Silverstone once again hosts the opening round of the FIA World Endurance Championship, and this Easter weekend there is guaranteed to be a festival of racing and entertainment for fans on and off the track. There is a free open paddock, free pit walk on Sunday, free grandstand seating and free entertainment – something for everyone!
World Champions Audi will be going head-to-head with both Toyota and Porsche in LMP1, the latter making its return to the top class of endurance competition for the first time in decades. All three manufacturers will be showcasing their new hybrid technologies and the race is set to be both interesting and exciting. LMP2 will no doubt continue to have everyone on their edge of their seats with the close racing and tactics, while LMGTE’s Aston Martins, Ferraris and Porsches will between them thrill and enthral spectators and fans with some of the best racing in the world.
Where they will be…
In addition to the 6 Hours of Silverstone which starts at 12 noon on Sunday, this weekend will see the first round of the European Le Mans Series, the 4 Hours of Silverstone on Saturday at 2:30 pm and the first three rounds of the FIA F3 European Championship. The FIA WEC teams will be based in the pits and paddock of the Silverstone Wing, while ELMS participants will work out of the original pits and paddock below the Jimmy Brown Centre. European F3 teams will work under awnings in the area close to the ELMS paddock.
Practice and qualifying…
The first track action for the WEC will be on Friday morning at 11:55 am when the 27 entries take to the track for a 90-minute free practice session. Before practice, at 10:00 am, all the drivers within the WEC will be assembled for a pre-season group photograph on the steps of The Wing – a great opportunity for fans to see their heroes up close.
A second 90-minute practice session will take place on Friday afternoon at 3:55 pm and, following a night of contemplation and analysis of data, a third, one-hour practice will kick off the action on Saturday morning at 9:00 am.
While all the classes are brought together during free practice, this isn’t the case for qualifying and the LMGTE Pro and Am class cars will lead the way for a 25-minute session from 12:00-12:25 pm while the LMP1 and LMP2 cars will follow on from 12:35-1:00 pm.
It is worth remembering that qualifying in the WEC is different to other series and, as is appropriate for a championship in which two or three drivers have to share a car, in qualifying twodrivers from each crew must set at least two timed laps during the 25-minute session. The average of the four best lap times (the best two of each driver) will serve as the reference time for establishing the grid.
Fan friendly WEC…
During the Sunday morning break when no track action is allowed, spectators will be able to freely observe the length and breadth of the pit lane during the pit-walk which is from 10:00-10:45 am. At the same time, a 30-minute autograph session will take place in the paddock when all the drivers will be on hand to welcome their fans.
Constant on-track entertainment…
Even while the WEC cars are off track, there will be a constant programme of entertainment from the ELMS and FIA F3 European Championship. The ELMS will hold its own autograph session and grid walk on Saturday, prior to its 4-hour race, while the F3 cars will be racing twice on Saturday and for a third and final time on Sunday morning from 9:15-9:50 am. Good weather is forecast for the week ahead and there will be plenty of action to see and enjoy.
Family fun at Silverstone…
Take your pick, race fans, from a host of activities aimed at amusing and entertaining the whole family! A full list of what is available can be found HERE.
You can’t afford to miss any of it so come along and see for yourself!!
Fiona Miller
