Roger Penske has an increasingly prominent role in the WEC. Team Penske has landed in the LMP2 class of the World Endurance Championship as part of the preparation to support Porsche’s LMDh project from next season. And precisely because of his status as team leader, Roger has been present in the paddock of the 6 Hours of Spa, a test in which he has coincided with Frédéric Lequien, executive director of the WEC. A meeting in which one of Penske’s objectives was discussed, among other things.
In addition to his ownership of Team Penske and his link to Porsche Motorsport, Roger has other interests in the World Endurance Championship. Indeed, Roger Penske has proposed to Lequien to bring the WEC to Indianapolis as early as next year. As the owner of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Penske is interested in being part of the WEC calendar starting in 2023, the year in which the new era of endurance begins with the appearance of the LMH and LMDh prototypes in the premier class of the championship.
At the moment, the talks between Penske and Lequien have been almost a small touchdown and the signing of a possible agreement for Indianapolis to host a WEC race in 2023 or in successive seasons is still a long way off. Roger Penske has never hidden that one of his goals is to have endurance races of various classes in Indianapolis, so the inclusion of the WEC would begin to complete this objective. It should be remembered that the circuit already hosts the 8 Hours of Indianapolis of the Intercontinental GT Challenge.
In this regard, Roger Penske has assured: “If we could have the LMH and LMDh prototypes that are going to debut next year at Indy it would be fantastic. We have two different layout proposals that we could use. We are having the first discussions about it, but still there is nothing to announce. It would be great. I spoke to Lequien and told him of our interest. We are further along in talks with IMSA, but either category would give us the same benefit. We have a great stage to host a endurance”.
“The United States is a very important market for us. It would be stupid to exclude an opportunity like this. We have had some discussions, but it is not yet in our plans to go there. If I say yes, this would stop being an idea and would be understood as “It’s a plan. It’s not a plan, but it’s interesting to hear. If we extend the championship, having a second race in the United States is an opportunity. We’ll see what happens in the near future,” explained Frédéric Lequien on the option of Indianapolis for the WEC.
Photos: Intercontinental GT Challenge