35 cars confirmed for WEC Paul Ricard Prologue
The FIA World Endurance Championship has confirmed a 35-car entry list for next month's pre-season 'Prologue' test at Paul Ricard in France ahead of the new 'super season' campaign.
The new-look WEC featuring a bolstered privateer contingent in LMP1 following Porsche's exit will begin its 13-month season with the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps at the start of May, with the Prologue acting as the only collective pre-season running on April 6-7.
The FIA World Endurance Championship has confirmed a 35-car entry list for next month's pre-season 'Prologue' test at Paul Ricard in France ahead of the new 'super season' campaign.
The new-look WEC featuring a bolstered privateer contingent in LMP1 following Porsche's exit will begin its 13-month season with the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps at the start of May, with the Prologue acting as the only collective pre-season running on April 6-7.
Thirteen cars have been confirmed for the 30-hour endurance test at Paul Ricard, allowing them to run throughout the night as preparation for the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June.
Toyota will enter both its full-season TS050 Hybrid cars to the Prologue, but regular drivers Fernando Alonso, Kazuki Nakajima and Kamui Kobayashi will not feature due to clashing commitments.
The clashes offer Alexander Wurz a chance to return to the cockpit, with the Austrian remaining part of Toyota's setup through an ambassadorial role since retiring at the end of the 2015 season. Formula 1 reserve driver Robert Kubica is understood to be in contention to feature in the test with the Manor team, but the team is yet to confirm any of its four vacant seats.
"We have such an incredible line up of cars and drivers for this unique, transitional Super Season, and – like all our competitors – we can’t wait for the action to start," WEC CEO Gerard Neveu said.
"We are very happy to be returning to Circuit Paul Ricard for the Prologue, our traditional pre-season collective test, which comes just a week before the first round of the European Le Mans Series, also at Le Castellet.
"We look forward to welcoming our fans on Saturday as they experience the warm and friendly ambiance of the WEC paddock, which is open to all, with a pit walk allowing them to see these amazing cars both on and off track."
