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WEC GTE class upgraded to world championship status

The GTE division of the FIA WEC has been granted official world championship status from 2017 onwards, the governing body has announced.

#95 Aston Martin Racing Aston Martin Vantage GTE: Marco Sorensen, Nicki Thiim

#95 Aston Martin Racing Aston Martin Vantage GTE: Marco Sorensen, Nicki Thiim

Vision Sport Agency

#67 Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Team UK Ford GT: Andy Priaulx, Harry Tincknell
#51 AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE: Gianmaria Bruni, James Calado
#95 Aston Martin Racing Aston Martin Vantage GTE: Marco Sorensen, Nicki Thiim
Gerard Neveu, CEO FIA WEC
#5 Toyota Racing Toyota TS050 Hybrid: Sébastien Buemi, Kazuki Nakajima, Anthony Davidson, #2 Porsche Team Porsche 919 Hybrid: Romain Dumas, Neel Jani, Marc Lieb

Up to now, the GTE class for both drivers and manufacturers has been run as a 'World Cup' within the wider FIA WEC structure.

But series boss Gerard Neveu confirmed during the Shanghai round earlier this month that a proposal to upgrade the class to full FIA world championship status would be put before the World Motor Sport Council, which held its latest meeting in Vienna on Wednesday.

An FIA statement confirmed the move, saying it was "due to the increase of GTE manufacturer involvement in the championship, as well as improvements in professionalism and car performance."

Ferrari, Ford, Aston Martin and Porsche will all field full manufacturer entries in the GTE-Pro division of WEC next season, with BMW joining them in 2018.

Neveu said: "The announcement of this world title is excellent news for the WEC and rewards a grid of excellent quality.  This decision should speed up the arrival of other manufacturers in this category.”

The FIA WMSC statement also confirmed that the previously reported LMP1 rules freeze will go ahead, meaning the existing hybrid regulations are to be kept in place until the end of 2019.

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