The calendar for the 2016 FIA World Endurance Championship season has been approved by the World Motor Sport Council following its latest meeting.
On Wednesday, the FIA issued a statement on behalf of the WMSC regarding a number of issues across all of the championships which it governs, including a number of changes in Formula 1.
WEC officials confirmed a provisional nine-race calendar for the 2016 season at the 6 Hours of COTA in Austin, Texas in September, adding Mexico City to the existing schedule.
This has now been rubber-stamped by the WMSC, confirming the calendar and also approving “technical measures proposed by the Endurance Commission to make the FIA World Endurance Championship more appealing for new manufacturers to enter in the LMP1 category.
“These include regulations around ICEs, hybrid systems, aerodynamics, wind tunnel use and track test limitations.”
An additional note reads: “To continue the improvement of the safety of GT cars, the installation of racing nets homologated to FIA standard 8863-2013 will be mandatory in LMGTE cars to restrict the range of movement of a driver in the case of an accident. This measure has already been applied to GT3 cars.”
Unlike the doubts over F1’s return to the United States next year, the WEC will certainly be heading back to the Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas, fixed for the Lone Star Le Mans weekend on September 17.
2016 FIA World Endurance Championship calendar
1. 6 Hours of Silverstone (Great Britain) - April 17
2. 6 Hours of Spa (Belgium) - May 7
3. 24 Hours of Le Mans (France) - June 18-19
4. 6 Hours of Nürburgring (Germany) - July 24
5. 6 Hours of Mexico (Mexico) - September 3
6. 6 Hours of Circuit of The Americas (USA) - September 17
7. 6 Hours of Fuji (Japan) - October 16
8. 6 Hours of Shanghai (China) - November 6
9. 6 Hours of Bahrain (Bahrain) - November 19
