The World Endurance Championship was first run in 2012 as a replacement for the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup, following much of the same format and featuring eight endurance races across the world, including the
24 Hours of Le Mans. The Hypercar class first appeared in the
2021 season, with LMH entries from Alpine, Glickenhaus and Toyota. From 2023,
LMDh entries will also be able to compete full-time in the Hypercar class alongside LMH. In 2021, the ACO announced that the series would move away from its two LMGTE categories, following a rapid decline in manufacturer interest. The 2022 season will be the last for the LMGTE Pro class, and from 2024, LMGTE Am will be replaced by a
GT3-based category, described as a "GT3 Premium" featuring a cost-capped body kit conversion from standard GT3 machinery. According to the president of the FIA Endurance Commission Richard Mille, the FIA are aiming at a customer-focused category where the manufacturers cannot enter officially. 2024 marked the first season in the series' history that the LMP2 class would not feature on the grid, due to increased demand in full-season entries for Hypercar and the incoming LMGT3 class. The category remained a stronghold of the
24 Hours of Le Mans, with a minimum 15 slots reserved on the grid. ==Format==