On race morning for the 6 Hours of Fuji the DSC Editor took time out to catch up with Championship boss Gerard Neveu. In the wake of announcing a well received 2015 calendar, and with a fourth major factory effort set to join the Championship in 2015 it was an opportunity to take stock of progress in the first seasons of the still new World Championship, and to probe around what comes next.
Gerard, How would you assess where we are right now with the FIA World Endurance Champonship?
“2014 is really the end of the first cycle for the FIA World Endurance Championship. The end of the beginning.”
“It was always the plan to have an initial three year cycle and that’s what I believe we have delivered since the Championship began in 2012.”
“I remember you were there at Sebring for the first press conference, with many questions (and an orange T-shirt!)”
“It is a time that feels far away in some regards and not very far away in others.”
“Over the past three years we have accomplished a lot of things for sure regarding the grid, organisation, value and visibility of the WEC. Where we started is no comparison to where we are today on those fronts.”
“But it has only been two and a half short years, nothing in terms of the life of a Championship.”
“What we have done is to establish and install the Championship, to establish it’s legitimacy as a World Championship, to gather the support for it within the larger picture of motorsport and the automotive industry.”
“With a lot of humility, we can still say that a lot has been achieved on those fronts, probably more than we expected to have achieved at this point.”
So what next?
“Well to put it into terms familiar to those interested in the WEC, We have been working hard to get our car on track and into Free Practice – We’ve made that step and now we are preparing for qually with the target for the next three years to get to the front of the grid, and then the long race beyond.”
“We know we have some major steps to take, we need to ensure that we work within WEC, and with our partners and customers too, to increase the value of the Championship.”
“Our new calendar for 2015 was the opportunity to confirm that our base is a good and firm one. We have a strategy that we are happy with and confident in that is producing results. We are attaining and maintaining stability. We are establishing visibility with our events and not changing 90% of them year by year.”
“I am pretty clear already that the arrival of the Nurburgring event was really well received by the whole motorsport family: Fans, media, the paddock, everybody.”
“I think we are now ready to engage the next step. Nissan arrive next year which means we have four (LMP1) manufacturers. We are also discussing with others who are coming in GT, probably not next year but very soon. It means have a clear vision of what is required and we are ready to push forward.”
I think I’d agree with your assessment of progress over the three years. It does though leave you with further potential problems. You now have more events that are successful than those which are less so. That means that to push for growth in calendar terms you are approaching a point surely where the question is – Do we replace a successful event or do we expand the calendar?
“That’s a good question but the answer really is that it isn’t only about our growth, it’s about our position around what happens around us in the world environment.”
“At the moment the global economic indications look to be going in the right direction, getting a little bit better but to make sure we don’t overstretch things for the teams for at least a season.”
“For next year to keep eight (races) is good but if we have any chance to add one race in 2016 we will push for that. That makes sense after what would be, by then, four years.”
“That would mean a good organisation and good facilities, you asked yesterday about Montreal, Mexico City, Sochi, all are interesting and interested and don’t forget too the potential for Brazil with their new facilities. You asked too about South Korea, that is not on a short list for 2015.”
“We would ONLY consider this expansion though if it makes sense for the paddock. We are here to manage the paddock first and foremost. Without the competitors there would be no Championship.”
“My first priority in this area then is to make sure the paddock is happy. If we do that then they will provide their best performance, on track and away from the track too.”
“It’s never easy, it is never over. Every day you have to challenge and push for improvements in so many different areas. In that regard the challenges for me and my team are the same for the competitors themselves. That’s the rule when you are pushing for high performance.”
Another factor that has been the subject of much discussion is entry numbers, specifically the WEC entry cap of 32 cars. It may be the case that for 2015, for the first time, there is more of a challenge for the Selection Committee and the WEC to keep the entry down to 32 rather than to gather a quality grid, particularly if the rumblings from several North American teams are converted int real potential WEC programmes.
Then there is the issue of the availability of entries for the Le Mans 24 Hours where increased WEC numbers put pressure on entries for the continental ACO rules Series.
Can you give me a full answer on why the 32 car hard rule is in place?
“The Le Mans entry question is not an issue in terms of restricting the grid numbers.”
“The ACO is involved as promoter with the WEC to guarantee the best platform for the 24 Hours of Le Mans.”
“It means too that we can support better the manufacturers plans to have a world wide support programme for their investment in the sport.”
“Car numbers are limited only for two major reasons.”
“Up to and including 32 cars our current logistical and support plan operates very well.”
