FIA GT3 European Championship
Encyclopedia
The FIA GT3 European Championship is a sports car racing
series organized by the Stéphane Ratel Organisation
(SRO) and regulated by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile
(FIA). It is a championship derived from the international FIA GT1 World Championship
, but meant to provide competition for more amateur racers in closer to production cars. The series uses extensive performance balancing and handicap weights to make cars artificially more equal.
FIA GT3 European Championship races serve as support races for the FIA GT1 World Championship races that take place in Europe.
In the future, the FIA and SRO plan to not only expand the overall European championship, but also to help in the development of multiple one-make series across Europe, similar to the Ferrari Challenge
and Porsche Supercup
.
The following cars are currently allowed in FIA GT3:
The Jaguar XKR, Ford Mustang FR500GT, Ford GT, and Morgan Aero 8 were added to the homologation list for 2007, while the Venturi Atlantique silhouette, Maserati Trofeo, and Lotus Exige were all dropped due to lack of participation. The Jaguar XKR, Ford Mustang, and Morgan were eventually dropped by the 2011 season. Audi's R8 LMS and the Alpina B6 were homologated for 2009, while the F430 GT3 was replaced by the Ferrari F430 Scuderia. The Alpina B6 and Chevrolet Corvette Z06R were also dropped by the 2011 season, while the Ferrari F430 GT3/Scuderia has been replaced with the Ferrari 458 GT3.
Future GT3 cars under development include the Nissan GT-R
GT3 and the Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 (which will replace the DBRS9 in 2012). The Mclaren MP4-12C
GT3 is also expected to begin racing in the championship in 2012.
Mosler Deutschland in association with Rollcentre Racing, official importer of the Mosler
marque in Europe, announced a MT900
GT3 for the series but their homologation was rejected for the European Championship. The car was however accepted for the Belcar and British GT Championships (although it has also been since banned from the latter as of mid-2009). Competitors are allowed to run the MT900 GT3 in the Australian GT Championship
though the car has a maximum rev limit of 7,200rpm.
From 2006-09 teams were limited to a maximum of 3 cars, with each car having 2 drivers. From 2010 teams are limited to a maximum of two cars, each with two drivers. A team must use the same type of car for each of their entries. There can be no more than six entries per marque (three two car teams), although teams entering cars in the GT1 championship can enter cars in GT3 beyond this restriction.
Drivers under the age of 55 who fit the following criteria are not allowed in FIA GT3:
Exception to this is that drivers over the age of 45 can petition the SRO and FIA to be allowed to race even with prior professional experience.
Points are awarded to the top eight on the scale of 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1, with each car in a team scoring points even if multiple entries finish in scoring positions.
launched a race series known as GT Masters
, which will be a national level series for FIA GT3 cars. Their initial season in 2007 will feature six races (all but one in Germany), serving as support races for the 24 Hours Nürburgring
and Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters
. http://www.the-paddock.net/content/view/240873/49/ The series is the first national level version of FIA GT3.
Starting from 2007, the Brasil GT3 Championship has been held in Brazil, also organized by SRO, with several veteran drivers racing in some events, such as former Formula One
champions Emerson Fittipaldi
and Nelson Piquet
and former Brazilian Stock Car champions Chico Serra
and Alexandre Negrão, who also was the first series champion. Differently from the European series, GT3 Brasil accepts professional drivers, in a system where drivers are graded from A (International Driver) to D (Fully Amateur), however, at least one of the drivers in each car must be of amateur status (C or D), except if a team is composed of two B-graded drivers, in that case, the car gets a 60 kg ballast penalty.
Various other championships are also running now which allow GT3-spec cars to participate, notably British GT Championship
, FFSA GT Championship
, Belcar
, Australian GT Championship
, Super GT
and Super Taikyu
.
In 2007 the SRO and FIA have launched a similar championship, known as the GT4 European Cup
, which features the same concept of using serial production sports cars, but with smaller engine sizes, minimum modifications and restrictions on the professionalism of participating drivers.
