SIX WAYS THE WEC AND COTA CAN TRANSFORM LONE STAR LE MANS INTO A CAN’T-MISS EVENT

The World Endurance Championship returned to Circuit of The Americas for the first time in several years for an event won by the No. 83 AF Corse Ferrari 499P of Robert Kubica, Robert Schartzman, and Yifei Ye.

But for the fans in attendance at the event, there was still work to be done to make the Lone Star Le Mans race weekend a success.

WEC’s Lone Star Le Mans should be a night race

There’s no doubt that Texas is hot, and if the event remains as a Labor Day weekend race, it might be time to consider a change to a night race.

With Lone Star Le Mans kicking off at 1 pm local time and ending at 7, fans flocked to the circuit for the warmest part of an already warm September afternoon, and the oppressive heat wasn’t conducive to an enjoyable spectator event. I spoke with several fans at the event, and they all expressed a similar sentiment: They wished the race had taken place at night.

Circuit of The Americas is equipped with ample lighting, and in fact, WEC used to hold the Lone Star Le Mans race in the late evening to early night hours, encompassing the sunset. Having attended that later race myself, I can confirm that it was far more enjoyable to attend as a spectator: I could take advantage of several different vantage points from which to watch the race without being sunburned.

When I broached the idea of a night race with the fans in attendance in 2024, they were almost universally intrigued by the idea — and noted that they would consider coming back to the event should it take place at night. If LSLM remains a daytime race, those fans were less inclined to return.

If not: More shade is a must

A night race in America unfortunately runs into a significant issue: European audiences will be less likely to view the event on streaming or on television. Because WEC is a European series, it likely prioritized that concern for international viewers when scheduling Lone Star Le Mans.

Should the race remain at the same time of day, then more shade is a must at Circuit of The Americas.

For fans looking to get a reprieve from the sunshine, options were slim. A large portion of the folks at the track crammed into the main grandstand facing the pit lane, as it’s the only covered grandstand available; however, that ultimately means those fans will see less of the action than they’d be able to see at the Turn 1 or Turn 15 grandstands.

While I did notice many fans bringing their own umbrellas to create some mobile shade, the track itself would easily benefit from implementing other ways for fans to get a break from the sun — be that through more trees, more tents, or the erection of additional covered grandstands.

An altered schedule could make all the difference

The World Endurance Championship calendar is a fairly short one, with just eight events running from March to November. While there are certain dates that are locked in (such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June), it may be worthwhile for the WEC to consider shifting Lone Star Le Mans to a different date.

In Texas, the weather is at its finest during March, April, May, October, and November.

CoTA hosts NASCAR in early March and Formula 1’s US Grand Prix in October, which would likely preclude hosting a race those months. But an event in April, May or November would make for a far more comfortable fan experience.

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Additional activations will keep fans engaged

The weekend calendar at Lone Star Le Mans was a little sparse this year. The WEC cars hit the track, as did the Ford Mustang Challenge Race Series — but there wasn’t much off the track to look forward to.

In the Main Plaza, there were a few team-related activations from Ford and Cadillac, as well as a few merchandise tents and some fair-style games. Behind the Main Grandstand, fans could take part in a go-kart race or buy something to eat from a food truck or trackside vendor. At Turn 1 and near the Esses, a few food trucks were also open.

But that was largely it. I joined several friends in braving the heat to explore the event’s non-race offerings, and it took about 90 minutes to fully see what was on offer.

For the most part, fans had simply congregated under whatever shade they could find — even if it meant they had no view of the track. Additional activations in the future, even if that includes local vendors selling merchandise, would do much to improve the experience at the track.

Open the paddock to all fans

Motorsport has surged in popularity since the last time WEC raced at COTA, so in many ways, it makes sense the sport has grown in popularity and that demand for paddock passes is much higher than in the past.

However, part of what made the event so special in the mid- to late-2010s was the fact that it did have an open paddock. But in 2024, paddock access was limited to a small number of tickets that fans had to purchase alongside their general admission pass.

On race day, the paddock felt fairly empty — and with the WEC reporting that a total of 65,000 people attended the event over the course of the weekend, there would have been ample room for fans to take a tour of the paddock.

I spoke to a longtime endurance racing fan named Andy who noted how excited he was about the revival of Lone Star Le Mans, only to lose interest upon hearing that paddock passes were sold out.

“I went to Lone Star Le Mans every year in the 2010s,” he told me. “What made it such a cool event was being able to go into the paddock and see the cars and drivers up close.

“If I’m just sitting in the sun all day, though, then what’s the point? I’ll get a better race view at home.”

Consider adding IMSA back to the fold

In the past, the Lone Star Le Mans weekend at COTA didn’t just feature the WEC. It also featured the IMSA SportsCar Championship.

While WEC’s race ran a full six hours, IMSA contested a 2 hour 40 minute race on Saturday, while the WEC race would take place afterward. The doubleheader event provided ample

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