FIA World Endurance Championship CEO Gérard Neveu talks about the 2013 season so far and compares it to the same point as 2012 and also looks forward to rest of the year and the new 2014 regulations.
1. With 25% of the 2013 season completed could you tell us how this year compares to the same time in 2012?
“Le Mans is just the end of the European continental block of races, so we can compare with last year regarding the two dates we did in Europe. We are happy to see there are more fans, more media, more cars on the grid, which shows that in 2013 we are better than we were at the same point last season and it demonstrates there is more interest in the world championship and it continues to grow. We will continue to follow the plan. I’d like to remind everyone that we have a plan until the end of 2015, a four year plan, and we are on course during our second season.”
2. What have been the biggest improvements for the WEC in 2013?
“There are two or three topics. The first one is TV. We received a clear order from Pierre Fillon, the ACO President, this winter to find a solution with the TV coverage because there is a big pressure from the manufacturers and the partners, especially in Europe. We found a very good agreement with Eurosport, which guarantees us good coverage in Europe. The same with TV Globo in South America. For these two important markets we can show we are happy with the progress made so far and there is good visibility for the future. We also increased our potential TV audience from 80 million to nearly 500 million, which is a very good step forward and this is the way we have to follow. It is never enough but this is a good way to increase the level of the races.
“The second topic was to upgrade the level of the organisation and we saw that is Silverstone and Spa the events worked very well for the grid, for the paddock, for the whole organisation. And the third topic is to keep the Spirit of Le Mans in the paddock while keeping a tight control of the budget. So far this year we have increased all of these things and we are going in the right direction with all these things.”
3. This weekend is the 90th anniversary 24 Heures du Mans. How important is it to have the race as the central piece on the FIA WEC calendar?
“The ACO is the promoter of the WEC and being at Le Mans is like being at home, it is the same. Also Le Mans is not one race in the middle of the other races; this is THE race, the top event. It ranks as one of the best, if not the best, races in the world, like Indianapolis and Monaco. It is a big honour for the WEC to know that Le Mans is part of the calendar and the ACO welcomes the WEC for this race.
“Le Mans is the big showcase for the endurance world. It is not only a race, it is place to do business because the world comes to Le Mans for this week with opportunities with potential clients, potential constructors, potential competitors, many, many delegations from all around the world. Le Mans is the equivalent of the Cannes Festival for the film industry; Le Mans is a place to have lots of meetings and do deals.”
4. What is being done to remind everyone that this weekend is also round 3 of the FIA WEC with double championship points on offer to the eligible cars?
“This weekend is an important race for the WEC because it is double points. When a team scores here it will be double points, which is very important for the championship. It is a very important event on the sporting side and we will make sure that we communicate this at every opportunity to remind the fans and the media about this.”
5. Looking forward, there are some exciting races to come in Brazil, USA, Japan, China and Bahrain. Four of those events are the same as 2012, why is the WEC going to the same venues again?
“It is important to try and keep the stability to help to grow awareness for each of the events. For Brazil we are establishing a long term relationship with Emerson Fittipaldi and Sao Paulo is the only place in South America where we can race with these sort of cars. USA will be a new adventure with Austin but we keep the same partner which is the American Le Mans Series. The new Circuit of the Americas and Austin is a very good place for motorsport. I have made two visits and the atmosphere is a very good atmosphere and the spirit for endurance racing is good in this new venue. Fuji was a success last year and we are looking forward to seeing more of everything in Japan this season. Shanghai is a good choice for many reasons, including marketing for the manufacturers. Bahrain was very welcoming in 2012 and the organisation was first class. The 6 Hours of Bahrain wasn’t the most popular for sure but the organisation was very impressive and all the paddock was very happy to return there in 2013. We have a three year contract with Bahrain and a three year contract is the same for most of the venues we work with, which gives us the opportunity to let the event grow correctly.”
6. Last week Porsche released images of their 2014 LMP1 challenger, Rebellion announced they are building an LMP1 car with Oreca and Michelin publicly tested the 2014 tyre with Audi at the Official test session for the 24 Heures du Mans earlier this month. What are your thoughts on the progress of these demonstrations of the new 2014 regulations and what are your hopes for the battle between Audi, Toyota and Porsche in 2014?
“All of these announcements are not really surprising. As we announced at the start of 2013, this year was always going to be an intermediate season and some teams were going to develop new cars in preparation for the new 2014 regulations. We were informed of all the preparations by Rebellion and Porsche and now the interest lies in how the new regulations work in practice. It promises a good future for us for the next couple of years, which is very important. We are really confident about the direction we are heading and there is a lot of discussion behind the scenes with potential constructors and private teams. There is big interest but we have to work hard to convert this interest into investment for the future of Endurance.”
7. When will the 2014 calendar be announced and is there any plans to run additional races next season?
“ There will be no announcement on the 2014 calendar before the end of September when the FIA World Motor Sport Council meets and we are working very hard on next year’s calendar now. We will probably keep the similar continental blocks as we have this season. We are not going to make any communication regarding the location of the races in 2014 before September as we are in negotiations. There is a time to negotiate and there is a time to communicate and we will make the announcement about the 2014 calendar when we are ready to do so.”