Currently, the FIA GT1 World Championship
acts as a senior series to this series. Drivers in GT1 drive are more experienced (and can be hired by the factory), drive more powerful cars, and the season is longer and visits more countries (including non-European countries). Because the GT1 Championship will allow performance balanced GT3 cars and 2009-spec GT2 cars in 2012, the only difference in the car lineups will be the GT3 Championship still being restricted to GT3 cars. All GT3 races occur on the same weekend as a corresponding GT1 race, and the races occur at different times of the day (e.g. Paul Ricard hosts both a GT1 and a GT3 race on the same weekend). Some manufacturers like Aston Martin
race/have raced cars in both the GT1 and GT3 championships.
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 organized by the Stéphane Ratel Organisation
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...
(SRO) and regulated by 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). It is a championship derived from the international FIA GT1 World Championship
FIA GT1 World Championship
The FIA GT1 World Championship is a world championship sports car racing series developed by the SRO Group and regulated by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . It features multiple grand tourer race cars based on production road cars and conforming with the GT1 regulations competing in...
, but meant to provide competition for more amateur racers in closer to production cars. The series uses extensive performance balancing and handicap weights to make cars artificially more equal.
FIA GT3 European Championship races serve as support races for the FIA GT1 World Championship races that take place in Europe.
History
The FIA GT3 European Championship was launched in 2006 as a way to expand manufacturer involvement in motorsports as well as to help amateur drivers across Europe. It attempts to combine multiple one-make series into a larger event with a race within a race, teams competing not only to beat others in their own manufacturer cup but also to win the overall race.In the future, the FIA and SRO plan to not only expand the overall European championship, but also to help in the development of multiple one-make series across Europe, similar to the Ferrari Challenge
Ferrari Challenge
The Ferrari Challenge is a single-marque motorsport championship that was created in 1993 for owners of the 348 Berlinetta who wanted to become involved in racing. It now encompasses three official championships in the United States, Italy, and Europe. Competitors from each series are brought...
and Porsche Supercup
Porsche Supercup
The Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup is the international motor racing series supporting the FIA Formula One World Championship organized by Porsche AG....
.
Vehicles
Following in the established name usage from FIA GT, GT3 differs from its GT1 counterparts by using more low-cost engineering and design elements in the development of the road cars to their racing counterparts, as well as attempting to make all cars equal by pre- and in-season performance balancing adjustments. Unlike FIA GT1's GT1, the GT3 class cars are not allowed to be developed by their manufacturers over the course of a racing season. Manufacturers simply provide a ready-to-race car to a customer and the teams are limited in what they can alter from production specs. All cars that participate in GT3 must be allowed permission and equalized with the competition by the FIA.The following cars are currently allowed in FIA GT3:
- Aston Martin DBRS9Aston Martin DBRS9The Aston Martin DBRS9 is a racing car built by Aston Martin Racing to be a cheaper alternative to the Aston Martin DBR9, both of which are based on the Aston Martin DB9. The DBRS9 is the only GT3 class car produced by Aston Martin and was introduced in 2005....
- Audi R8 LMS
- BMW Z4 GT3
- Ferrari 458 GT3
- Ford GTFord GTThe Ford GT is a mid-engine two-seater sports car. Ford Motor Company produced the Ford GT for the 2005 to 2006 model years. The designers drew inspiration from Ford's GT40 race cars of the 1960s.- Development :...
GT3 - Lamborghini GallardoLamborghini GallardoThe Lamborghini Gallardo is a sports car built by Lamborghini. The Gallardo is Lamborghini's most-produced model to date, with over 10,000 built in its first seven years of production...
LP600 GT3 - Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3
- Porsche 911 GT3 RPorsche 911 GT3The Porsche 911 GT3 is a higher performance version of the Porsche 911 sports car. It is the latest in a line of high performance models, beginning with the 1973 911 RS...
The Jaguar XKR, Ford Mustang FR500GT, Ford GT, and Morgan Aero 8 were added to the homologation list for 2007, while the Venturi Atlantique silhouette, Maserati Trofeo, and Lotus Exige were all dropped due to lack of participation. The Jaguar XKR, Ford Mustang, and Morgan were eventually dropped by the 2011 season. Audi's R8 LMS and the Alpina B6 were homologated for 2009, while the F430 GT3 was replaced by the Ferrari F430 Scuderia. The Alpina B6 and Chevrolet Corvette Z06R were also dropped by the 2011 season, while the Ferrari F430 GT3/Scuderia has been replaced with the Ferrari 458 GT3.
Future GT3 cars under development include the Nissan GT-R
Nissan GT-R
The Nissan GT-R is a sports car produced by Nissan released in Japan on December 6, 2007, the United States on July 4, 2008, and the rest of the world in March 2009.-History:...
