets see what NEW Track talk will happen...
http://www.racer.com/wec-le-mans/ite...o-gerard-neveu
A good question on the scheduling and the huge summer gap by Marshall Pruett

That doesn't sound like new track: he mentions five post-LM races happening, just as is the case now...

Furthemore even end of the August is ludicrously long gap. ILMC Imola laughs at you (as do the regional series)

I don't really like the LM finale idea but then again the scheduling can hardly be any worse than it is right now in my book. But they really keep re-mentioning the Road to Le Mans marketing thing again and again, don't they...

[TF110]

Originally Posted by Chiana

That doesn't sound like new track: he mentions five post-LM races happening, just as is the case now...

Furthemore even end of the August is ludicrously long gap. ILMC Imola laughs at you (as do the regional series)

I don't really like the LM finale idea but then again the scheduling can hardly be any worse than it is right now in my book. But they really keep re-mentioning the Road to Le Mans marketing thing again and again, don't they...

You read the whole article? He goes onto say things about the winter schedule and hints at a larger calendar.

[Deleted]

Originally Posted by TF110

You read the whole article? He goes onto say things about the winter schedule and hints at a larger calendar.

"And it can help us to have more races during the winter period."
I think that merely means they're gonna move most of the current number of races to that period because it's less crowded season.

One of the many problems of this proposed winter schedule is that they would be forced to race in the southern hemisphere for most of the reason apart from the early fall and spring, unless they space it out unevenly (like now...). So even less chance of second or third race in North America and European races would have to be packed to April-May again. Assuming they wouldn't start the season in Europe

Then again they waste most of the summer and early fall doing nothing already so I guess there would no difference...

[joeb]

Potential winter schedule with current venues that could maybe work given local weather concerns:

December: Brazil
January: Bahrain
February: COTA
March: Fuji
March/April: Shanghai
April/May: Silverstone
May: Spa
June: Le Mans

[Simmi]

If they are going to have a winter schedule they need to be really careful and work alongside Formula E to reduce clashes.

Large amount of sportscar drivers involved.

[carbon_titanium]

Originally Posted by joeb

Potential winter schedule with current venues that could maybe work given local weather concerns:

December: Brazil
January: Bahrain
February: COTA
March: Fuji
March/April: Shanghai
April/May: Silverstone
May: Spa
June: Le Mans

Disagree, doing like this we'll have a giant 5 months hole...

To me the "winter" calendar should have the same actual calendar, just change the order of races...

1. austin sept
2. fuji oct
3. shangai nov
4. bahrain nov
5. interlagos nov-dec
6. silverstone apr
7. spa may
8. le mans june


To optmize everything, interlagos round should follow austin (or vice versa) so teams will avoid extra "ocean journey" for their cars, but will remain however a 3 months hole between nov-dec race and silverstone round. Unfortunately a january race will be extremely hard to organize, because most of lmp2, gtpro and gtam drivers and teams could be already involved with 24H of daytona

[Maelochs]

They could run Bathurst in mid-February ...

[joeb]

Originally Posted by carbon_titanium

Disagree, doing like this we'll have a giant 5 months hole...

To me the "winter" calendar should have the same actual calendar, just change the order of races...

1. austin sept
2. fuji oct
3. shangai nov
4. bahrain nov
5. interlagos nov-dec
6. silverstone apr
7. spa may
8. le mans june


To optmize everything, interlagos round should follow austin (or vice versa) so teams will avoid extra "ocean journey" for their cars, but will remain however a 3 months hole between nov-dec race and silverstone round. Unfortunately a january race will be extremely hard to organize, because most of lmp2, gtpro and gtam drivers and teams could be already involved with 24H of daytona

Good points, the tough part here is going to be the transition from the current schedule to a winter one. Currently Brazil is at the end of November so how you start a new season after that is tricky.

[joeb]

As talk begins to heat up for next season, I thought I would get this thread started. I have moved a few posts from the 2014 thread to begin.

[MagVanisher]

Originally Posted by Maelochs

They could run Bathurst in mid-February ...

I would like to, but will those prototypes survive without crashing down towards the cliff?

[Deleted]

Bathurst has too low of a FIA Grade for LMP. And not gargantuan seas of tarmac runoffs aka the first priority check of FIA/ACO unfortunately...

