Key FIA World Endurance Championship contenders Audi and Porsche will race on home soil in 2016 with the Nurburgring added to the 2016 championship calendar.

The Nurburgring race will replace Brazil next year with the Sao Paulo venue undergoing renovations and upgrades to its pit facilities.

The Germany race is technically also a home event for Toyota whose race team is based in Cologne, German. The three German-based teams will take on newcoming Nissan in the 2015 championship.

“This calendar represents continuity and stability,” said Gerard Neveu.

“We are very excited about visiting the Nürburgring and holding the first FIA WEC race in Germany, which will be a good homecoming for Audi and Porsche. Nürburgring has a long history with endurance racing and this event will be a good opportunity to celebrate it with both a modern paddock with the FIA WEC, and a historic paddock with the 50th anniversary of the 1000 Kms of Nürburgring. With this new calendar we have reduced the summer break and it will provide around one race per month.”

The calendar was unveiled today at Fuji International Speedway by CEO Gerard Neveu, in the presence of Pierre Fillon, President of l’Automobile Club de l’Ouest, Sir Lindsay Owen-Jones, President of the FIA Endurance Commission and Henri Pescarolo, Grand Marshal of the 6 Hours of Fuji.

The 2015 season will start on the 27/28 March with The Prologue at the Circuit Paul Ricard in France for the official test and is the traditional first chance for the media and fans to see the new cars all in one place including the new Nissan.

As in the previous two years, the opening race of the year will be at Silverstone, where the teams will compete for the Royal Automobile Club Tourist Trophy at the season opener. The 2015 WEC 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps will be the fourth time the Belgium round has taken place at the start of May for the customary last race before the ‘Big One’, the 24 Heures du Mans in June.

The 6 Hours of Nürburgring will take place at the end of August – shortening the long post-Le Mans break that was a feature of this year’s calendar..

The 6 Hours of Circuit of the Americas in September is the first of four races overseas, with the Lone Star Le Mans event being a joint race weekend with the Tudor United Sports Car Championship.

It will be followed by races in Fuji, Shanghai and the finale in Bahrain at the end of November.

2015 FIA World Endurance Championship Provisional Calendar
27/28 March: Prologue Castellet
12 April: 6 Hours of Silverstone
02 May: 6 Hours of Spa
31 May: Tests Le Mans
13/14 June: 24h du Mans
30 August: 6 Hours of Nurburging
19 September: 6 Hours of Circuit of the Americas ( Lone Star le Mans)
11 October: 6 Hours of Fuji
1 November: 6 Hours of Shanghai
21 November: 6 Hours of Bahrain