GT3 and the Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 (which will replace the DBRS9 in 2012). The Mclaren MP4-12C
McLaren MP4-12C
The McLaren MP4-12C is a sports car designed and manufactured by McLaren Automotive. It is the first production car wholly designed and built by McLaren since the McLaren F1. The car's final design was unveiled on 8 September 2009, and it is set to be launched in 2011...
GT3 is also expected to begin racing in the championship in 2012.
Mosler Deutschland in association with Rollcentre Racing, official importer of the Mosler
Mosler
Mosler Automotive is an American supercar manufacturer based in Florida. It was founded in 1985 by Warren Mosler as Consulier Industries, and manufactured the now-defunct Consulier GTP, which was later rebranded and updated as the Mosler Intruder/Raptor when the company spun off its automotive...
marque in Europe, announced a MT900
Mosler MT900
The MT900 is a sports car built in the United States and the United Kingdom by Mosler. Three submodels have also been produced. The MT900R was a racing version of the MT900. The basic car was updated as the MT900S for 2005, with the MT900S Photon being its racing variant. The original MT900 was...
GT3 for the series but their homologation was rejected for the European Championship. The car was however accepted for the Belcar and British GT Championships (although it has also been since banned from the latter as of mid-2009). Competitors are allowed to run the MT900 GT3 in the Australian GT Championship
Australian GT Championship
The Australian GT Championship is a CAMS-sanctioned national title for drivers of GT cars, held annually from 1960 to 1963, from 1982 to 1985 and from 2005. Each championship up to and including the 1963 title was contested over a single race and those after that year over a series of races...
though the car has a maximum rev limit of 7,200rpm.
From 2006-09 teams were limited to a maximum of 3 cars, with each car having 2 drivers. From 2010 teams are limited to a maximum of two cars, each with two drivers. A team must use the same type of car for each of their entries. There can be no more than six entries per marque (three two car teams), although teams entering cars in the GT1 championship can enter cars in GT3 beyond this restriction.
Drivers
The drivers in FIA GT3 are not on the same level as those in FIA GT, in that they are intended to be more amateur drivers than the professionals who are hired in FIA GT. The term gentleman driver is that most commonly used to describe the drivers in FIA GT3. However, in order to ensure that the drivers in FIA GT3 are of amateur status, the FIA put into place rules regarding what determines a driver's skill level. http://www.fiagt3.com/faq.phpDrivers under the age of 55 who fit the following criteria are not allowed in FIA GT3:
- Has held an FIA Super LicenceFIA Super LicenceThe FIA Super Licence is a qualification allowing the licence holder to take part in Formula One Grands Prix as a driver. The licence is issued by the FIA upon request....
or Grade A License. - Has finished in the Top 10 in Formula 3000, A1 Grand PrixA1 Grand PrixA1 Grand Prix was a 'single make' open-wheel auto racing series. It was unique in its field in that competitors solely represented their nation as opposed to themselves or a team, the usual format in most formula racing series. As such, it was often promoted as the "World Cup of Motorsport"...
, GP2GP2 SeriesThe GP2 Series, GP2 for short, is a form of open wheel motor racing introduced in 2005 following the discontinuation of the long-term Formula One feeder series, Formula 3000. The format was conceived by Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore, while Ecclestone also has the rights to the name GP1...
, Indy Racing League, or Champ Car World Series. (Though Formula 3000, A1 Grand Prix, and Champ Car are all defunct currently, the regulations for those are still in effect because drivers who participated in those series may still be active in other disciples.) - Has finished in the Top 6 of any international or national Formula 3 championship.
- Has won the 24 Hours of Le Mans24 Hours of Le MansThe 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since near the town of Le Mans, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency, race teams have to balance speed against the cars' ability to run for 24 hours without sustaining...
outright. - Has been a hired works driver for a major automobile manufacturer.
- Has achievements or performances which, according to the SRO and FIA, deem that individual a professional racing driver.
Exception to this is that drivers over the age of 45 can petition the SRO and FIA to be allowed to race even with prior professional experience.
