BPR Global GT Series
Encyclopedia
The BPR Global GT Series (sometimes referred to as the BPR Global GT Endurance Series or simply abbreviated as BPR.) was a grand tourer
-based sports car racing
series which ran from 1994 to 1996 before becoming the FIA GT Championship
in 1997. The series was founded by Jürgen Barth
, Patrick Peter, and Stéphane Ratel (their last names forming the BPR name) as an international endurance racing series to replace the World Sportscar Championship
which had ended in 1992.
in 1992, there were no international sports car racing
series in existence, only small national series or manufacturer cup races featuring nearly identical cars. Patrick Peter and Stéphane Ratel of the Venturi series in France along with Jürgen Barth
of the German Porsche
series entered into discussions to combine their one-make series into an international championship that would bring back endurance racing to most of Europe
as well as the rest of the world.
The series began in 1994 with an eight race schedule, including visits to Japan
and China
, with races of approximately four hours in length. Fields were initially made of a variety of Porsche
and Venturi racing cars from various racing series broken into a wide variety of classes before later being joined by a modified Ferrari F40
, Lotus Esprits, and Callaway
Corvette
s.
In 1995 the series would expand to twelve rounds and the amount of manufacturer interest was increased as new supercars such as the McLaren F1 GTR
, Ferrari F40
GTE, and Jaguar XJ220
would appear, as well as lower class competitors like the Porsche 911 GT2
and De Tomaso Pantera
. By 1996, manufacturer involvement had driven out most of the smaller cup cars, leading to the series slimming down to a mere two classes.
The manufacturer interest in the series reached a high point when Porsche launched their 911 GT1
, a homologated
supercar that was intended first as a racing car. Due to the amount manufacturer involvement, the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile
(FIA) decided that the series would be best managed by themselves, leading to the series being reformed into the FIA GT Championship
, where it continues to this day. Stéphane Ratel would remain in charge of the series commercial rights.
Although the BPR series was technically dead, some of its organizers would move onto other series. In France, Patrick Peter would create a new series in association with the French FFSA motorsports organization, known as the FFSA GT Championship
. Cars would be less powerful than those seen in the other years of BPR, retaining the initital four class format, although this would be abandoned in later years.
Stéphane Ratel would create the SRO
and help launch the GTR Euroseries
in 1998 for privateer teams to avoid the large manufacturer involvement now seen in FIA GT. The GTR Euroseries would also retain the four hour race format that was no longer used by FIA GT. Unfortunately this series would fail during its initital season. SRO would go on to create various other national GT series.
In 2006, the SRO announced the launch of the GT90's Revival Series, a historic racing series intended to see classic cars from the BPR series return to the track.
, which used custom built racing cars, the BPR series would use production sportscars which were modified into racing cars. Manufacturers would be required to have built a certain amount of production cars for sale, with the among of homologation
vehicles set by the class in which the car wished to participate. Initially four classes were used (GT1 through GT4) before being changed to two classes in 1996 (GT1 and GT2). The upper classes allowed deeper modifications from the production vehicles, including the use of exotic materials and non-production parts.
Teams were required to have two drivers per car, with each driver being required to drive a minimum amount in order to score points. Some teams could run three if they wished, although this was mostly used for amateur teams.
Grand tourer
A grand tourer is a high-performance luxury automobile designed for long-distance driving. The most common format is a two-door coupé with either a two-seat or a 2+2 arrangement....
-based sports car racing
Sports car racing
Sports car racing is a form of circuit auto racing with automobiles that have two seats and enclosed wheels. They may be purpose-built or related to road-going sports cars....
series which ran from 1994 to 1996 before becoming the FIA GT Championship
FIA GT Championship
The FIA GT Championship was a sports car racing series organized by the Stéphane Ratel Organisation at the behest of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The championship was mostly concentrated in Europe, but throughout the years has visited other continents including Asia and South...
in 1997. The series was founded by Jürgen Barth
Jürgen Barth
Jürgen Barth is a German engineer and a former racecar driver. He is the son of Formula One driver and sports car racer Edgar Barth....
, Patrick Peter, and Stéphane Ratel (their last names forming the BPR name) as an international endurance racing series to replace the World Sportscar Championship
World Sportscar Championship
The World Sportscar Championship was the world series run for sports car racing by the FIA from 1953 to 1992.The championship evolved from a small collection of the most important sportscar, endurance and road racing events in Europe and North America with dozens of gentleman drivers at the grid,...
which had ended in 1992.
History
Following the demise of the World Sportscar ChampionshipWorld Sportscar Championship
The World Sportscar Championship was the world series run for sports car racing by the FIA from 1953 to 1992.The championship evolved from a small collection of the most important sportscar, endurance and road racing events in Europe and North America with dozens of gentleman drivers at the grid,...
in 1992, there were no international sports car racing
Sports car racing
Sports car racing is a form of circuit auto racing with automobiles that have two seats and enclosed wheels. They may be purpose-built or related to road-going sports cars....
series in existence, only small national series or manufacturer cup races featuring nearly identical cars. Patrick Peter and Stéphane Ratel of the Venturi series in France along with Jürgen Barth
Jürgen Barth
Jürgen Barth is a German engineer and a former racecar driver. He is the son of Formula One driver and sports car racer Edgar Barth....
of the German Porsche
Porsche
Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry....
series entered into discussions to combine their one-make series into an international championship that would bring back endurance racing to most of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
as well as the rest of the world.
