The experiment WEC could revisit to magnify its boom period

This month’s Qatar 1812km season-opener was the longest ‘regular’ race the World Endurance Championship has hosted since the series was relaunched in 2012. That is if you don’t count the time when the WEC field joined what was then known as the American Le Mans Series for the Sebring 12 Hours almost 12 years to this day for its modern-era reboot. Lasting just short of the 10-hour time limit, the Qatar race was considerably longer than the Sebring 1000 Miles fixture it replaced this year, as well as the season-closing eight-hour round in neighbouring Bahrain.

The WEC had previously stuck to standard six-hour races for all events besides its flagship Le Mans 24 Hours spectacle. In recent years, however, the series has diverged from that proven formula with a couple of longer races, increasing the duration of the Bahrain finale to eight hours and adding a 1000-mile race at Sebring on the same weekend as the IMSA SportsCar Championship's 12-hour classic.

The new Sebring round proved to be a hit for the championship following its introduction, both due to the circuit’s history and the fact that it was a part of a larger celebration of endurance racing along with IMSA’s annual race at the Florida venue. The decision to elongate the Bahrain round likewise proved to be successful, with the bonus points on offer during the race contributing to more thrilling title showdowns. In the 2019-20 season, for instance, the #7 Toyota crew would not have been able to overhaul the sister TS050 HYBRID if there weren't an extra 14 points on offer for winning the race.

With it now being clear that the longer races add value to the championship, is it time for promoters the FIA and the Automobile Club de l’Ouest to consider the other end of the spectrum and throw in some three or four-hour races to the mix? It won’t be something that the WEC hasn’t experimented with before.

In the same 2019-20 season, the races at Silverstone and Shanghai were reduced from six hours to four in a bid to add more variety to the championship. It was a move that didn’t exactly prove popular and wasn’t helped by there being a European Le Mans Series round of exactly the same duration at Silverstone the same weekend as the WEC round. If WEC wanted to stand out from its regional sibling at the home of the British Grand Prix, hosting a race that was exactly as long as ELMS was never going to be a success.

The WEC previously trialled shorter races in 2019-20, with four-hour races at Silverstone and Shanghai

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But a lot of things have changed in the intervening five years, which suggests it might be time to revisit the idea of shorter WEC races. The popularity of TikTok and Instagram reels, plus the COVID-19 pandemic, has dramatically impacted the viewing habits of people of all ages, and it’s something that all sporting championships must factor in while deciding what direction to take in the coming years.

Because of the very DNA of endurance racing, taking a leaf out of Formula 1 and MotoGP's book by introducing a sprint race ahead of the main event is out of the question. Not only will it turn off hardcore fans, but it’s also unlikely to draw a new audience to the series.

To attract more people, the WEC needs a solution that shows everyone why a car race longer than two hours is worth watching, without making them sit through the dull periods that are generally accepted as being a part of this form of competition. A race anywhere between three and five hours could be the answer. After figuring out the stint lengths in both the Hypercar and LMGT3 class, an exact time or distance limit could be calculated for a particular circuit to guarantee a thrilling spectacle.

"We have a minimum of six-hour races which is already long. Maybe it would be a good feature to do a three-hour race: one-hour stint for each driver"
Michael Christensen

The possibilities are endless. If the race length is at the lower end of the range, that could mean all three drivers getting one stint in the car each. However, add in some extra time and the teams may have to decide which of their three drivers will get a second go. In the LMGT3 class for instance, the WEC could introduce a minimum time limit for the bronze driver, as with every other race, essentially forcing them into returning to the track for a second stint.

Tyre and fuel usage must also be factored in to ensure the races aren’t exactly flat-out. Not having to save fuel or tyres is actually counterproductive for racing, as it reduces a variable between various cars on track.

It will be a hard balance to maintain, and the WEC would be advised not to make things too artificial. It is one of the few series blessed with a strong core of diehard fans, one that must not be alienated just to attract newer fans from other championships.

Equally, it must be noted that the 2024 WEC season already features 72 hours of racing. That means a fan will have to spend three full days in front of the television not to miss any action. For comparison, last year’s F1 calendar featured 22 races plus six sprints running for a total of 41.4 hours.

Varying the lengths of races might increase strategic variation or put more emphasis on bronze drivers in LMGT3 combinations

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To provide an even better perspective, an entire F1 weekend only consists of around six hours of on-track action across practice, qualifying and the race, which is far less than the length of WEC’s two rounds in the Middle East at either end of the 2024 season. The idea of introducing shorter races is something that some drivers in the series are already in favour of.

