EWC to be run by Eurosport Events as calendar announced

The FIM Endurance World Championship will be handed over to Eurosport Events from 2015, as the events promotion arm of the broadcasting giant take over from the sport’s governing body’s own in-house team.

The series, covering the Le Mans and Bol d’Or twenty four hour races as well as the Suzuka and  Oschersleben eight hour events, is set in return to benefit from enhanced media coverage. That could signal a return to the channel in the UK, who hosted it live in the past but past season have seen relegated to reruns on other channels.

Vito Ippolito, President of FIM commented after the deal was announced: “The FIM welcomes this partnership which should provide this FIM Championship, with its illustrious history and its dedicated fans, to gain new visibility through the platforms offered by Eurosport. Endurance racing is one of the most exciting forms of road racing and we are looking to Eurosport Events to bring it to new audiences and to a new generation.”

Olivier Fisch, Director of Eurosport Events, added: “Eurosport Events has a rich history and deep experience of promoting four wheeled motorsport, with flagship series including the FIA World Touring Car Championship and FIA European Rally Championship. The Eurosport multi-media platforms will provide a home for the FIM EWC for the loyal and passionate fans of this exciting sport.”

The new organisers have also confirmed the series calendar, which will disappointingly only contain four rounds. Originally scheduled to have an additional 12hr race at Magny Cours, the former home of the Bol d’Or, as well as potential rounds in Qatar, Portugal and Eastern Europe, it will instead revert to the same four as 2014.

 

• 18 & 19 April                   24 heures Moto              Le Mans (FRA)
• 26 July                              Suzuka 8 Hours             Suzuka (JAP)
• 22 August                         Oscherleben 8 Hours     Oscherleben (GER)
• 19-20 September              Bol d’Or (24 heures)     Paul Ricard (FRA)