FIA GT1 CHAMPIONSHIP HERALDS NEW ERA IN PARIS

2010-03-03 11:56:00 Author: admin Source:

 

As the Motorsports begins its hectic start to a brand new season, the FIA GT1 Championship was the first to unwrap its intentions and objectives in Paris, France recently for its inaugural season in 2010. The FIA GT1 World Championship features six iconic brands – Aston Martin, Corvette, Ford, Lamborghini, Maserati and Nissan, a revamped race programme, global television coverage and a commitment to delivering fierce competition and compelling entertainment.

Twelve teams, each with two cars making a total of 24 GT1 cars and 48 of the supersports car drivers, including Karl Wendlinger, Mika Salo, Andrea Bertolini, Tomas Enge and Darren Turner will contest the 10 rounds of the championship on four continents.

The championship starts on 17 April at the stunning Yas Marina Formula One circuit in Abu Dhabi and features a mix of legendary grand prix circuits and exotic locations. The European leg of the championship starts on another grand prix circuit at Silverstone in the UK where the GT1 drivers will be the first to race on the new  "Arena" layout and compete for the world famous Royal Automobile Club Tourist Trophy.

The championship heads east to Brno in the Czech Republic before travelling to the Paul Ricard HTTT in the South of France. The championship will race on another world famous grand prix circuit at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium. The final two rounds in Europe will be held at the Nürburgring in Germany and in Portugal at the new Autodromo Internacional do Algarve.

The teams then head to the southern hemisphere with Round 8 in South Africa on the streets of Durban. The final two rounds will take place in South America at Interlagos in Brazil before the finale of the inaugural season takes place in Argentina on the majestic San Luis circuit in December.

Historically, the FIA GT1 Championship was a product from the Grand Touring era in the 1950’s, with the first FIA GT Cup for drivers and manufacturers awarded in 1960. That year, Ferrari took the manufacturers’ honours, with Olivier Gendebien triumphant among the drivers. After a period of recession, a new series of endurance GT races was created by BPR (Barth – Peter – Ratel) in the nineties. With an average entry of 50 cars per event, it soon became the world’s leading sportscar series. Featuring a breathtaking grid of worldfamous
GT cars, headlined by the battle between the Ferrari F40 LM, the McLaren F1 GTRs and the Lotus V8s, the series enjoyed a resounding success with spectators and media alike.

The FIA GT championship is born in 1997, the FIA – motorsport’s world governing body – created an officially sanctioned GT series to be promoted by SRO. The first year saw a direct confrontation between five manufacturers in GT1 and four in GT2, with an average grid of 45 cars. The contest between Mercedes and BMW continued right up to the last race, offering one of the best shows ever seen in long distance racing. However, manufacturer participation sent the costs of racing soaring and heavily hindered the competitiveness of privateer teams. With the departure of the last manufacturer after the 1999 season, by 2000 the FIA GT Championship had evolved into a Championship led by privateer teams, with manufacturer support. The racing rebuilt itself around the GT and N-GT categories, including makes such as Chrysler, Lamborghini, Lister, Porsche and Ferrari.

In 2001, the 24 Hours of Spa was introduced, becoming a mandatory event for all FIA GT teams the next year. Its success was immediate, establishing the race as one of the leading blue-ribbon Motorsport endurance events. Between 2002 and 2004, the FIA GT Championship was part of the Super Racing Weekend multi-series platform, ensuring steady development and growing media coverage. From 2005, the GT1 and GT2 categories re-established themselves in the FIA GT Championship through the FIA’s Balance of Performance system. This guaranteed a level playing field across the different architecture of brands such as Aston Martin (above), Corvette, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati and Saleen. In 2006, the FIA GT celebrated its centenary race at the French circuit of Dijon-Prenois.

This year marks the stage of this story with the birth of a new Championship, with six manufacturers, twelve teams, twenty-four of world’s most iconic sportscars and forty-eight of the leading sportscar drivers from across the globe racing on four continents. FIA GT2 steps into the limelight as a standalone European Championship for the first time and is set to become Europe’s premier GT Championship. With the continued success of the FIA GT3 European Championship the future of GT racing is looking very good indeed.

2010 FIA GT1 Calendar