New Date
The entries for the Grand Finale of the 2018 Intercontinental GT Challenge, the California 8 Hours, are now open. The longest endurance race on the magnificent Laguna Circuit had its inaugural edition last season and will now be the deciding round for the only global GT3 championship. To facilitate the life of teams wishing to compete in both events, the California 8 Hours will now be organised on a new date, bringing the gap with the Petit Le Mans race to two weeks. The California 8 Hours will now be held from 25th to 28th October 2018.
Entries are now open
We are pleased to inform you that the entry process for the American round of the 2018 Intercontinental GT Challenge is now open. Please download the Entry Form here. This form must be submitted to Staci Langham (slangham@wcvision.com) and Sophie Peyrat (sophie@sro-motorsports.com).
Audi, Bentley, McLaren, Mercedes-AMG and Porsche having confirmed that they will support teams at each round of the 2018 season – and multiple European teams such as Strakka Racing or M-Sport having confirmed their entries, as has US based squad Black Swan Racing – it is clear that the importance of the Intercontinental GT Challenge and each of its rounds continues to increase, resulting in a wider audience and growing coverage. That certainly goes for the California 8 Hours, a unique event on one of the most iconic tracks on the motorsports planet.
Prize money one of the incentives
As well as the new date and the guaranteed attendance of top-notch starting grid, and we have added some more incentives for the teams participating in the California 8 Hours.
* Prize Money will be distributed to the top three cars overall, with the winner receiving $20.000, the runner-up $10.000 and the third placed car $7.000.
* Obviously, SRO’s well-known and highly respected Balance of Performance will be used during the event.
* The Sporting regulations are based on those of the Blancpain GT Series, which have proven their worthiness.
* Eligible Cars:
- FIA GT3 & G3 RACB homologated, with three different cups: Overall / Pro-Am / Am
- GT4
- GT Cup
- Invitational
* Tyre Supplier: Pirelli, as used in the other rounds of the Intercontinental GT Challenge, Blancpain GT Series Europe/Asia, Pirelli World Challenge, British GT and Australian GT. Pirelli’s 2018-spec DHD2 construction will be used.
More information can be found following these links:
Intercontinental GT Challenge presentation
California 8 Hours presentation flyer
IGTC California 8 Hours 2018 Sporting Regulations (draft)
SRO Motorsports Group, the architect of modern GT racing
Over the past 25 years SRO has specialised in the promotion and organisation of motorsport series around the world.
Inextricably linked with GT racing’s revival in the early 1990’s, currently SRO predominantly promotes series that adhere to the successful GT3 and GT4 regulations. Indeed, these rules – a common framework allowing manufacturers, teams and drivers to compete equally with one another – have helped to establish SRO as the global leader in customer GT racing.
Today, SRO’s influence and organisation can be seen around the world. Its flagship continues to be the European-based Blancpain GT Series, which features both the Sprint and Endurance Cups. Its annual highlight remains the iconic Total 24 Hours of Spa.
The same Pirelli tyres and Balance of Performance parameters governing the Blancpain GT Series have also been adopted in the United States by the Pirelli World Challenge (of which SRO is a shareholder), while SRO expanded its successful platform East in 2017 by establishing the Blancpain GT Series Asia.
In addition, the world’s best GT races from all four corners of the globe are brought together under the Intercontinental GT Challenge. The 2018 edition features four events – the Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour, the Total 24 Hours of Spa, the inaugural Suzuka 10 Hours, and the California 8 Hours of Laguna Seca.
SRO is also strong domestically. The multi-class British GT Championship, over which it has presided since 2005, pairs GT3 with GT4 machinery. The FFSA French GT Championship, for many years run by SRO, returned to the fold in 2017, and was added to the existing GT4 European Series. GT4’s incredibly successful first season in France provided SRO with the blueprint and confidence to expand the class’ European footprint further. Three new regional series to support the flourishing GT4 class are added in 2018: GT4 Nordic European Cup, GT4 Central European Cup and GT4 Belgium Cup.
In addition, SRO’s world-renowned Balance of Performance regulations are licensed by other series running GT3 and/or GT4 machinery, such as Super GT in Japan, the Australian GT Championship, the IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Championship in the USA, the ADAC GT Masters and the VLN in Germany and the China GT Championship. SRO works also closely with the FIA when organising its prestigious Macau FIA GT World Cup race.
While Macau caters solely for professional teams and drivers, SRO also understands the important role amateurs play in GT racing’s global success and sustainability. That is why it operates the SRO Race Centre by MMC – a high-level technical centre at Circuit Paul Ricard in southern France – and Curbstone Track Events, which provide the ultimate track driving opportunities on world-renowned circuits. Many of its clients have subsequently graduated to the Blancpain GT Sports Club, the first competitive stepping stone towards gaining the confidence and racecraft required to compete in a Pro/Am environment.
SRO Motorsports Group is chaired by company founder and CEO Stephane Ratel and has offices in London, Paris, Liège and Hong Kong. Its dedicated team of full-time and freelance staff work with the support of numerous national sporting authorities and sanctioning bodies to offer teams, drivers and manufacturers the world’s best professional, Pro/Am and amateur GT racing platforms.
Source: http://world-challenge.com
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