“If we move beyond 32 cars the logistic costs increase. At the moment the transport includes 4 Jumbo freighters, moving to a fifth for a small increase in the grid would simply cost too much.”
“The second thing is that we have to guarantee to the competitors the right level of organisation.”
“Wherever we race in the world they will arrive knowing very well the standard of facilities, how the garages and pitlane are organised, the capacity to host them and their guests.”
“As an example this weekend – we might have a few paces on the grid this weekend in Japan but for hospitality we are absolutely fully booked this weekend, there is nothing else available here. The Le Mans Spirit Club here has more than 400 guests this weekend.”
“The idea is that when we grow up we do it correctly, with the right level of facility and support to maintain a standard for the competitors.”
“That’s particularly important for the races outside Europe. 95% of our current teams are from Europe. That means that when we race in Europe they can organise their activities with trucks and awnings in the ‘back stage’ in the paddock with huge hospitality, media facilities and offices.”
“That means that wherever we race we need to make sure that the teams have the facilities and space available in the pits, and in the paddock for the activities that are important to them.”
“More than 32 cars makes that difficult. It doesn’t count out wild card entries. Sometimes it makes sense to have a local team or drivers to help with the promotion of the event and to get the local sporting federation to see the benefit of joining the Endurance adventure.”
What is the next step forward for the FIA WEC? What would your idea of success be for the Championship by the end of the next three years?
“The simple answer is to maintain progress, to keep all of the important parameters in the green.”
“Progress though means growth, keep increasing the audience, particularly with the fans on site.
I don’t think there is a future for this sort of event if the grandstands are empty.”
“The second big step, and probably the most important, is to continue to increase the media valuation and visibility of the WEC.”
“This is still a new Championship and we have created a brand in WEC and that means we need to constantly check and improve the quality of our marketing and communications.”
“As an idea, if we had a figure that said that at the moment 20% of readers of a publication knew about the WEC, in three years I’d like to see that at 50 or 60%.”
“That level of progress is a challenge, but it marks the level of quality that I think we have in the WEC, I think we have some of the best teams, the best cars and the best racing in the whole of motorsport backed up by the quality of the show and the weekend organisation, and the value for money we offer to the fans with ticketing too.”
“Recognition is the biggest step forward we can take.”
“This is why we have invested so much in the second screen app, you would do well to find many broadcast channels to agree to giving us 6 hours time for a race, however good it is.”
“The app gives viewers the option and the opportunity not just to sit and watch the TV, but for the TV to follow you everywhere with your tablet, you can follow your racing passion, but still accommodate the rest of your life!”
“TV is still a major support for a coupe of years, there’s no doubt about that, but we have to welcome more visibility through (lifestyle and general news) magazines.”
“I think we have achieved the correct level with the specialist media, those with good knowledge about endurance racing but in 2015 I think we have to invite and persuade more journalists from lifestyle and general interest magazines and newspapers to a race weekend.”
“We are trying to create a new ‘Endurance Planet’ and the task now is to invite, persuade and convince more and more people, fans, media, others who have an interest in any aspect of what we are doing, to see the relevance of Endurance racing, the technology that we have, and what can be achieved in performance and efficiency with it.”
“That precisely supports the efforts of the Manufacturers, and the teams have helped a great deal already.”
“We can be happy with the level of achievement in marketing terms so far with the business assets that we have but here too there’s a new challenge now.. We have to welcome non automotive partners who understand, appreciate and value the fact that in this Championship there is a real interest because we are taking care of the world environment first, in real world terms we have the most relevant technological answers right here, and right now, showing that it does not all have to be about compromise, it can be about showing that green technologies can be exciting too.”
“Our business to business message is very different from many others in this field, it isn’t just about money, it’s about human adventure. I think that will have real appeal.”
And will Gerard Neveu still be here at the helm of the FIA WEC in three years time?
“I am trying to do my best day by day, every race, every season. Our attitude has to be that we operate at the same level as the people in our paddock, and in a cheeky response to a cheeky question, if you ask any Team Principal or Team manager that same question nobody will answer!”
“The real answer from me is that when I start every season my target is to finish the season well, with improvement across the board. After that is achieved we’ll see if the promoter is happy with the job I have done. You never know!!”
Nurburgring
In answer to a further question to senior sources in the WEC, surrounding the current concerns around the financial, legal and administrative challenges currently facing Capricorn, the new owners of the Nurburgring, the reassurance was delivered in full force that there were plans in place should Capricorn be unable to deliver their commitments on hosting and promotion of the 2015 Nurburgring 1000kms. DSC believes this would involve the major manufacturers taking a leading role.
GG
