The home of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix has been announced as a replacement for the Monza WEC round alongside the confirmation of the return of Austin and Interlagos to the schedule.
Imola’s place on the calendar has been precipitated by the requirement to move the Italian round of the WEC from the July date Monza has occupied since 2021.
The shift is required to accommodate an extra race outside Europe as the series moves from seven races back to the eight rounds it had prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Monza was unable to host the WEC in April because the track will be undergoing scheduled works at that time.
Imola’s six-hour fixture fits into the calendar on 21 April between the Qatar season-opener in March, announced late last year, and the WEC's traditional Spa fixture, which moves back to the second weekend of May.
The Italian track is well known to Le Mans Endurance Management, the company wholly-owned by WEC promoter the Automobile Club de l’Ouest that runs the series.
Imola hosted a round of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup that was the forerunner of the WEC in 2011 and was on the European Le Mans Series calendar in 2013-16.
It was scheduled to host an ELMS round in May of this year, but the race was cancelled as a result of ongoing building works in the paddock.
The Interlagos circuit in Sao Paulo returns to the calendar for the first time since 2014, though it was also due return in the 2019-20 season before a late cancellation.
The Brazilian GP venue effectively replaces Portimao on the schedule and is slated for 14 July at the start of the non-European leg of the WEC, which follows the centrepiece Le Mans 24 Hours round in mid-June.
Austin’s Circuit of the Americas was last on the schedule in February in 2020 when it was the late stand-in for the cancelled Interlagos race.
It was the previously the North American date on the calendar between 2013 and ’18 before it was replaced by Sebring.
LMEM had a five-year contract with IMSA to run on the bill with the Sebring 12 Hours, which expired after this year’s running of the 1000-mile race.
The Austin 6 Hours will take place on 1 September before the Asian WEC rounds at Fuji and in Bahrain in mid-September and the beginning of November respectively.
The length of the Qatar fixture on the Losail circuit near Doha announced last year has been extended from the original six hours.
It will be a distance race of 1812km in celebration of the year of the country’s independence, although there will be a cut-off if that distance hasn’t been reached at 10 hours.
The pre-season Prologue test will be held at Losail on 24-25 February, the weekend before the race.
FIA Endurance Commission president Richard Mille said: ”The evolution of the FIA WEC calendar over the past couple of seasons proves that the world’s premier endurance racing series is on an upward trajectory.”
“The 2024 schedule offers a great mixture of well-established circuits and venues that are new to WEC.”
The calendar was announced at the ACO’s traditional press conference on the Friday of Le Mans week after it was signed off by an e-vote of the FIA’s World Motor Sport Council.
2024 WEC calendar:
| Date | Venue | Length |
|---|---|---|
| March 2 |
 Losail |
1812km or 10 Hours |
| April 21 |
 Imola |
6 Hours |
| May 11 |
 Spa |
6 Hours |
| June 15-16 |
 Le Mans |
24 Hours |
| July 14 |
 Interlagos |
6 Hours |
| September 1 |
 Austin |
6 Hours |
| September 15 |
 Fuji |
6 Hours |
| November 2 |
 Bahrain |
8 Hours |
