Sao Paulo Pre-Race Notebook

Photo: FIA WEC

***A large crowd has turned out for today’s FIA WEC season-ending Six Hours of Sao Paulo. With Brazilian racing legend Emerson Fittipaldi making his racing comeback and nine-time Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen taking part in his final race, there’s plenty of storylines heading into this afternoon’s race.

***FIA WEC CEO Gerard Neveu said to expect an “evolution” heading into next year’s championship, with small changes in the sporting regulations to be ratified during the next FIA World Motor Sport Council meeting on Dec. 3 in Doha. Among the expected changes is a revision to the qualifying format and new tire limitation rules for LMP1, GTE-Pro and GTE-Am.

***The 2015 schedule, which was released in September, is also set to be approved, although Neveu expects no changes to the calendar, saying the process with the World Council is more of a formality.

***Despite one manufacturer voicing its concerns over the current Equivalence of Technology in LMP1, Neveu confirmed there will be no changes to the performance levels until following next year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. The FIA Endurance Committee locked in the EoT for 12 months following this year’s French endurance classic.

***Entry requests for the 2015 FIA WEC season will open on Dec. 15 and close on Jan. 15, with the selection committee set to meet in late January to determine the full-season grid, plus entries for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Neveu has remained firm on the 32-entry maximum, citing capacity issues at some overseas events.

***Andy Blackmore’s NISMO Spotter Guide for the Six Hours of Sao Paulo is available for download. It features all 26 starters for today’s FIA WEC season finale.

***Watch the race on the official FIA WEC App, available in the iTunes and Android stores. The race gets underway on today at 1 p.m. local time (10 a.m. ET). Live timing and scoring will be provided at http://live.fiawec.com.

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John