For those winter calendar suggestions here, are we seriously suggesting - especially knowÃ*ng the current situation - that they would only settle for two month off season between LM and August... with only 8 races there would be bigger gaps during the actual season alone.

[hondafan37]

I think it would be better to have 14 races of 500 KM than 7 races of 1000 KM.

my calendar could be so:
August: Nurburgring and Sochi
September: Montreal and Austin
October: Fuji and Surfers Paradise
November: Shangai and Bahrein
December: Abu Dhabi
January: Interlagos
February: Montmelo
March: Monza
April: Silverstone
May: Spa
June: Le mans

[Deleted]

I would preferably have distances ranging all the way from 500km to 12h in multiple variations, but yes I'd rather even have spec 500km format for all the regular races than the tedious standardized six hours.

But since ACO is too stubborn to change we are wasting valuable minutes of our lives daydreaming of these.

[carbon_titanium]

the transition issue could be solved if all teams agree to run 2 different seasons in only one. I explain better, at example:

silverstone 2014
spa 2014
le mans 2014

austin 2014 - 2015
fuji 2014 - 2015
shangai 2014 - 2015
bahrein 2014 - 2015
interlagos 2014 - 2015

silverstone 2015
spa 2015
le mans 2015


the points given for austin/fuji/shangai/bahrein/interlagos races are awarded for 2014 season and for 2015 too... example, audi will go to austin with 114 points, if #1 and #2 at austin will finish first and second, audi will earn 43 points for both 2014 and 2015 championship (157points for 2014 classification, 43 for 2015). 2014 points earned from silverstone will be kept until the season end at interlagos, while all the 2015 points earned from austin to interlagos will be for 2015 classification; after the winter break; silverstone, spa and le mans races will decide 2015 classification! so after 2015 LM, the 2015-2016 winter series can start smoothly.

[Canada ALMS fan]

Originally Posted by Maelochs

They could run Bathurst in mid-February ...

Oh my, LMP cars on that track would be a sight. Not realistic unfortunately. Nor is Montreal if it is a winter series sadly.

[Pontlieue]

Originally Posted by Canada ALMS fan

Oh my, LMP cars on that track would be a sight. Not realistic unfortunately. Nor is Montreal if it is a winter series sadly.

Montreal in September could work.

[ger80]

Why do you want to have Le Mans as the last race? It will devalue WEC. Have it as the first race, NASCAR also starts with Daytona. That will draw attention and people might watch the next races ...

[Maelochs]

It works for NASCAR, why not try it with auto racing?

[jee]

Originally Posted by ger80

Why do you want to have Le Mans as the last race? It will devalue WEC. Have it as the first race, NASCAR also starts with Daytona. That will draw attention and people might watch the next races ...

I think the issue is not the spectators but the teams/manufacturers quitting after LeMans. They are trying this way to have all the races as "Road to LeMans" and not "Road off LeMans"

[Deleted]

In other words, they know too well teams only really care about Le Mans and treat rest of the championship as afterthought.

To quote Maelochs from the other thread, "it only hurts 'cause it's true"

[Purist]

However, the main South American series, and Australian V8 Supercars, keep to the Northern Hemisphere calendar, rather than their own. The World Cup is happening in Brazilian winter, and it will be the same for the Summer Olympics in 2016. Where is A1GP right now?

All of the teams, cars, and all but one track are in the Northern Hemisphere. I know why it's being discussed, but it doesn't make sense and won't work well, if at all. There's no sense in having the guys overseas in early December, and then again sometime in January, because everything will have to come back to home base, so that everyone can spend the Holidays with their families. Not to mention, a bunch of drivers and team personnel are tied up with the Daytona 24 at the end of January anyway.

[TF110]

Theres a big summer/early Autumn in the northern hemisphere with warm weather to run 4 races. Theres also plenty of tropical/semi arad areas they could visit during the winter. Early in the year they could travel to there or to the southern hemisphere. Indonesia would be a good place to run imo.

[Salamus]

Originally Posted by jee

I think the issue is not the spectators but the teams/manufacturers quitting after LeMans. They are trying this way to have all the races as "Road to LeMans" and not "Road off LeMans"

This isn't true at all.

2012 - 4 cars dropped out: 16, 28, 58, 59
2013 - 2 cars dropped out: 21, 28 (include the 13 car if you want)
2014 - so far in 2014, no one has dropped out

This problem isn't as bad as people make it out to be.