GT World Challenge Europe Season 2022

[Racing Harz]

Leipert Motorsport will be racing with a Huracan in the Endurance Cup. Brendon Leitchis the first confirmed driver.
https://gt-place.com/2021/09/02/leip...urope-zurueck/

[chunterer]

About time we had a first draft calendar?

[tux]

Supposed to be released this weekend. Thought they might do it on the Friday.

GRT will not be back in GTWC next season, they will focus on GT Masters/DTM & IMSA.

[tux]

https://sportscar365.com/sro/gtwc/wo...ance-schedule/

Calendar remains largely the same, only change is Hockenheim replacing Nurburgring.

[Anyopenroad]

The Le Castellet 1000km sits on the weekend between Nurburgring 24 and Le Mans, which mean there is an interesting challenge fitting in the Le Mans test day. A few years ago it was on the Sunday after the 1000km (which finishes at midnight), necessitating some helicopter/private jet trips for some drivers, but that was 2 weeks before the Le Mans race.

[Aysedasi]

I'm surprised at that date bearing in mind the likelihood that the ACO will run the LM test day on the preceding weekend again in 2022....

[J Jay]

Insert <it's free real estate> meme here.

Perhaps LM test day will be two weeks earlier? I doubt it myself, but this may have already been communicated to SRO.

Most teams will have other drivers/crew available for anybody who is due to be at Le Castellet.

[Anyopenroad]

Originally Posted by J Jay

Perhaps LM test day will be two weeks earlier? I doubt it myself, but this may have already been communicated to SRO.

Two weeks before Le Mans is the Nurburgring 24. I don't think they'll clash the test day with that.

[chunterer]

I thought Silverstone being off was only down to covid. Clearly more to it than that.
I think it's nonsense not having a British endurance round. Very disappointing.

[tux]

Originally Posted by chunterer

I thought Silverstone being off was only down to covid. Clearly more to it than that.
I think it's nonsense not having a British endurance round. Very disappointing.

I tend to agree however my reasons are slightly more selfish. Its closer to my house, you get more track action for the money and less chance of red flags/delays. However, every SRO event i attended at Silverstone there never seemed to be many people compared to Brands Hatch (more spread out maybe?) and it was rumoured for a couple of years before it was pulled that if things didnt improve then SRO wouldnt be coming back.

I think there's bigger things going on at Silverstone however, in recent years they lost GT Open, WEC, ELMS & GTWC Endurance. I remember the interview last year with the ACO (im sorry i forget the guys name) where it was said that Silverstone were asking for alot of money and concerns around travel regarding Brexit were suggested reasons for why WEC/ELMS didnt return. Not to mention that Silverstone were in a pretty poor financial position throughout 2020 due to Covid.

Someone mentioned previously that Brexit & the potential travel issues were behind the absence of Silverstone from the calendar but i fail to see that as a valid excuse given that theres been no issue to Brands Hatch holding a round of the championship and British teams have been travelling back and forth between European rounds all year. Obviously no country apart from maybe France (SRO are French) has a god given right to host two rounds of the championship but Spain & Italy get both Sprint & Endurance rounds. I just think its a shame given that the first ever GT3 weekend was held at Silverstone and SRO have hosted events there for such a long time. I do wonder what the future holds for our country with regards to international level motorsport events given that most championships from Europe are choosing to swerve us now.

More interesting to me is the silence from people within the industry, the media & fans. Nobody seems to be willing to ask the question "Whats happening down at Silverstone?"

[Anyopenroad]

Originally Posted by tux

More interesting to me is the silence from people within the industry, the media & fans. Nobody seems to be willing to ask the question "Whats happening down at Silverstone?"

My view on this is that Silverstone have doubled down on a business model of having F1 and MotoGP and selling track days and corporate events off the back of that. Take a look at their website - other motorsport is barely visible. They still don’t have tickets on sale (or even a listing) for all the remaining club events.

SRO don’t go because Silverstone charge too much for what it is - a windswept, barren industrial park. Look at the other circuits on the calendar - prettier, more character, better locations. And all cheaper to hire.

[Bcarr6]

Very interesting to note that the DTM and GTWC Europe clash 4 times currently in 2022.

There's going to need to be a clear choice by the factories where to put their resources if that remains, as currently there is a pretty strong overlap in teams/drivers.

That does however include 2x TBC's in the DTM calendar, where they have given dates but no track, so that might change slightly.

[BertMk2]

Originally Posted by Anyopenroad

My view on this is that Silverstone have doubled down on a business model of having F1 and MotoGP and selling track days and corporate events off the back of that. Take a look at their website - other motorsport is barely visible. They still don’t have tickets on sale (or even a listing) for all the remaining club events.

I'd agree with that - F1, Moto GP and possibly BTCC - forget everything else it's just an inconvenience.

