In what many people are calling the most eagerly awaited endurance racing season for years, the 2015 WEC is all set to thrill, excite and intrigue fans all over the world as it explodes into action this weekend at Silverstone.
The LMP1 class will see the titans clash once again. Audi and Porsche will be out to hunt down Toyota after the Japanese manufacturer took the 2014 WEC titles following some exceptional displays of racing.
The Prologue test last month at Circuit Paul Ricard threw up the mouth-watering prospect of a very quick single lap Porsche 919 Hybrid, a consistently fast Audi R18 e-tron quattro and the reigning champions Toyota leaving us all waiting to see how they will defend their hard earned crown with the significantly developed Toyota TS040 HYBRID.
Two cars each for the three giants of LMP1 make up the bulk of the LMP1 class, while the newly-named Team ByKolles will be looking to steal a march on Rebellion Racing, making a power change from Toyota to AER, who will not join the WEC until the third round, the Le Mans 24 Hours.
And, with Nissan also waiting to join the party at the Le Mans 24 Hours, the anticipation is at fever pitch for a true battle royal on the circuits of the world during the 2015 WEC.
Five key topics to look out for at Silverstone
1. Can Porsche sustain its incredible Prologue one-lap pace?
2. Will the Porsche 919 Hybrid be able to harvest and use its 8MJ energy effectively?
3. How much has Audi reduced the gap to its rivals with the new R18 e-tron quattro?
4. Can Toyota control the extra tyre degradation it experienced at the Prologue test on the new-look TS 040 HYBRID?
5. Will Audi new boy Oliver Jarvis shine on home ground?
The LMP1 contenders at Silverstone:
#1 – Toyota Racing Buemi/Davidson/Nakajima Toyota TS 040 HYBRID
#2 – Toyota Racing Wurz/Conway/Sarrazin Toyota TS 040 HYBRID
#4 - ByKolles Liuzzi/Trummer CLM P1/01 AER
#7 – Audi Sport Team Joest Fassler/Lotterer/Treluyer Audi R18 e-tron quattro
#8 – Audi Sport Team Joest Di Grassi/Duval/Jarvis Audi R18 e-tron quattro
#17 – Porsche Team Hartley/Webber/Bernhard Porsche 919 Hybrid
#18 – Porsche Team Lieb/Jani/Dumas Porsche 919 Hybrid