The series began in 1994 with an eight race schedule, including visits to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, with races of approximately four hours in length. Fields were initially made of a variety of Porsche
Porsche
Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry....
and Venturi racing cars from various racing series broken into a wide variety of classes before later being joined by a modified Ferrari F40
Ferrari F40
The Ferrari F40 is a mid-engine, rear-wheel drive, two-door coupé sports car produced by Ferrari from 1987 to 1992 as the successor to the Ferrari 288 GTO. From 1987 to 1989 it was Ferrari's fastest, most powerful, and most expensive car...
, Lotus Esprits, and Callaway
Callaway Cars Incorporated
Callaway Cars Inc. is an engine design company who is notable for their modification of Chevrolet cars, the Corvette sport cars in particular, especially their twin-turbo kit that became a dealer option and their record breaking Corvette Sledgehammer car....
Corvette
Chevrolet Corvette
The Chevrolet Corvette is a sports car by the Chevrolet division of General Motors that has been produced in six generations. The first model, a convertible, was designed by Harley Earl and introduced at the GM Motorama in 1953 as a concept show car. Myron Scott is credited for naming the car after...
s.
In 1995 the series would expand to twelve rounds and the amount of manufacturer interest was increased as new supercars such as the McLaren F1 GTR
McLaren F1 GTR
The McLaren F1 GTR was a racing variant of the McLaren F1 sports car first produced in 1995 for grand touring style racing, such as the BPR Global GT Series, FIA GT Championship, JGTC, and British GT Championship. It is most famous for its overall victory at the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans where it...
, Ferrari F40
Ferrari F40
The Ferrari F40 is a mid-engine, rear-wheel drive, two-door coupé sports car produced by Ferrari from 1987 to 1992 as the successor to the Ferrari 288 GTO. From 1987 to 1989 it was Ferrari's fastest, most powerful, and most expensive car...
GTE, and Jaguar XJ220
Jaguar XJ220
The Jaguar XJ220 is a mid-engined supercar produced by Jaguar in collaboration with Tom Walkinshaw Racing as Jaguar Sport between 1992 and 1994. It held the record for the highest top speed of a production car , until the arrival of the McLaren F1 in 1994...
would appear, as well as lower class competitors like the Porsche 911 GT2
Porsche 911 GT2
The Porsche 911 GT2 is a sports car built by the German manufacturer Porsche since 1994. It is based on the 911 Turbo, and uses a similar twin-turbocharged engine, but features numerous upgrades, including engine upgrades, larger brakes, and stiffer suspension calibration...
and De Tomaso Pantera
De Tomaso Pantera
The Pantera was a sports car produced by the De Tomaso car company of Italy from 1971 to 1991, the last one being delivered to a customer in 1992.The word "Pantera" is Italian for "Panther".-History:...
. By 1996, manufacturer involvement had driven out most of the smaller cup cars, leading to the series slimming down to a mere two classes.
The manufacturer interest in the series reached a high point when Porsche launched their 911 GT1
Porsche 911 GT1
The Porsche 911 GT1 was a car designed for competition in the GT1 class of sportscar racing, which also required a street legal version for homologation purposes...
, a homologated
Homologation
Homologation is a technical term, derived from the Greek homologeo for "to agree", which is generally used in English to signify the granting of approval by an official authority...
supercar that was intended first as a racing car. Due to the amount manufacturer involvement, the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile
Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile
The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile is a non-profit association established as the Association Internationale des Automobile Clubs Reconnus on 20 June 1904 to represent the interests of motoring organisations and motor car users...
(FIA) decided that the series would be best managed by themselves, leading to the series being reformed into the FIA GT Championship
FIA GT Championship
The FIA GT Championship was a sports car racing series organized by the Stéphane Ratel Organisation at the behest of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The championship was mostly concentrated in Europe, but throughout the years has visited other continents including Asia and South...
, where it continues to this day. Stéphane Ratel would remain in charge of the series commercial rights.
Although the BPR series was technically dead, some of its organizers would move onto other series. In France, Patrick Peter would create a new series in association with the French FFSA motorsports organization, known as the FFSA GT Championship
FFSA GT Championship
The GT Tour is a French Grand Touring-style sports car racing series that began in 1997. It is controlled by the Fédération Française du Sport Automobile and organized by racing company Oreca...
. Cars would be less powerful than those seen in the other years of BPR, retaining the initital four class format, although this would be abandoned in later years.
