Le Mans has been part of the FIA World Endurance Championship since 2012. The 2012 24 Hours of Le Mans was the third round of the championship's inaugural season.
The FIA WEC was created to revive a global sports-car world championship after the earlier World Sportscar Championship had ended. The Automobile Club de l'Ouest, which organizes Le Mans, helped establish the new series, making its flagship race a central championship event rather than a standalone contest.
The 2012 race was the 80th edition of Le Mans. Audi won overall with the hybrid R18 e-tron quattro shared by André Lotterer, Marcel Fässler and Benoît Tréluyer. It was also the first Le Mans overall victory for a hybrid-powered car, an important milestone in the event's technology-driven history.
Le Mans remains the WEC's marquee round, awarding championship points and often carrying extra sporting significance. The date is sometimes confused with 2010 or 2014, but 2012 is the correct starting point for the modern FIA WEC relationship.