The FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) is the leading global series for endurance sports car racing. Organised jointly by the sport's governing body, the FIA, and the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO), it was first run in its current form in 2012. Its flagship event is the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Unlike sprint racing, WEC events are timed enduros lasting several hours, so each car is shared by a crew of two or three drivers who swap over in stints. Two classes race on track at the same time, each with its own championship:
- Hypercar — the top prototype class, fighting for the overall win, contested by a deep field of manufacturers.
- LMGT3 — production-based grand-touring cars, built to a cost-capped GT3 specification.
The season spans eight rounds across the globe, from six-hour races to the round-the-clock classic at Le Mans. To learn about the sport's most famous race, see What is the 24 Hours of Le Mans?.