Roles in a WEC Team?

Nothing pushes motor racing to the limits like Endurance Racing. Adrenaline-fuelled high-speed action takes place over thousands of miles, pushing teams to the limits of human tolerance. With world-famous circuits like the 24hrs of Le Mans featured on the calendar, WEC is one of the jewels in the motor racing season.

For the 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) season, Hertz is sponsoring Hertz Team JOTA as we work together to achieve racing success on the track. Though the drivers may be the most recognisable names in a WEC outfit, there’s so much more to a competing team. A WEC squad is made up of many individuals, all working together to chase race wins. Find out what the roles are in a WEC team and what each person does below.

The Team Principal: Strategic vision and leadership

The head honcho of a WEC outfit, the Team Principal is the decision maker, leader and public face of the operation. They have an important role managing the team on and off the track.

The Principal’s role is a varied one. They’re tasked with overall oversight of an outfit’s operations, from budgets and sponsorship to race strategy and driver recruitment. Though a Team Principal will work with specialists in each area, final decisions come down to them.

The future success of a WEC outfit is reliant on the guidance, vision and skill of a strong Team Principal, whether that’s ensuring a steady revenue stream from big-brand sponsorship or signing up the best drivers in the field.

On race day, the Principal handles press and conducts interviews, while also working closely with their team to decide on an appropriate race strategy, making quick decisions throughout the race to counter opponent’s moves and changing weather.

The Race Engineer: Technical expertise and communication

The Race Engineer is the brains behind the team’s technical operation. It’s their job to fine-tune the car’s performance over a championship campaign. A car’s on-track achievements are down to the Race Engineer and their team.

An Engineer will pour over pre-race data and testing information to tweak a car’s setup, optimizing factors like suspension, tire pressure and fuel consumption. And, as the cars hit the track, the Engineer works closely with a Team Principal and the drivers to make strategic decisions throughout the race, like pitstops.

For the driver, the Race Engineer is their main point of contact with the wider team. It’s the Race Engineer’s job to communicate with the driver throughout the race via radio – discussing on-track performance, troubleshooting issues as they arise and informing the driver of on-track events or a change in strategy.

Effective communication and a calm head are vital to a Race Engineer to enable them to work closely with those around them during a high-octane race to ensure everyone competes safely and successfully.

The Drivers: Skill, speed, and endurance

The driver is the star of the show in any WEC team. Their on-track exploits and daring feats are what attract legions of fans to the motorsport. Good drivers win championships, and that is essential to the financial and strategic success of any WEC operation.

A WEC team usually consists of two to three drivers, each taking ‘stints’ in the car during a multi-hour endurance race. A driver has to be good behind the wheel, finding the right race and grip during changeable conditions on the track. As well as being able to drive fast, a skilled driver will also know how to defend a place, make a pass and manage fuel strategy to ensure a race goes well.

As important as bravery and fearlessness are, a good driver must be a team player. Drivers work together with the rest of the team to implement a race strategy and counter an opponent’s own moves and methods.

The Pit Crew: Precision and efficiency in pit stops

A pit crew usually consists of around 10-11 members. The team are responsible for working on the car during a pitstop. The aim is to have the car fitted with new tires and refuelled in seconds, so precision and efficiency are paramount.

A traditional pit crew [DMJ(S1] is made up of mechanics, each of whom has their own individual role. Roles include:

• Car controller. The car controller is the leader of the pit crew. Communicating the pitstop strategy to the wider team is the chief responsibility of this lead mechanic. Plus, as you might guess, the car controller controls the stop and release of the car while it’s in the pits – using a red and green stop sign to tell the driver when to stop and go. 
• Refueller. WEC regulations allow for one refueller to operate the fuelling rig at one time. It makes pitstops a little slower than some other motorsports. This is the person responsible for ensuring the car is refuelled when it pulls into the garage.
• Fire Extinguisher Attendant. Things can go wrong, fast, in motorsport. With gallons of fuel nearby and car engines working at high temperatures, there’s always the danger of fire. The Fire Extinguisher Attendant is on-hand to ensure everyone else is safe.
• Cut-off Valve Attendant. The Cut-off Valve attendant is another safety personnel. It’s their job to cut the fuel immediately if something goes wrong during a pitstop.
• Mechanics. A WEC team usually consists of four mechanics. This sub-team is on-hand to troubleshoot issues with the car and fix issues during the race.
• Cockpit Helper. A cockpit is full of onboard computers, signals and sensors feeding information about the car back to the race team. With so much technology on-site, sometimes things can go wrong. It’s the Helper’s job to troubleshoot tech issues with the car’s onboard telemetry.
• Tire Technicians. Two tire technicians are on-hand to change the tires during a pitstop. A WEC race day uses up multiple tire types of differing grip and hardness. There are also separate tires for use in wetter conditions.
• Brake Technicians. A WEC car puts a lot of pressure on the braking system during an endurance race. Brake technicians are responsible for troubleshooting braking issues, ensuring they don’t overheat and perform optimally over a full race.

The Strategist: Race tactics and decision-making

When it comes to race tactics – the chief Strategist is the top dog. Plans can go out of the window come race day, with changeable weather and conditions on the track.

A good strategist is essential to the team’s on-track performance. They’ll work closely with the Principal and Engineer to develop tactics for the day and attempt to outwit their rivals. Using live telemetry and testing data, the strategist alters plans as the laps go by, ensuring the team is getting the best from the car and adapting to changing circumstances to ensure optimum performance.

The Mechanics: Car maintenance and repairs

A team’s mechanics work behind the scenes to ensure each car is performing at an optimum level. The mechanic team, sometimes different to those few involved in the pit crew, work on a car before and after a race.

They are responsible for performing repairs and maintenance to ensure the vehicle is running safely and efficiently.

Good knowledge of technical repairs and the nous to fix problems as they arise are the most important tools in the mechanics' arsenal. The mechanic team needs to work quickly and efficiently under pressure to get the car ready for race day.

The Support Staff: Behind-the-scenes operations

An army of support staff works behind the scenes, diligently beavering away to ensure the team’s overall success. There’s a wide manner of roles within the team that aren’t directly involved with what’s happening on track. Some of the wider team roles include:

• Logistics Coordinators. The WEC calendar takes in multiple locations around the globe, with races throughout Europe, North America and the Middle East. Shipping all that equipment around the world takes a lot of planning. That’s the job of the logistics coordinators.
• Team Coordinators. Likewise, a WEC team has a lot of people in it. Getting them to new races around the world takes work. That work lies with the Team Coordinators.
• Hospitality Staff. Keeping a WEC fed is a big job. Team Hospitality is on-hand to ensure everyone is comfortable, rested and well-fed so they can perform their best come race day.
• Media Personnel. Interacting with the fans, marketing the team and boosting brand awareness are all the responsibilities of the media personnel. This team organize interviews, run social media channels and make content featuring the team’s stars.

Find out more about WEC racing and Hertz involvement in this year’s calendar by visiting our WEC hub.