2012 FIA World Endurance Championship

2012 FIA World Endurance Championship
OrganizerFédération Internationale de l'Automobile
Automobile Club de l'Ouest
DisciplineSports car endurance racing
Number of races8
Champions
LMP1 ManufacturerGermany Audi
GTE ManufacturerItaly Ferrari
LMP1 TeamSwitzerland Rebellion Racing
LMP2 TeamUnited States Starworks Motorsport
LMGTE Pro TeamItaly AF Corse
LMGTE Am TeamFrance Larbre Compétition

The 2012 FIA World Endurance Championship was the inaugural running of the World Endurance Championship. It was co-organised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) and the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The series replaced the former Intercontinental Le Mans Cup held by the ACO from 2010 to 2011.[1] The series was open to Le Mans Prototypes and grand tourer-based racing cars meeting four ACO categories. Several championships, cups, and trophies were awarded in the series' four categories following an eight race season, with a World Championship available to the top scoring drivers and LMP1 category manufacturer.

Following a partial-season match-up against newcomers Toyota, Audi won the Manufacturers' World Championship, while the company's driver line-up of André Lotterer of Germany, Benoît Tréluyer of France, and Marcel Fässler of Switzerland earned the Drivers' World Championship ahead of their teammates Allan McNish and Tom Kristensen. Toyota's Alexander Wurz and Nicolas Lapierre were third in the Drivers' Championship standings. Ferrari defending their two Intercontinental Le Mans Cup LMGTE manufacturers title with the Manufacturers' World Cup, outscoring Porsche and Corvette. In the four FIA Trophies for the four categories in the championship, Rebellion Racing won the LMP1 Privateers title, while Starworks Motorsport secured the LMP2 championship; AF Corse won the LMGTE Pro category for the second season in a row, as did Larbre Compétition in LMGTE Am.

  1. ^ ten Caat, Marcel (3 June 2011). "FIA announces World Endurance Championship". Planetlemans.com. Archived from the original on 18 October 2011. Retrieved 12 November 2011.