Originally Posted by Anyopenroad

My view on this is that Silverstone have SRO don’t go because Silverstone charge too much for what it is - a windswept, barren industrial park. Look at the other circuits on the calendar - prettier, more character, better locations. And all cheaper to hire.

Those are largely the reasons I don't go to Silverstone

Maybe Donington would be an option for the endurance round? It has the advantages of Silverstone (central location mainly) but not the drawbacks. Also MSV would actually promote the meeting. Moot point obviously as the calendar is already decided.

[Anyopenroad]

Donington would be interesting. It has history, is very easy to get to and GT3 cars look great on those big sweeping curves. Might need just a bit more smartening up though - MSV have worked wonders on the mismanaged dump they inherited, but the facilities are still quite basic.

[dwh43scale]

Silverstone Blancpain races always seemed focused on drivers, teams and their entourages rather than spectators with big gaps in the racing action. However, when it came - 50+ GT3s were decent entertainment.

At the end of the day, Silverstone will make its business decisions and have to live by them. I'm not sure (having worked for a member owned organisation for 15+ years) that the ownership model always helps ...

[Anyopenroad]

Originally Posted by Bcarr6

Very interesting to note that the DTM and GTWC Europe clash 4 times currently in 2022.

There's going to need to be a clear choice by the factories where to put their resources if that remains, as currently there is a pretty strong overlap in teams/drivers.

SRO have always been quite bullish about clashing with other series. They avoid the big 24s and WEC, but are happy to clash with ELMS, IMSA and certainly any national series, which is very much how they will see the new DTM.

Partly this is just a little bit of arrogance (arguably earned), partly it’s just the impossibility of avoiding clashes and also I suspect an ambivalence about the presence of factory drivers and quasi-factory teams. Ratel is very consistent in wanting GT3 to be above all a customer-driven pro-am class. If DTM want to go down a factory, cost-spiral route I reckon he’s happy to let them do it.

[Aysedasi]

Originally Posted by J Jay

Perhaps LM test day will be two weeks earlier? I doubt it myself, but this may have already been communicated to SRO.

From what I'm told, the weekend before is pretty much a done deal already.

[Anyopenroad]

Busy weekend for some drivers then: race at Paul Ricard 6pm-midnight then helicopter or plane overnight to Le Mans for the next day’s test. Ofc they don’t have to do the final stint at Paul Ricard and the first stint the next day!

This has happened at least once before, maybe more, since SRO moved the Paul Ricard race to late May / early June having been bumped from their late June date by the revived French GP.

[WyldStallion]

https://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/...3-to-co-exist/

I know this article has been up for a couple days already as I post this but I think Ratel is not worried. Winning a pro-am GT3 class at Le Mans can't in any way be as prestigous as winning overall at the 24 hours of Spa. Same thing for the Nubrburgring 24 too.

GT racing does not really need Le Mans anymore now with GTE Pro disappearing. Spa and Nuburgring have taken over as the marquee GT races now for even the all pro manufacturers now.

[Anyopenroad]

Interesting to wonder if we will ever see an all-Prototype Le Mans!

[Aysedasi]

Originally Posted by Anyopenroad

Interesting to wonder if we will ever see an all-Prototype Le Mans!

Oh yes please!

[urdragon]

The fact is that Hypercars are still are closer to prototypes than to road cars so they don't project the shadow of a real car in my opinion. We will see if they are so important in videogames for example than GTs. I reserve my opinion till I see what prototype Ferrari will build, and the expectation it brings.

[WyldStallion]

http://www.dailysportscar.com/2021/0...na-launch.html

Interesting that SRO is looking to revitalize GT1 in a ways. Was this not the orignial idea of the hypercars for WEC? So not a bad idea by SRO to show what it can really be. Because the hypercars in WEC to me has been a huge let down. But if anybody can nail the looks it will be Ferrari. So I agree lets wait and see what that car ends up looking like. Same for the Audi and Porsche LMDH cars for that matter.

[broadrun96]

So no one took on the idea for Hypercar but now suddenly with the decline a GTE and GT1 program will work?? Seems like GT2 proved not so much.

[canaglia]

Originally Posted by WyldStallion

http://www.dailysportscar.com/2021/0...na-launch.html

Interesting that SRO is looking to revitalize GT1 in a ways. Was this not the orignial idea of the hypercars for WEC? So not a bad idea by SRO to show what it can really be. Because the hypercars in WEC to me has been a huge let down. But if anybody can nail the looks it will be Ferrari. So I agree lets wait and see what that car ends up looking like. Same for the Audi and Porsche LMDH cars for that matter.

Kind of, to let AMR running valkirye, ACO allowed race modified road hypercars to take part in LMH, but we all know how things turned out at the end...
Anyway this "new" GT1 is just a cool way to call some scheduled trackday events... FXXK owners at example can't even run their cars as they please.