FIA GT Championship
The FIA GT Championship (GT stands for Gran Turismo ) is a racing series that are used in the production-based supercar and sports car. The racing series was originally held from 1997 to 2009 and has been held since 2013 under that name after the succession race series was not held under the title of FIA GT1 World Championship in its previous form. In the first years of the FIA -GT was extended as a World Championship, but later focused mainly on Europe with some races in Asia and America. Here, the majority of the race was held with two different motor sports classes. The FIA awarded at the end of the season for drivers and teams championship titles in their respective classes. 2013 FIA GT series is continued under a new concept vehicles, the GT3 group.
History
The FIA -GT has its origins in the BPR Global GT Series, founded in 1994, which was named after its founders Jürgen Barth, Patrick Peter, and Stéphane Ratel. In this championships, among other racing versions of the Ferrari F40, the McLaren F1 and the Jaguar XJ220.
In 1997, the FIA took over the lead in the series, while the planning now took over the Stéphane Ratel Organisation. All vehicle already received homologation with the FIA could go directly from the BPD in the newly created FIA GT Championship. However, these vehicles were quickly replaced by the specially designed for the new GT Championship cars. Specifically, the Mercedes -Benz CLK GTR and its evolution CLK LM developed into the dominant vehicle of the first two years. So won the two cars under the Mercedes -Benz works team AMG 16 of the 21 championship races and presented with Bernd Schneider, Klaus Ludwig and Ricardo Zonta the driver master of GT1.
End of the 1998 season, there were differences between the FIA , the SRO and the automobile manufacturers in the series. The production and maintenance costs, especially the GT1 car had risen sharply compared to the previous series. After the 1997 season, BMW and a total of three more Private from the GT1 withdrew, while the less powerful and cheaper GT2 had continued to boast more than 10 intervention teams. Therefore, the FIA wanted to make the new GT1 class. This met with the remaining automakers on resistance and thus withdrew from the series. As a result, the GT1 in 1999 was no longer advertised. The GT2 class was left as the only vehicle category in the series and was named GT. In addition, the organizer of the SRO series arranged newly. Thus, the FIA GT concentrated in the following years more to private teams and races in Europe. While still runs found in China or Argentina was, however, significantly less than in the World Cup years. Also received factory team and its drivers now no more championship points in a row and were only irregularly in the series.
In 2000, the N- GT was added below the existing GT class. In the course of cooperation with FIA and ACO, the classes have been renamed again in 2005. The beginning of the series advertised as the GT2 class was now called GT1 and added later bumped N- GT was named GT2. From 2005, a trademark was appointed master in the respective classes also. As most successful cars Chrysler Viper GTS - R, the Ferrari 550 GTS Maranello and in the less powerful GT2 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR apply. For the 2010 season organizer Stéphane Ratel sought again to a world championship with GT cars. For this purpose he divided the former FIA GT Championship in two series, modified the regulations of the GT1 and founded the FIA GT1 World Championship. The also planned FIA GT2 European Championship was however not implemented. Already in the last season of 2009, designed for the GT1 World Championship were allowed to start, but underperformed in comparison to the more powerful the old GT1 cars.
Classes
GT1
GT1 cars are pure racing cars, which must be based on road cars. In recent years, the FIA GT the car about 450 kW ( 600 hp) provide for a minimum weight of 1,100 kg. For homologation of the vehicles, it was necessary that a certain number of road vehicles was manufactured. The body was largely preserved when converting to the race car, the technique was, however, almost entirely replaced. All teams had to be from 1999, private teams, factory teams were, if they set out, not points eligible.
GT2
GT2 cars are compared to the GT1 series more race car who performed in the last years of the FIA GT approximately 300-330 kW ( 400-450 hp). In this class, predominantly occurred to customer teams, work teams were not entitled to points as in the GT1.
Other Classes
In the G2 - class vehicles were allowed to start, which had neither GT1 GT2 yet homologated to the FIA or its homologation expired. The vehicles in this category, however, had to comply with the FIA safety standards and bring a minimum weight of 1,100 kilos. Participants in this class were neither championship points, still a title is awarded at the end. So the class was used, for example, 2006 for the race debut of the Porsche 997 GT3 RSR.
In 2006, the FIA had introduced further GT3 class, with standard closer vehicles may have only minor modifications such as roll cage, an evacuated interior and rule- compliant fuel tank compared to the usual sales vehicles. The associated Championship is called the FIA GT3 European Championship. In addition to a series of national championships, was also the only long-distance race of the FIA GT, the 24-hour race in Spa -Francorchamps, awarded for those vehicles.
Race
All categories started together in a race that went to 2006 over a distance of 500 km or a maximum period of three hours. With the 2007 season of the SRO limited the duration of the race in two hours. An exception to the settlement represented the 24 - hour race at Spa -Francorchamps and the FIA GT race in Bucharest dar. Due to the special characteristics of a street circuit, two one-hour races having been held there. The race on Saturday was considered a qualifying race ( and not flow into the official statistics a ), the actual race took place on Sunday. Another peculiar feature is the race in Adria, which took place at night. All runs were started with a flying start. Per vehicle, two riders were allowed. At the 24 - hour race at Spa was a limit of four pilots. However, each pilot must during the race least 35 minutes sitting in the car, otherwise the driver was disqualified. In order to keep the tension high in the Championship, has also worked with additional weights. The first three vehicles of a race had to load into the car, which decreased depending on the placement in the following runs if necessary, to or for the next championship runs additional ballast.
Master
Others
The racing series was implemented in the two PC games GTR and GTR2.