Races
For each event in the FIA GT3 season, two individual races are held. Each driver on the two car team qualifies the car individually, and then starts each of the two races from their respective starting position, with one driver starting the first race and the other driver starting the second race. Each race requires one pit stop, where the team must switch between the two drivers, as well as change all four tires. Each team is limited to only two crew members in the pits during a pit stop. All races are one hour in length.Championships
FIA GT3 attempts to present itself as a gathering of cup races. Besides the fact that all cars are individually fighting against others to have a race win, cars are also meant to be competing against cars of their same make. Each individual make in GT3 has their own respective drivers championship alongside the overall GT3 Teams Championship and Drivers Championship.Points are awarded to the top eight on the scale of 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1, with each car in a team scoring points even if multiple entries finish in scoring positions.
Champions
| Season | Drivers Champion(s) | Team Champion |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 2006 FIA GT3 European Championship season The 2006 FIA GT3 European Championship season was the inaugural season of the FIA GT3 European Championship. The season began on May 2, 2006 and ended on September 17, 2006 and featured ten one-hour races over five rounds.-Schedule:... |
 Sean Edwards |
Tech 9 Motorsport |
| 2007 |  Gilles Vannelet Henri Moser |
 Martini Callaway Racing |
| 2008 | Arnaud Peyroles James Ruffier |
Matech GT Racing |
| 2009 2009 FIA GT3 European Championship season The 2009 FIA GT3 European Championship season was the fourth season of the FIA GT3 European Championship. The season began on May 2 at Silverstone and will end on November 14, 2009 at Zolder. The season featured six double-header rounds, with each race lasting for a duration of 60 minutes... |
Christopher Haase Christopher Haase Christopher Haase is a German racing driver. He became the FIA GT3 European Champion in 2009, racing for Lamborghini and Reiter Engineering, and raced in GT1 for the first time in 2010.... Christopher Mies |
Hexis Racing AMR |
| 2010 2010 FIA GT3 European Championship season The 2010 FIA GT3 European Championship season was the fifth season of the FIA GT3 European Championship. The season commenced on May 1 at Silverstone and ended on October 10 at Circuit Zolder. The season featured six double-header rounds, with each race lasting for a duration of 60 minutes... |
Daniel Keilwitz Christian Hohenadel Christian Hohenadel Christian Hohenadel is a German race car driver.Together with Daniel Keilwitz, he won four races and the drivers championship of the 2010 FIA GT3 championship, driving a Callaway Corvette Z06.R GT3... |
 Prospeed Competition |
| 2011 2011 FIA GT3 European Championship season The 2011 FIA GT3 European Championship season was the sixth season of the FIA GT3 European Championship. The season commenced on May 8 at Algarve and ended on October 16 at Zandvoort. The season featured six double-header rounds, with each race lasting for a duration of 60 minutes... |
 Francesco CastellacciFrancesco Castellacci Francesco Castellacci is a professional racing driver from Italy. Francesco studied at Marymount International School, Rome and Universita' Bocconi before starting his career as a pilot.-Formula Azzurra:... Federico LeoFederico Leo Federico Leo is an Italian racing driver.-Formula Junior:Leo began his single–seater career in late 2005 in the Italian Formula Junior 1600 Winter series, scoring nine points to finish 13th in the standings... |
Heico Motorsport |
Similar series
On November 29, 2006, the German ADACADAC
The ADAC is Germany's and Europe's largest automobile club, with more than 17 million members in June 2010. It was founded on May 24, 1903 as "Deutsche Motorradfahrer-Vereinigung" and was renamed in 1911...
launched a race series known as GT Masters
ADAC GT Masters
The ADAC GT Masters is a grand tourer-based auto racing series founded by the international Stéphane Ratel Organisation and supported by the German ADAC automotive club. Similar to an earlier ADAC GT Cup series in the 1990s, the new GT Masters ran their first season in 2007...
, which will be a national level series for FIA GT3 cars. Their initial season in 2007 will feature six races (all but one in Germany), serving as support races for the 24 Hours Nürburgring
24 Hours Nürburgring
The 24 Hours Nürburgring is a touring car and GT endurance racing event on the Nürburgring Nordschleife . With a lap length of over , it allows the participation of more than 200 cars, and over 700 drivers.-Overview:...
and Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters
Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters
The Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters is a touring car racing series based in Germany, but also with rounds elsewhere in Europe....
. http://www.the-paddock.net/content/view/240873/49/ The series is the first national level version of FIA GT3.
