WEC 2022: World Endurance Championship and Ferrari in Sebring, March 16-18

The 488 GTE is ready to defend its WEC championship title this weekend (March 16-18) in Sebring, Florida. This weekend Sebring hosted the prologue of the race, while Friday will officially kick off with the Sebring 1000 Miles. One of the most historical tracks, inaugurated in 1950, is one of the longest tracks in the United States. Ferrari, with AF Corse, pays homages to the 75th anniversary of the Maranello factory. The Gran Turismo series sees Ferrari again as one of the favorites, as the team won the championship title in 2021.

The 488 GTE is a V8 Biturbo, developed purposely for the WEC series, and indeed historical races, including the 24 hours of Le Mans. The GTE shares very few details with the “commercial” 488. Ferrari modified the chassis for racing and lowered the car.  They also followed many homologations for racing purposes:  Stronger pistons, titanium connecting rods, lighter crankshaft, turbochargers.

The result is of a 488 GTE with greater displacement, with the car complying with the 550 Hp, but with a potential output of 700 Hp and a max torque of 700 Nm at 6000 RPM, which makes this car, the most competitive in the GT panorama.

World Endurance Championship (WEC)

The FIA World Endurance Championship, now in its tenth season, is the world’s premier international sportscar championship. The WEC offers manufacturers a real-world relevance to advances in road car design and crossover technology, performance and safety. Contested over six rounds across North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. There are races of varying distances, from the shortest at 6 hours to the longest at 24 hours. Ranked alongside the Olympics, the Super Bowl and the World Cup, the cornerstone of the WEC remains one of the world’s greatest sporting events, the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

FIA created the 2022 calendar to offer manufacturers, teams and partners intercontinental visibility in key regions around the world. Multiple cars across four categories (Hypercar, LMP2, LMGTE Pro and LMGTE Am) are all on the track together. The WEC is a sportscar extravaganza that offers action, excitement ,and entertainment. Don’t miss a minute of it!