The Intercontinental Le Mans Cup calendar cherry-picks from all three series (Le Mans 24 Hours/ Le Mans Series/ American Le Mans Series), running at classic circuits redolent with racing history.

It opens with the Sebring (USA) 12-hour in March, then journeys to Spa Francorchamps (BE), Imola (IT), and Silverstone (UK), before one more American race at Road Atlanta, then joining the Asia series for the finale in China in November.

In between, the top crews will race for 24 hours at Le Mans in mid-June. All other races are run over six hours, except for the ten-hour/1000-mile “Petit Le Mans” at Road Atlanta in October.

History

Le Mans is the oldest and most famous endurance race in the world, and the pinnacle of every endurance racing driver’s ambition is to achieve victory after 24 hours around the revered French circuit.

As an event, it has stood alone since 1923. As a name, a concept, and a spirit of racing, Le Mans has over the past decade spawned follow-up series, first in the USA and later in Europe. Run in conjunction with the foundation event’s organisers, the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO), these races follow the same prototype/GT technical rules.

The ACO continued to nurture the concept, towards a major new international series that is launched in fully fledged form in 2011. The Asian Le Mans series began in 2009. In 2010, an Intercontinental Le Mans Cup was inaugurated: one race from America, Europe and Asia was nominated to count towards the new joint championship.

For 2011, the ILMC expands to a full seven-round calendar, spanning the USA, Europe and the Far East. The jewel in the crown is the inclusion of the core Le Mans 24 hour event in the series – the first time since 1992 that this historic event has been part of a championship calendar. It will carry double points.