“We have a minimum of six-hour races which is already long,” says Porsche driver Michael Christensen, who has been regularly competing in the WEC since 2015. “Maybe it would be a good feature to do a three-hour race: one-hour stint for each driver. Maybe that could put some different perspective to it. I wouldn't mind.

He added: ”It makes it easy with three because you have three drivers, but could be four as well.”

It’s also worth reconsidering short-distance events because the style of racing in the WEC in 2024 is radically different to what we have witnessed in the last few years. A large part of that is down to the departure of LMP2 cars, which has paved the way for a two-class structure in the series.

The difference between lap times in Hypercars and LMP2s was not that significant, even after the decision to artificially slow down the intermediate class, and that added an extra degree of challenge for drivers in the top division. With no LMP2s in 2024, traffic is less of a problem compared to past years, which means fewer opportunities for the Hypercar pack to close up - and thus fewer overtakes. GT drivers also only need to give way to much faster Hypercars in 2024, and don’t have to worry about fast-closing LMP2 cars filling their mirrors.

The exact impact of the two-class structure won’t be clear until the WEC visits more traditional venues in Europe after paying its first visit to the Losail International Circuit for its opening round. But shorter races could be the way to deliver more exciting action for longer stretches.

Going IMSA’s way and basing the calendar around 2h40m races, with a handful of endurance rounds scattered through the season, isn’t the right way forward for the championship either. But that’s not to say that the series can’t have one or two events catered to newer and younger audiences, while retaining six, eight and even 10-hour fixtures. It’s something the WEC should particularly consider as it ponders whether to add a ninth and possibly a 10th round to the calendar.

Adding a race shorter than six hours won’t go against the tradition of the series either. The World SportsCar Championship, the forerunner to the present-day WEC, held a 100-mile race at the Norisring street circuit in 1986 with no refuelling stops. The following year, it held a pair of races of the same length at the German venue, with results combined to determine the points tally. The WEC doesn’t need to go to such extreme lengths while adding a ninth round, but as there is already precedent for a sprint-style race then there is no harm in trying a new format.

The world championship has previously staged sprint events at the Norisring, although it remains to be seen if this would ever be repeated in the modern era

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The WEC is in a unique position that it already has an entry point to the series, with Le Mans widely seen as one of the most prestigious races in all disciplines of motorsport. But convincing fans of the French enduro to watch other WEC rounds is an age-old problem - and one that has left many people scratching their heads for more than a decade.

Getting fans of F1, MotoGP, IMSA or even IndyCar to tune into Le Mans for one weekend a year is relatively easy. But the same fans have always felt that other WEC rounds aren’t prestigious enough to be worthy of their time. That could change if some races are shorter and guaranteed of good action, especially with so many manufacturers now going head-to-head in the top class.

Of course, that would require a solid marketing effort from the WEC, something that hasn’t always been the series' biggest strength. But if there is any time to throw more resources on advertising the series, it is now. Sportscar racing is in rude health at the start of 2024, and a joint promotional effort with manufacturers could go a long way in helping draw more eyeballs.

"There is no question about the 24 Hours of Le Mans but I agree there are one or the other races where we would maybe need more to attract [fans]"
Andreas Roos

There are nine car brands in Hypercar this year, and each of them have invested a sizeable amount of money to build LMH and LMDh cars. Getting a solid return on their investment will be crucial to convince their respective boards to stay in the series for an extended period of time.

“This is something where we very closely work together with the WEC, to show the needs what we have as a manufacturer but also [what] the championship [wants],” says BMW motorsport boss Andreas Roos. “I think there is a close collaboration between both parties to see what a local market can do.

“We from BMW, for example, in Qatar have a lot of people coming here from the local market to pull more traction to the race. This is something where we have to work together to make this even better and work on it. There is no question about the 24 Hours of Le Mans but I agree there are one or the other races where we would maybe need more to attract [fans].”

The 2023 season of WEC was a huge success, despite Toyota winning every round aside from the centenary edition of Le Mans. But if the series wants to reach even greater heights in the coming years, it shouldn’t be too afraid to try something out of the ordinary and bring itself more in line with the post-COVID world.

Manufacturers want to maximise their return on investment in the WEC - could more varied race lengths be a solution to increase eyeballs?

Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images