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FIA WEC

WEC to Introduce Virtual Safety Car for 2024 Season

WEC updates safety car procedure ahead of 2024 campaign; adds new virtual safety car element…

Photo: MPS Agency

The FIA World Endurance Championship will introduce a new virtual safety car procedure for the 2024 season.

As stated in a bulletin to competitors, the new procedure will be introduced under article 14.7 of the WEC sporting regulations and will take effect next season.

Under the new rules, the race director has the option to deploy a Virtual Safety Car (VSC) if deemed necessary for safety reasons as a tool intended to secure interventions around the track in the event of an accident.

Each VSC will be systematically followed by a regular safety car procedure, which must be deployed approximately two laps after the VSC has been activated.

The race director remains free to use the safety car directly without use of the VSC if ‘the nature of the incident on track is incompatible with its deployment.’

Drivers must slow to 80 km/h (50 mph) run in a single line and maintain distance to the cars behind and in front once the signal for the VSC is displayed on the monitor, with overtaking prohibited. The speed limit is lifted once the full safety car procedure gets activated.

Access to the pit lane remains open for the duration of the VSC.

The Full Course Yellow system, which also limits cars to 80 km/h as a tool intended for short neutralizations lasting equal to or less than one lap, remains part of the sporting regulations under article 14.5.

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Davey Euwema is Sportscar365's European Editor. Based in The Netherlands, Euwema covers the FIA World Endurance Championship, European Le Mans Series and Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS, among other series.

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