24h Le Mans
In the wake of the first two successful editions, the competitors in the World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC) are gearing up for an exciting return at the Nürburgring in Germany this coming weekend, just a month after the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Since the Brazilian circuit Interlagos was closed for full renovations in 2015, the Nürburgring was given the opportunity to become a destination on the World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC) program. Increasingly popular with an already large fan base, as well as LMP1 teams and manufacturers (Porsche considers it a home playing field and the headquarters of Toyota's sporting branch is located in Cologne), the circuit that first hosted a 1,000 km race in 1953 has become a crucial stop on the championship calendar.
The competitors will not run on the original track, the famous Nordschleife and its 172 turns, rather on the modern 4.556 km circuit situated in the shadow of the Medieval castle. Comprised mainly of slow turns, the circuit necessitates a high downforce aero kit which Porsche will use for the first time, unlike Toyota who already adopted it for the Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps rounds. The German manufacturer preferred to develop the low downforce aero kit destined for the 24 Hours of Le Mans despite sacrificing performance level while its Japanese counterpart did the opposite.
All Porsche and Toyota driver line-ups will participate in the 6 Hours of Nürburgring despite a conflict with the date of the New York round of Formula E, a championship in which several endurance racing drivers take part, compelling certain LMP2 and LMGTE Pro teams to tweak their duos or trios as appropriate.
The start of the 6 Hours of Nürburgring, fourth round of the World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC) in 2017, will be given on Sunday, July 16th at noon local time.
PHOTO: Toyota in LMP1, and Ford in LMGTE Pro, will attempt to turn the tide at the Nürburging after the victories of Porsche and Aston Martin, respectively, at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
