As the summer break wraps up, the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) is gearing up for an exciting round at the Circuit of The Americas this weekend. This event, the sixth round of the 2024 season, marks a significant moment as it brings the series back to the USA.
I remember the last time WEC raced at COTA in February 2020. Back then, the sport was struggling to make a big splash. The event was a last-minute substitute for São Paulo and took place right before the world went into lockdown. At that time, the paddock was more concerned about the future of the championship amid the looming pandemic.
Back in 2020, only three top-class cars participated, with a lone Rebellion R13 challenging Toyota’s dominant TS050 HYBRIDs. However, the big news was the suspension of Aston Martin’s Valkyrie Hypercar program, leaving only Glickenhaus and Toyota as the main competitors. Now, four years later, the Valkyrie program is back on track, and the WEC is in a much stronger place.
Looking ahead to this weekend, the focus is on the Hypercar championship. Toyota’s recent win in Brazil has tightened the race. Porsche leads with 126 points, just four ahead of Toyota, which has 122 points. Ferrari, bolstered by its victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, is also in the mix with 109 points. With 91 points still up for grabs, the competition between Porsche, Toyota, and Ferrari is intense, and this round could be crucial.
In the driver standings, the #6 Porsche team of Kevin Estre, Andre Lotterer, and Laurens Vanthoor holds the lead, boosted by their strong performance in Brazil. Ferrari’s Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina, and Nicklas Nielsen are aiming for a better result at COTA to close the gap. Toyota’s Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries are also hoping to improve on their fourth-place finish from São Paulo.
The Balance of Performance (BoP) changes for COTA could impact the teams. Porsche and Toyota have seen weight increases, while other teams like Peugeot have benefited from reductions. It’s hard to predict the exact effect of these changes until the race starts.
This weekend also marks the first race without Isotta Fraschini, which has withdrawn from the championship. Despite this, the top class still features 18 impressive cars. Beyond the title race, teams like Cadillac, Peugeot, JOTA, and BMW will be looking to make their mark.
For LMGT3, Manthey’s Porsche 911 GT3 R 992s are leading, but there’s a tight race with WRT’s #31 team just a point behind. The Iron Dames are looking to bounce back after a tough season, and Proton Competition’s Ford Mustangs, featuring 2023 GTE Am champion Ben Keating, might also shake things up.
The action kicks off on Friday, August 30, with practice sessions, followed by qualifying and Hyperpole on Saturday. The six-hour race starts at 1:00 PM local time on Sunday. Let’s see how this exciting weekend unfolds!
