World Endurance Championship

  • Teaser for 2018 BMW M8 race car

    Behold the new BMW M8 race car that will be taking to top circuits around the globe in 2018. The car is still heavily camouflaged but it’s easy to make out the general shape. And take away the pumped fenders and aerodynamic elements and you’re pretty much looking at the new BMW 8-Series coupe due on the market in late 2018 or early the following year. BMW confirmed it was working on an M8 race car in May, when it revealed a prototype for a new M8 road car. The two are being developed in parallel, just like Ford did with its GT supercar. BMW is developing the M8 race car to both...

  • Porsche at the 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans
    Could Porsche ditch the WEC for F1?

    Porsche is at the top of its game in the World Endurance Championship, but there are rumors the German marque could exit the sport, and thus the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The reason? To either supply power units for Formula One or enter Formula E as a constructor—or possibly both. Germany’s...

  • No. 35 Alpine A470 at the 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans
    Alpine promoted to Le Mans podium after Vaillante Rebellion disqualification

    There’s been a shakeup in the results of last weekend’s 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans regarding the LMP2 class. The No. 13 Vaillante Rebellion Oerca 07 which placed third, thanks to the efforts of Nelson Piquet Jr, Mathias Beche and David Heinemeier Hansson, was disqualified on Monday...

  • No. 8 Toyota TS050 Hybrid at the 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans
    LMP1 Hybrids will require an electric-only mode in 2020

    There’s no doubt vehicle electrification is going to play a major role in the development of new cars in the coming decade. Organizers of motorsport, even at the highest levels, are well aware of this and are reshaping the regulations to ensure the technology of the racing world doesn’t...

  • No. 2 Porsche 919 Hybrid LMP1 at the 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans
    Porsche makes miracle comeback to win 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans

    Porsche pulled off a miracle finish at the 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans on Sunday when it’s No. 2 919 Hybrid LMP1 driven by Earl Bamber, Timo Bernhard and Brendon Hartley crossed the finish line first, despite being stuck in the pits for over an hour at one point. The miracle was made possible...

  • No. 7 Toyota TS050 Hybrid LMP1 at the 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans
    Toyota’s Kobayashi secures 2017 Le Mans pole with record lap

    Kamui Kobayashi driving the No. 7 Toyota TS050 Hybrid during qualifying for the 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans has smashed the lap record and in the process secured pole position for this weekend’s race. The ex-Formula One driver's time during the second qualifying session on Thursday was 3:14.791...

  • 2017 Porsche 919 Hybrid LMP1 race car

    Teams are currently qualifying for the 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans which runs June 17-18. You can get a sense of what it’s like to head out on the 8.5-mile Circuit de la Sarthe where the race is held thanks to this interactive video. (Note, the video doesn’t work in all browsers.) The video provides a 360-degree view of a lap completed by Marc Lieb in one of the two Porsche 919 Hybrids competing in the premier LMP1 class. He gives a good explanation of all the happenings taking place in a single lap. The Le Mans race is the third round of the 2017 World Endurance Championship...

  • 2017 Larbre Chevrolet Corvette C7.R race car
    French team to race wild Corvette C7.R art car in 24 Hours of Le Mans

    French race team Larbre Competition has revealed a wild livery for the No. 50 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R it plans to enter in the 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans, which runs the weekend starting June 17. The livery was created by French artist Ramzi Adek who came up with a pop art theme that would fit right...

  • BMW M8 prototype, 2017 M Festival
    BMW M8 teased, will race at Le Mans

    BMW M used this weekend’s M Festival held at the Nürburgring to confirm an M8 performance flagship will form part of the new 8-Series range currently in the works. The first member of the new range will be a regular 8-Series coupe. It debuts in 2018 and was previewed on Friday at the...

  • 2017 Porsche 919 Hybrid LMP1 race car
    Watch a 2017 Porsche 919 Hybrid LMP1 blast its way around Spa

    If you ever wanted a feel for what it’s like lapping Belgium’s Spa in a top-level endurance racer, then sit down and watch this video in its entirety. It’s filmed from the cockpit of the number 2 2017 Porsche 919 Hybrid LMP1 race car with Porsche factory driver Earl Bamber behind...

  • #68 Ford GT at the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans
    Ford planned to race the Mustang at Le Mans, before deciding on the GT

    The automotive world collectively gasped when Ford rolled out quite the surprise at the 2015 Detroit auto show. The blue oval welcomed the GT back into its portfolio of performance vehicles, and it had its sights on the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Believe it or not, the rebirth of the iconic GT almost...

  • 2017 Porsche 919 Hybrid LMP1 race car
    Watch Porsche wring out its 2017 919 Hybrid LMP1 at Monza

    Porsche is aiming to defend its World Endurance Championship and Le Mans titles in 2017, and it recently revealed the racer it thinks is up to the task. The 2017 Porsche 919 Hybrid LMP1 is the marque’s latest track weapon, and it looks ready to pounce on the track with approximately 887...

