WEC announces five-year contract extension with Spa to 2028
Spa Francorchamps will remain on the calendar of the World Endurance Championship and European Le Mans Series until 2028 after signing a five-year contract extension.
JEP / Motorsport Images
Le Mans Endurance Management, a subsidiary of Le Mans organiser the Automobile Club de l'Ouest that runs the WEC and ELMS, signed the deal with the Belgian track ahead of this weekend's third round of the 2023 WEC.
Spa has been a mainstay of the world championship since 2012, when the WEC began in its current guise, and marked the debut outing of the new Hypercar class when it hosted the first round of the 2021 championship.
A four-hour race at Spa has also been a fixture on the ELMS calendar since 2016, and it was the scene of the first demonstration runs for the ACO's hydrogen MissionH24 machine in 2018.
The announcement was made on Thursday during an official unveiling of Spa's new Endurance Grandstand opposite the old pits on the run to Eau Rouge, in the presence of municipal authorities and ACO president Pierre Fillon.
LMEM CEO Frederic Lequien said: “Stability across our championships is extremely important and to continue our relationship with Spa-Francorchamps is a great honour.
“The circuit has been a regular fixture in both the WEC and ELMS calendars for many years and provides teams and fans with excellent racing and world-class facilities.
“There is no denying that it is one of the drivers’ favourite venues, and the track is truly unique which always provides thrilling action.
“We have witnessed some incredible races in WEC and ELMS over the years and thanks to the team at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, we can now look forward to many more to follow.”
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Circuit boss Amaury Bertholome added: “I am delighted to extend the contract with LMEM which confirms the anchoring of the WEC and the ELMS in the circuit's calendar.
“The 6 Hours of Spa Francorchamps are, without a doubt, part of the important FIA world championship, now expanding with the addition of new constructors and an undeniable rebound in popularity.
“The special attention that LMEM brings to the quality of this championship and to the reception of its fans forms part of the reinforcement of the Circuit's status as an economic, sporting and tourism lung for the region.”
Qualifying for the Spa 6 Hours begins at 17:00 local time on Friday, before the race gets under way at 12:45 local time on Saturday.
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