GT World Challenge Europe

Last updated
GT World Challenge Europe
Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe logo.png
Category Grand tourer
Endurance racing
CountryInternational
Inaugural season 2014
Tyre suppliers Pirelli (2014–present)
Drivers' champion Flag of Austria.svg Lucas Auer
Flag of Germany.svg Maro Engel
Teams' champion Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Team WRT
Official website gt-world-challenge-europe.com
Motorsport current event.svg Current season

GT World Challenge Europe (known as the Blancpain GT Series between 2014 and 2019) is a sports car racing series organised by SRO Motorsports Group. It features grand tourer racing cars modified from production road cars complying with the FIA's GT3 regulations.

Contents

The series is divided into two separate championships, the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup and the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup, with five weekends each for 2022. Each race meeting focuses on Sprint Cup OR Endurance Cup exclusively. The championship divides into four classes: Pro, Gold, Silver, and Bronze. Pro cars have no driver restrictions and compete for the overall drivers' and teams' championships. Pro cars are limited to just three drivers at the 24 Hours of Spa. Gold entries compete in the Gold Cup, consisting of Gold drivers and one Silver driver per car. Cars in the Silver Cup are made up entirely of Silver class drivers. Lastly, entries in the Bronze Cup have a maximum driver quality line-up of a Platinum and a Bronze driver at Sprint rounds, with additional Silver drivers eligible for entry at Endurance rounds. [1]

History

Although the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup (then the Blancpain Endurance Series) has been organised since 2011, the inaugural season of the Blancpain GT Series was 2014, because in that year the FIA GT Series became the Blancpain Sprint Series, which is now the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup. The series was primarily sponsored by Swiss watchmaker Blancpain.

After developing their partnership, Blancpain and the SRO have decided that 2016 will see both the Sprint and Endurance Series further integrated into the Blancpain GT Series, putting the emphasis on the prestigious overall drivers' and manufacturers' titles, and causing the Sprint Series name to change from Blancpain Sprint Series to Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup and the Endurance Series name to change from Blancpain Endurance Series to Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup. [2]

In 2019, SRO Group announced that their sponsorship agreement with Blancpain had come to an end, this resulted in the Blancpain GT Series being renamed the GT World Challenge Europe with the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup and Blancpain GT World Challenge Europe being renamed the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup and Sprint Cup respectively.

Circuits

NumberCircuitsRoundsEndurance Rounds and YearsSprint Rounds and Years
1 Flag of France.svg Circuit Paul Ricard 1111 (2014–present)0
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps 1111 (2014–present)0
Flag of Germany.svg Nürburgring 11 [a] 8 (2014–2016, 2019–2021, 2023–present)3 (2016–2018)
4 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Brands Hatch 10010 (2014–2019, 2021–present)
Flag of Italy.svg Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli 10010 (2015–present)
6 Flag of Italy.svg Monza Circuit 99 (2014–2019, 2021, 2023–present)0
Flag of Spain.svg Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya 96 (2017–2019, 2021–2023, 2025)3 (2016, 2020, 2024)
8 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Circuit Zandvoort 707 (2014–2015, 2019–2023, 2025)
9 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Silverstone Circuit 66 (2014–2019)0
10 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Circuit Zolder 404 (2014–2015, 2017–2018)
Flag of Hungary.svg Hungaroring 404 (2016–2019)
12 Flag of France.svg Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours 303 (2020–2022, 2024–present)
Flag of Spain.svg Circuit Ricardo Tormo 303 (2021–2023, 2025)
Flag of Germany.svg Hockenheimring 31 (2022)2 (2023–2024)
15 Flag of France.svg Circuit Paul Armagnac 202 (2014–2015)
Flag of Portugal (official).svg Algarve International Circuit 202 (2014–2015)
Flag of Italy.svg Imola Circuit 22 (2020, 2022)0
18 Flag of Slovakia.svg Automotodróm Slovakia Ring 101 (2014)
Flag of Azerbaijan.svg Baku World Challenge 101 (2014)
Flag of Russia.svg Moscow Raceway 101 (2015)
Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg Jeddah Corniche Circuit 11 (2024)0

