The FIA has ratified changes to the sporting regulations for the 2018/19 FIA World Endurance Championship season, including a LMP1 Teams’ World Championship, new points structure for the 24 Hours of Le Mans and revised pit stop procedures.

As revealed by Sportscar365 last month, all three modifications were adopted in principle by the FIA and ACO and awaited final approval from the World Motor Sport Council, which met on Wednesday in Paris.

The Teams’ World Championship replaces the manufacturers’ title, which had required at least two OEMs compete in the top class.

Toyota will be the lone manufacturer in the WEC for the ‘Super Season’ and is set to be joined by privateer efforts from Ginetta, BR Engineering/Dallara and potentially ORECA, with hybrids and non-hybrids to be balanced to similar performance levels.

The entry fee for the LMP1 class, meanwhile, has been confirmed at $365,000 (€310,000).

Le Mans, meanwhile, will feature 50 percent more points than a regular six-hour race, compared to double as had been the case since the WEC’s launch.

The new 1500-mile race at Sebring will see a 25 percent increase over the base allocation.

The WMSC has also confirmed that tire changes will be allowed during refueling, in adopting a similar system seen in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

“Together with the FIA we have drawn up regulations that can best be qualified as stimulating,” said ACO Sporting Director Vincent Beaumesnil.

“They’re going to give LMP1 a new dynamic boost, which will lead to a different race strategy for all the categories as tire changes and refueling can be carried out simultaneously.

“We can’t wait to see the opening races in 2018.”

No News on 2020 LMP1 Regulations

No update has been given on the status of the next set of LMP1 regulations, due for the 2020/21 season.

Beaumesnil told Sportscar365 in October that he expected the initial guidelines to be defined at this meeting, although a recent bulletin sent to teams indicated it may not now come until March.

Work is understood to be progressing on a new concept based on prototypes with production car styling cues.

”While we wait for the very encouraging 2020 regulations, these new regulations, together with the positive feedback we have had from teams about the Super Season, will guarantee an incredible level of competition in LMP1,” said WEC CEO Gerard Neveu.