  • 2017 Porsche 919 Hybrid LMP1 race car

    Porsche has revealed the new LMP1-spec race car that it hopes will earn it its third-straight title in both the World Endurance Championship and the event highlight, the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The new car is still classified as a 919 Hybrid, but it is significantly improved compared to the 919 Hybrids of previous years. Porsche says between 60 and 70 percent of the parts are new. The engineers have once again selected a turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine (arranged in a V-4 configuration) to power the rear wheels, and a motor-generator that relies on the highest allowable rate of energy...

  • 2017 Toyota TS050 Hybrid LMP1 race car
    Toyota reveals 2017 TS050 Hybrid LMP1 endurance racer

    A new season of the World Endurance Championship is nearly upon us and Toyota will be back to chase the title. The automaker will do so with the 2017 TS050 Hybrid revealed today and destined to compete in the premier LMP1 class. This is the car Toyota hopes will finally earn it victory in the 24...

  • Mazzanti named technical partner for Cetilar Villorba Corse racing team
    Mazzanti is new technical partner of LMP2 team Cetilar Villorba Corse

    Italian supercar Mazzanti, maker of the 1,000-horsepower Evantra Millecavalli, has joined forces with Italian racing team Cetilar Villorba Corse. Cetilar Villorba Corse competes in a number of endurance events, the premier one being the 24 Hours of Le Mans in which it competes in the LMP2 class...

  • Romain Dumas, Neel Jani and Marc Lieb and the 2016 Porsche 919 Hybrid LMP1 race car
    Porsche drivers named 2016 World Endurance champions as Audi bows out

    The drivers of the number 2 Porsche 919 Hybrid Romain Dumas, Marc Lieb and Neel Jani have been declared the champions of the 2016 World Endurance Championship, with the battle for the Drivers’ title coming down to the final race in Bahrain on Saturday. Porsche was already named the winner of...

  • Porsche 911 RSR, 2016 Los Angeles Auto Show
    Porsche 911 finally adopts mid-engine layout with 2017 RSR

    Since the first 911 entered production in 1963, Porsche has been faithful to the iconic sports car’s rear-engine layout, Beetle jokes notwithstanding. But when it comes to performance, it appears Porsche has finally reached the limits of having so much mass so far out the back. How do we know...

  • Porsche drivers Brendon Hartley, Mark Webber & Timo Bernhard win 2016 6 Hours of Shanghai
    Porsche wins 2016 World Endurance Championship

    Porsche has done it again. The automaker from Stuttgart was named the winner of the Manufacturers’ title in the 2016 World Endurance Championship at the conclusion of the 6 Hours of Shanghai on Sunday. There’s still the 6 Hours of Bahrain on November 19 but Porsche enjoys an unbeatable...

  • 2016 Audi R18 LMP1 race car

    Audi has confirmed earlier reports that it is about to end its participation in the World Endurance Championship. Audi will exit the sport at the end of the 2016 season, in the process ending 18 years of prototype racing. (The final race will be the 6 Hours of Bahrain on November 19.) During those years, Audi managed 13 wins in the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans, the highlight of the WEC. “After 18 years in prototype racing that were exceptionally successful for Audi, it’s obviously extremely hard to leave,” Audi motorsport boss Wolfgang Ullrich said in a statement...

  • Mark Webber
    Mark Webber to retire from racing at end of 2016 season

    Mark Webber, a true legend of motorsport, has announced his retirement from professional racing. The Australian will step down at the end of the 2016 World Endurance Championship in which he is racing for leading team Porsche. That means his last race will be the 6 Hours of Bahrain on November 19...

  • Porsche 919 Hybrid LMP1 race car’s electric energy recovery and drive system
    Porsche reveals tech behind Le Mans-winning 919 Hybrid

    Porsche’s 919 Hybrid is proving to be one of the most successful race cars in the German automaker’s history. It’s currently in its third year of competition and already under its belt are a title in the World Endurance Championship and a pair of victories in the 24 Hours of Le...

  • Ford GT at the 2016 Six Hours of The Glen
    Ford GT to continue racing through 2019

    Ford Motor Company’s [NYSE:F] new GT supercar will keep racing through the 2019 motorsport season in both the World Endurance Championship and the United SportsCar Championship. The automaker confirmed the extended motorsport program for the GT on Saturday, explaining that the program is...

  • Toyota at the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans
    Toyota reveals reason behind last-minute Le Mans fail

    Poised to win its first ever 24 Hours of Le Mans last weekend, tragedy struck for Toyota as its leading #5 TS050 Hybrid prototype competing in the premier LMP1 category suddenly lost power in the closing minutes of the race. Details are now starting to emerge on what exactly went wrong with the...

  • #5 Toyota TS050 Hybrid at the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans
    2016 24 Hours of Le Mans: Wins for Porsche, Ford overshadowed by heartbreak for Toyota

    It was the cruelest of endings on Sunday at the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans, with car trouble costing Toyota the overall win in the closing minutes. Heavy rain prior to the race led to some flooding and saw the safety car on the track for almost the entire first hour. Once the race was on, Toyota led...

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