British GT: Big Boys to Return
New promoter will implement changes
Stephane Ratel, promoter of the successful FIA GT and French GT Championships, will be the new promoter of the British F3-GT package from 2004 onwards.
Rights holder British Motorsport Promoters has reached agreement for the commercial rights in the British F3/GT Championships to be ceded to the Stephane Ratel Organisation for the next five years.
The British F3 Championship will remain unchanged for 2004, but there are plans for the British GT Championship that will re-introduce the mighty GT class cars, such as Listers, Saleens and Chrysler Vipers.
However, the organisers are keen to stress that the new initiative will not be at the expense of the specialised constructors that have formed the backbone of British GT racing for many years. In addition, GT teams will be afforded more track time, with 90 minutes of free practice, 30 minutes of qualifying and two 60 minute races on the programme.
Stephane Ratel said: "We have experience in France of building the strongest national GT championship in Europe and we will apply the same regulations in British GT racing in order to help the category enjoy a strong revival. We have ensured that the calendar avoids any clashes between FIA and British rounds so that prestigious teams may compete in both series ."
Donington Park’s Robert Fearnall, who co-ordinated the agreement on behalf of BMP, explained, "BMP’s aim is to give a long-term and secure future to British F3/GT and we firmly believe Stephane’s organisation can deliver the promotion and stability needed to enhance the quality of these championships
."
An official launch of F3-GT 2004, including technical regulations and the provisional calendar, will be held next month at SRO’s headquarters in London.
First of all, to settle the "is it a GT or isnt it?" debate (sorry if its already been done), the definition of a GT is "having no more than two doors and no more than FOUR seats". By that definition, the Clio V6 is a GT, but that Golf isn't, as the road car has five seats.
Secondly, pretty much everything Stephane Ratel has touched has been good. BPR GT's were fantastic, FIA GT in its original GT1/GT2 form even more so. The ISRS/SRWC/FIASC was brilliant in its heyday. At Donington in 1999 there were 25 prototypes on the grid if I remember correctly. He rescued FIA GT after the GT1 era ended, and thats a brilliant championship now. He's obviously done great things with the French championship, so I think he should at least be given a chance with British GT. We're all huge sportscar racing fans here, and while this years British Championship has been fantastic, I'll say to anyone here that they'd rather go back to the old GT1 days of 1997 and 1998.
What Ratel plans to do will equal or surpass that. Imagine 40 or 50 full on, proper GT cars spilling into Paddock Bend, or Cascades, or down Craner Curves, headed by Lister's, Saleen's, Vipers, and GT spec Mosler's (one is being built now if rumours are to be believed). The two one hour races per weekend idea will give spectators and drivers more track time, and the promise of proper GT cars again (no offense to anyone involved in this year's championship intended, because it was fantastic) has me wishing it was April already. . This will not be a one season programme. It has taken Ratel six seasons to build the French Championship to the level it's at now. Just give him time and I'm confident he'll deliver
The DJ 27 said:
I just posted this on the DSC forum, since a lot of people on there seem to be opposed to it. ...
Not opposed to the principle of the idea, more the implimentation.
whittaker52 said:
Should make for an interesting season, and hopefully pull a few more cars into the championship.
Fine, and yes you're right, but if they couldn't afford to run in 2003, will they be able to in 2004?
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