Starting from 2007, the Brasil GT3 Championship has been held in Brazil, also organized by SRO, with several veteran drivers racing in some events, such as former Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
champions Emerson Fittipaldi
Emerson Fittipaldi
Emerson Fittipaldi |São Paulo]], Brazil) is a Brazilian automobile racing driver who throughout a long and successful career won the Indianapolis 500 twice and championships in both Formula One and CART.-Early and personal life:...
and Nelson Piquet
Nelson Piquet
Nelson Piquet Souto Maior , known as Nelson Piquet, is a Brazilian former racing driver. He was Formula One world champion in , and . He is one of eight drivers to win three or more world championships, the others being Jack Brabham, Jackie Stewart, Niki Lauda, Ayrton Senna , Alain Prost , Juan...
and former Brazilian Stock Car champions Chico Serra
Chico Serra
Francisco "Chico" Serra is a racing driver from Brazil. He won the 1979 British Formula Three Championship. He participated in 33 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix for Fittipaldi and Arrows, debuting on 15 March 1981. He scored one championship point, for finishing sixth in the 1982...
and Alexandre Negrão, who also was the first series champion. Differently from the European series, GT3 Brasil accepts professional drivers, in a system where drivers are graded from A (International Driver) to D (Fully Amateur), however, at least one of the drivers in each car must be of amateur status (C or D), except if a team is composed of two B-graded drivers, in that case, the car gets a 60 kg ballast penalty.
Various other championships are also running now which allow GT3-spec cars to participate, notably British GT Championship
British GT Championship
The Avon Tyres British GT Championship is a sports car racing series currently based in the United Kingdom, although they have had select races outside of Britain in the past few years. The series was created by the British Racing Drivers' Club in 1993 and for its first two seasons was called 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...
, Belcar
Belcar
The Belcar Endurance Championship is the national sports car racing championship of Belgium. The series is sanctioned by the Royal Automobile Club of Belgium and run by the Stéphane Ratel Organisation . The series' title sponsor is Mediagroep Van Dyck.Since the 2007 season, the series has run...
, Australian GT Championship
Australian GT Championship
The Australian GT Championship is a CAMS-sanctioned national title for drivers of GT cars, held annually from 1960 to 1963, from 1982 to 1985 and from 2005. Each championship up to and including the 1963 title was contested over a single race and those after that year over a series of races...
, Super GT
Super GT
The Super GT series, formerly known as the All-Japan Grand Touring Car Championship or JGTC , is a grand touring car race series promoted by the GT-Association...
and Super Taikyu
Group N
In relation to motorsport governed by the FIA, Group N refers to a set of regulations providing 'standard' production vehicles for competition, often referred to as the "Showroom Class"....
.
In 2007 the SRO and FIA have launched a similar championship, known as the GT4 European Cup
GT4 European Cup
The GT4 European Cup is a sports car championship created and organized by the Stéphane Ratel Organisation and sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . It is an amateur championship which follows a formula similar to the FIA GT3 European Championship, which is itself derived...
, which features the same concept of using serial production sports cars, but with smaller engine sizes, minimum modifications and restrictions on the professionalism of participating drivers.
Currently, the FIA GT1 World Championship
FIA GT1 World Championship
The FIA GT1 World Championship is a world championship sports car racing series developed by the SRO Group and regulated by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . It features multiple grand tourer race cars based on production road cars and conforming with the GT1 regulations competing in...
acts as a senior series to this series. Drivers in GT1 drive are more experienced (and can be hired by the factory), drive more powerful cars, and the season is longer and visits more countries (including non-European countries). Because the GT1 Championship will allow performance balanced GT3 cars and 2009-spec GT2 cars in 2012, the only difference in the car lineups will be the GT3 Championship still being restricted to GT3 cars. All GT3 races occur on the same weekend as a corresponding GT1 race, and the races occur at different times of the day (e.g. Paul Ricard hosts both a GT1 and a GT3 race on the same weekend). Some manufacturers like Aston Martin
Aston Martin
Aston Martin Lagonda Limited is a British manufacturer of luxury sports cars, based in Gaydon, Warwickshire. The company name is derived from the name of one of the company's founders, Lionel Martin, and from the Aston Hill speed hillclimb near Aston Clinton in Buckinghamshire...
race/have raced cars in both the GT1 and GT3 championships.