WEC set to allow tyre changes during refuelling

The move would spell an end to a rule, dating back to 1994, which mandates that tyres cannot be changed while fuel is being put into a car.

It would also bring the WEC into line with the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in North America.

The rulemakers are refusing to talk about the proposal, but it is clear that the impetus is to make pitstops faster and more exciting.

The idea, formulated in the sporting rules working group, appears to have the support of the teams.

Sam Hignett, whose Jota Sport operation runs the Jackie Chan DC Racing LMP2 Oreca, told Motorsport.com: "This is something I have been pushing for, because it will definitely make pitstops more exciting."

He also pointed out that the rule tweak would make pitstops safer because it will be relatively straightforward for the tyres to be changed within the time it takes for a tankful of fuel to go into the car.

"The present format of the stops is very arduous on the guys; we get a lot of pulled muscles, for example," he explained.

Aston Martin Racing's John Gaw questioned whether the change would make the stops safer, but suggested that it would have a benefit because teams will stop investing in equipment to save time during tyre changes.

The plan is one of a number of ideas and proposals for the WEC that will go before the next meeting of the FIA World Motor Sport Council on December 6.

Among other pitstop regulations, the rule mandating that only two mechanics can be involved in the process of changing tyres at any one time is to be retained.

The rule was introduced for events under the control of the Le Mans-organising Automobile Club de l'Ouest in 2009, the motivation behind it being to slow pitstops and give teams an incentive to change tyres less often.

New tyre allocations for this season in the WEC, limiting LMP1 and GTE Pro cars to four and a half sets for a six-hour race, have virtually removed the rule's raison d'etre.