This weekend, the Sports Car World Championship (FIA WEC) will be visiting the Circuit of the Americas in Austin. 18 Hypercars and 18 LMGT3 cars will be taking part. The race is back on the WEC calendar for the first time since 2020.
The time has come: This coming weekend (August 30 to September 1) will see the sixth race of the 2024 Sports Car World Championship (FIA WEC). The venue is the Austin circuit, which is best known from Formula 1. The FIA WEC has already raced there six times: in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2020. Since the current Hypercars were introduced in 2021, this is the debut of this vehicle class at the Circuit of the Americas.
Since 2014, the WEC event in Austin has had its own name: “Lone Star Le Mans”. This is because the state of Texas is also called the “Lone Star State” because there is only one star on its flag. The track is 5.513 kilometers long and has 20 corners (eleven to the left and nine to the right). The elevation difference is 40.5 meters. In Austin, the race is also anti-clockwise.
The hypercars will probably reach top speeds of around 305 km/h. 44 percent of the lap will be at full throttle and an average of 54 gear changes per lap will be required. Some WEC cars completed a test in Austin in July. However, the track was then resurfaced. This means that hardly any data is available and the free practice sessions in particular will be important in order to find the perfect setup.
In fact, Toyota has never won in Austin before. However, the Japanese will probably go into the race weekend as favorites. The GR010 Hybrid recently won in Sao Paulo and is considered a tire whisperer. Temperatures above 30 degrees are expected in Austin this weekend – and tire wear will of course play a key role.
Nowadays, the balance of performance (BoP) always plays a role in deciding whether to win or lose in the WEC. This makes predictions difficult. Ferrari will certainly be strong again – as will Porsche. Cadillac also always copes well on newly paved tracks. Peugeot was able to unload a lot of weight via the BoP and could therefore also play a role.
Behind them, Alpine, BMW and Lamborghini will fight for the remaining places. Isotta Fraschini has ended the 2024 season early. In addition to the hypercars, the LMGT3 cars will also be racing again. Nine brands with two cars each will be at the start. The provisional starting list is available here.
This is the FIA WEC schedule for Austin (in CEST)
Friday, 30 August 2024
19:40-21:10: Free Practice 1
Saturday, 31 August 2024
00:10-01:40: Free Practice 2
18:00-19:00: Free Practice 3
22:00-23:10: Qualifying und Hyperpole
Sunday, 1 September 2024
20:00-02:00: The 6h race
