Tribune News Network
Doha
Having recently staged the first Formula One championship leg in 2021 as part of a long-term deal, as also MotoGP, Qatar will add another exciting and spectacular motorsport event to their annual calendar from 2024.
The Lusail International Circuit will now stage the FIA World Endurance Championship for the next six years. The inaugural 6 Hours of Qatar endurance race is also set to be the season-opening event of the 2024 FIA WEC.
The announcement was made at a glittering ceremony on Monday evening, which was attended by Prime Minister and Minister of Interior HE Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdul Aziz Al Thani.
Also present were Minister of Sports and Youth HE Salah bin Ghanim Al Ali, Chief Executive Officer of Qatar Airways Group – the event’s sponsor – and Chairman of Qatar Tourism HE Akbar Al Baker and President of Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) Abdulrahman bin Abdullatif Al Mannai.
The representatives of the FIA WEC including ACO President Pierre Fillon, FIA Endurance Commission President Richard Mille, FIA WEC CEO Frederic Lequien, as well as top FIA WEC drivers such as Kamui Kobayashi (Toyota), Laurens Vanthoor (Pors such as Kamui Kobayashi (Toyota), Laurens Vanthoor (Porsche) and Alessandro Pier Guidi (Ferrari) all attended the event.
Since the WEC’s inception back in 2012, Qatar will be the 13th country to host the championship as the series continues its mission to promote endurance racing and the spirit of Le Mans to new regions and territories across the globe.
Also present in Doha were four Hypercars from renowned endurance racing manufacturers that will race in the WEC’s headline category in 2024: the Ferrari 499P, the Peugeot 9x8, the Porsche 963 and Toyota’s GR010 HYBRID Hypercar.
It marked the first time these four Hypercars have been seen together, with the 6 Hours of Qatar set to be a defining moment in endurance racing history as all four manufacturers will go head-to-head in the WEC’s increasingly-popular Hypercar category which now has a minimum of eight manufacturers committed for 2024.
More details about the 6 Hours of Qatar race will be revealed in due course.
The event’s date, along with the complete 2024 FIA WEC calendar, will be submitted for approval to FIA World Motor Sport Council, the decision-making body responsible for international four-wheel motorsport, next year.
HE Akbar Al Baker, Qatar Airways Group CEO and The Chairman of Qatar Tourism, said hosting the World Endurance Championship is of great significance to Qatar.
"We are excited to see another premier motorsport category coming to Qatar in 2024. We want to achieve something which is of great interest to the world. Everything in Qatar starts with a humble beginning. We are very keen to host an endurance race after having hosted the F1 in 2021. This will make Qatar the centre of racing after we became the centre of football,” he said.
QMMF president Abdulrahman bin Al Mannai said: "We are proud to have established a solid position in the local, regional and international sports scene. The WEC is widely followed and it is currently one of the most globally recognised racing championships. Qatar is immensely honoured to host the opening round of WEC in 2024. Undoubtedly, hosting this much-anticipated edition of WEC is yet another major milestone and another Qatari dream fulfilled,” he added.
Pierre Fillon, ACO President, said: "We are delighted to extend the FIA World Endurance championship to include such a fabulous circuit. From 2024, Lusail will open the championship, offering competitors top-class surroundings. My heartfelt thanks to Abdulrahman Al Mannai and everyone at the circuit for this superb opportunity for endurance racing.”
Richard Mille, President of the Endurance Commission, said: "Lusail International Circuit is a modern venue that is well accustomed to the demands of world-level motor sport events. Therefore, having it joining FIA World Endurance Championship is a positive and logical development. Enhancing regional diversity is something very important to the FIA.”
Frederic Lequien, FIA WEC CEO, said: "We are delighted to have signed a minimum six-year contract with Lusail International Circuit to bring the WEC to Qatar for the very first time. The extensive renovations that are currently underway at Lusail will make it one of the most prestigious race circuits in the world. 2024 will be a very memorable year – not only will we have several global manufacturers competing in the Hypercar category, but we’ll be taking endurance racing to another new territory.”
Lusail International
Circuit being renovated
Lusail International Circuit, which has been home to MotoGP for several years and hosted Formula 1 for the first time last year, is undergoing extensive renovation and remodeling to the paddock area and facilities with the latest renderings revealed at the announcement ceremony. The WEC’s official pre-season test, more commonly known as The Prologue, will take place in Qatar preceding the race.
The Lusail International Circuit is currently undergoing extensive renovation and remodeling to the paddock area and facilities with the latest renders revealed at the announcement ceremony.
The WEC’s official pre-season test, more commonly known as The Prologue, is to take place in Qatar preceding the race.
First built in 2004, the Lusail International Circuit is the only circuit in the region to have both FIA and FIM homologation licenses. It has been home to MotoGP for several years, and hosted Formula 1 for the first time last year.
QMMF President Abdulrahman bin Abdullatif Al Mannai, speaking about the track, said, "We’ve already made the necessary circuit renovations and upgrades to deliver a world-class state-of-the-art experience to both spectating fans and participating drivers, implementing all the changes that are needed for us to conform with the FIA’s technical standards and bringing in advanced technologies that are fitting for one of its sporting events.
"But we’re certain that this six-year journey we’ve embarked on will motivate us to push the boundaries of what we previously thought to be achievable even further, allowing us to make tremendous improvements to the venue come 2030.”