Champions

Drivers

YearOverallSilver CupPro-Am CupAm CupGold CupBronze Cup
2014 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Laurens Vanthoor
2015 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Robin Frijns
2016 Flag of Austria.svg Dominik Baumann
Flag of Germany.svg Maximilian Buhk
Flag of Poland.svg Michał Broniszewski Flag of Germany.svg Claudio Sdanewitsch
2017 Flag of Italy.svg Mirko Bortolotti
Flag of Germany.svg Christian Engelhart
Flag of Germany.svg Alexander Mattschull Flag of South Africa.svg David Perel
2018 Flag of Italy.svg Raffaele Marciello Flag of Germany.svg Nico Bastian
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Jack Manchester
Flag of France.svg Nyls Stievenart
Flag of Germany.svg Markus Winkelhock
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Adrian Amstutz
Flag of Russia.svg Leo Machitski
2019 Flag of Italy.svg Andrea Caldarelli
Flag of Italy.svg Marco Mapelli
Flag of Germany.svg Nico Bastian Flag of Italy.svg Andrea Bertolini
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Louis Machiels
2020 Flag of Russia.svg Timur Boguslavskiy Flag of Argentina.svg Ezequiel Pérez Companc Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Chris Froggatt
Flag of Italy.svg Edward Cheever
2021 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Dries Vanthoor
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Charles Weerts
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Alex Fontana Flag of Portugal (official).svg Henrique Chaves
Flag of Portugal (official).svg Miguel Ramos
2022 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Raffaele Marciello Flag of Denmark.svg Benjamin Goethe
Flag of France.svg Thomas Neubauer
Flag of Portugal (official).svg Miguel Ramos
2023 Flag of Russia.svg Timur Boguslavskiy
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Raffaele Marciello
Flag of Germany.svg Alex Aka
Flag of Italy.svg Lorenzo Patrese
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Alex Fontana
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Ivan Jacoma
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Nicolas Leutwiler
Flag of Germany.svg Niklas Krütten
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Calan Williams
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Alex Malykhin
2024 Flag of Austria.svg Lucas Auer
Flag of Germany.svg Maro Engel
Flag of France.svg César Gazeau
Flag of France.svg Aurélien Panis
Flag of France.svg Paul Evrard
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Gilles Magnus
Flag of Italy.svg Eddie Cheever III
Flag of Hong Kong.svg Jonathan Hui

Teams

YearOverallSilver CupPro-Am CupAm CupGold CupBronze Cup
2014 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Belgian Audi Club Team WRT
2015 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Belgian Audi Club Team WRT
2016 Flag of Germany.svg (AMG - Team) HTP Motorsport Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Kessel Racing Flag of Italy.svg AF Corse/Kaspersky Motorsport
2017 Flag of Austria.svg GRT Grasser Racing Team Flag of Germany.svg Rinaldi Racing Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Kessel Racing
2018 Flag of France.svg (Mercedes-AMG Team) AKKA ASP / Flag of Russia.svg SMP Racing by AKKA ASP Flag of France.svg Saintéloc Racing Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Barwell Motorsport
2019 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Orange1 FFF Racing Team Flag of France.svg AKKA ASP Team Flag of Italy.svg AF Corse
2020 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Belgian Audi Club Team WRT Flag of Argentina.svg Madpanda Motorsport Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Sky - Tempesta Racing
2021 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Team WRT Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Emil Frey Racing Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Barwell Motorsport
2022 Flag of France.svg AKKodis ASP Team Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Team WRT Flag of Italy.svg AF Corse
2023 Flag of France.svg AKKodis ASP Team Flag of Germany.svg Tresor Attempto Racing Flag of Germany.svg Car Collection Motorsport Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Boutsen VDS Flag of Lithuania.svg Pure Rxcing
2024 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Team WRT Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Boutsen VDS Flag of France.svg Saintéloc Racing Flag of Germany.svg Rutronik Racing

See also

Notes

  1. Nürburgring hosted both endurance and sprint rounds in 2016.

References

  1. "Revised class structure leads regulation changes for 2023 Fanatec GT Europe season". gt-world-challenge-europe.com. 11 April 2023. Retrieved 25 February 2025.
  2. "About Blancpain GT Series". Blancpain GT Series. Archived from the original on 27 April 2014. Retrieved 31 March 2016.