WEC: Rebellion stops everything after Le Mans

Rebels until death. On Thursday, a true earthquake shook the endurance world. Rebellion Corporation has decided to cease all involvement in motorsport, effective after the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June.

“Motorsport has been an enormous resource for Rebellion,” commented Alexandre Pesci, president of Rebellion corporation. “The circuits have been exceptional showcases and an important sounding board for our brand. The return on investment was more than satisfactory. We are taking time to redefine the contours of our business. But the effects of this decision are immediate for the competition department, as soon as the WEC season ends.”

The future was assured, however.

An announcement that no one saw coming. Indeed, Rebellion, a specialist in watches, has been present in endurance racing since 2007 and has competed in the WEC since the championship’s inception in 2012. Crowned with an LMP2 world title in 2017, the Rebellion Racing team is the only private team to consistently challenge the supremacy of diesels and then hybrids in LMP1. It clinched its first on-track victory this season in Shanghai.

Faithful indeed, but above all, the Swiss seemed far from being done with the WEC. Last November, they announced they would partner with Peugeot for the return of the French manufacturer to Le Mans in 2022. Rebellion Racing and Peugeot Sport were to prepare the program together starting from the next season.

Peugeot reassures

The lion brand quickly reacted to Rebellion’s withdrawal. « We are currently in the early stages of building our technical project. We acknowledge Rebellion’s decision which prompts us to

modify the configuration of our operating system for 2022. Their decision to withdraw does not change Peugeot’s program in WEC.

Rebellion justifies its decision by the need to evolve its marketing strategy towards other areas.