Stéphane Ratel would create the SRO
Stéphane Ratel Organisation
The Stéphane Ratel Organisation is a motorsports organization founded by French driver Stéphane Ratel in 1995. Currently based out of London, the company is involved in the promotion, support, and organization of various national and international auto racing series around the world...
and help launch the GTR Euroseries
GTR Euroseries
The GTR Euroseries was a short-lived auto racing series which ran in 1998. It was created as an alternative to the international FIA GT Championship, while combining elements of the former BPR Global GT Series...
in 1998 for privateer teams to avoid the large manufacturer involvement now seen in FIA GT. The GTR Euroseries would also retain the four hour race format that was no longer used by FIA GT. Unfortunately this series would fail during its initital season. SRO would go on to create various other national GT series.
In 2006, the SRO announced the launch of the GT90's Revival Series, a historic racing series intended to see classic cars from the BPR series return to the track.
Regulations
Unlike the World Sportscar ChampionshipWorld Sportscar Championship
The World Sportscar Championship was the world series run for sports car racing by the FIA from 1953 to 1992.The championship evolved from a small collection of the most important sportscar, endurance and road racing events in Europe and North America with dozens of gentleman drivers at the grid,...
, which used custom built racing cars, the BPR series would use production sportscars which were modified into racing cars. Manufacturers would be required to have built a certain amount of production cars for sale, with the among of homologation
Homologation
Homologation is a technical term, derived from the Greek homologeo for "to agree", which is generally used in English to signify the granting of approval by an official authority...
vehicles set by the class in which the car wished to participate. Initially four classes were used (GT1 through GT4) before being changed to two classes in 1996 (GT1 and GT2). The upper classes allowed deeper modifications from the production vehicles, including the use of exotic materials and non-production parts.
Teams were required to have two drivers per car, with each driver being required to drive a minimum amount in order to score points. Some teams could run three if they wished, although this was mostly used for amateur teams.
Champions
Although multiple classes raced in the early years of BPR, only a single overall championship was rewarded.| Driver Champion(s) | Team Champion | |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 1994 BPR Global GT Series season The 1994 BPR Global GT Series season was the inaugural season of BPR Global GT Series. It was a series for Grand Touring style cars broken into four classes based on power and manufacturer involvement, using the names GT1 through GT4. It began on March 6, 1994 and ended November 13, 1994 after 8... |
No Championships Awarded | |
| 1995 1995 BPR Global GT Series season The 1995 BPR Global GT Series season was the second season of BPR Global GT Series. It was a series for Grand Touring style cars broken into four classes based on power and manufacturer involvement, using names from GT1 to GT4. It began on February 26, 1995 and ended November 12, 1995 after 12... |
 Thomas BscherThomas Bscher -External Links:*...  John NielsenJohn Nielsen John Nielsen won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1990. Previously, he won the Macau Grand Prix in 1984. He was also a 3-time champion of the European Formula Super Vee Championship from 1979 to 1981.... |
 David Price RacingDavid Price Racing David Price Racing is a British motor racing team, founded by David Price. They have competed in various forms of motorsport since their foundation in 1976... McLaren F1 GTR McLaren F1 GTR The McLaren F1 GTR was a racing variant of the McLaren F1 sports car first produced in 1995 for grand touring style racing, such as the BPR Global GT Series, FIA GT Championship, JGTC, and British GT Championship. It is most famous for its overall victory at the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans where it... |
| 1996 1996 BPR Global GT Series season The 1996 BPR Global GT Series season was the third season of BPR Global GT Series. It is a series for Grand Touring style cars broken into two classes based on power and manufacturer involvement, called GT1 and GT2. It began on March 3, 1996 and ended November 3, 1996 after 11 races... |
Ray Bellm Ray Bellm Ray Bellm is an auto racing driver from Britain.He began his racing career in 1980, running in Historic racing series and winning the British Historic 2L GT class in 1983 and 1984 driving his Chevron B19 sports car. He made the move to modern sports car racing in 1984, driving for Gordon Spice... James WeaverJames Weaver (racing driver) James Weaver is a British former racing driver. He began his career in the European F3. In 1982 he was the Eddie Jordan Racing team's primary driver, but in 1983 he went back to the European F3. He debuted in the British Touring Car Championship in 1989 at the Oulton Park circuit in March that year... |
GTC Competition McLaren F1 GTR McLaren F1 GTR The McLaren F1 GTR was a racing variant of the McLaren F1 sports car first produced in 1995 for grand touring style racing, such as the BPR Global GT Series, FIA GT Championship, JGTC, and British GT Championship. It is most famous for its overall victory at the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans where it... |
See also
- FIA GT ChampionshipFIA GT ChampionshipThe FIA GT Championship was a sports car racing series organized by the Stéphane Ratel Organisation at the behest of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The championship was mostly concentrated in Europe, but throughout the years has visited other continents including Asia and South...
- World Sportscar ChampionshipWorld Sportscar ChampionshipThe World Sportscar Championship was the world series run for sports car racing by the FIA from 1953 to 1992.The championship evolved from a small collection of the most important sportscar, endurance and road racing events in Europe and North America with dozens of gentleman drivers at the grid,...
- Sega Super GTSega Super GTSCUD Race, "Sport Car Ultimate Drive" Sega Super GT in the North America, is an arcade racing game released by Sega in 1996. It is the first racing game to be using the Sega Model 3 hardware....
- Arcade Game featuring BPR Global GT Series competitors.