Monza, Kyalami join WEC 2020-21 calendar

Monza and Kyalami will both play host to FIA World Endurance Championship races for the first time in the 2020-21 season after being named on the provisional calendar that was announced on Thursday.

Monza staged the WEC's pre-season Prologue back in 2017, but will now host its first six-hour race in October 2020, acting as the second round of the season.

The WEC will pay its first visit to Africa in February 2021 when Kyalami hosts its first FIA world championship event since 1993, when the circuit last hosted the South African Grand Prix.

Silverstone retains its status as the season opener, with the race shifting to a Saturday and returning to its pre-2019 six-hour length on September 5. The track will also host the pre-season test running one week earlier.

Fuji moves to the start of November in place of Shanghai, which drops off the WEC calendar after eight seasons, while Bahrain retains its eight-hour enduro length.

There is no place on the calendar for either Sao Paulo or COTA - the latter acting as the former's replacement on the 2019-20 schedule - but Sebring and Spa return, with the 24 Hours of Le Mans closing the season once again.

"When you have a list which includes Silverstone, Monza, Fuji, Bahrain, Kyalami, Sebring, Spa and, of course, Le Mans, you are at the heart of endurance racing’s history and heritage, its present and its future," said WEC CEO Gerard Neveu.

"The calendar is also great for our logistical road map as it provides our teams with the most cost-effective package possible. We hope this Season 9 schedule will make our competitors and fans very happy."

FIA World Endurance Championship 2020-21 - Provisional Calendar

1. 6 Hours of Silverstone - September 5 2020
2. 6 Hours of Monza - October 4 2020
3. 6 Hours of Fuji - November 1 2020
4. 8 Hours of Bahrain - December 5 2020
5. 6 Hours of Kyalami - February 6 2021
6. 1,000 MIles of Sebring - March 19 2021
7. 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps - April 24 2021
8. 24 Hours of Le Mans - June 12-13 2021

Silverstone pre-season Prologue - Aug 31-Sep 1