GT World Challenge Europe (formerly known as the Blancpain GT Series between 2014 and 2019) is a sports car racing series organised by SRO Motorsports Group. It features grand-touring racing cars modified from production road cars that comply with the FIA'sGT3 regulations. The series is divided into two championships, the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup and the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup, each with five weekends. Each race meeting focuses on either the Sprint Cup or Endurance Cup, alongside the overall championship.
The championship currently 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 Spa 24 Hours. 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
Throughout its history, the series has utilized cars that comply with the FIA's GT3 regulations and has implemented a Balance of Performance (BoP) system to ensure competitive racing among different car manufacturers. The series originated in 2011 and has evolved through several name changes and format modifications. Initially known as the Blancpain Endurance Series, the championship focused on long-distance GT3 races, with the Spa 24 Hours being its premier event. This championship quickly attracted large fields of both professional and amateur drivers.[2]
In 2014, a sprint-format series was introduced alongside the endurance events, initially called the FIA GT Series and later renamed the Blancpain Sprint Series. This development created a comprehensive GT championship, culminating in a single overall title, with Laurens Vanthoor becoming the first champion.
In 2016, the Sprint and Endurance series were further integrated under the umbrella of the Blancpain GT Series, emphasizing both the overall drivers' and manufacturers' titles. The individual events were renamed the Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup and the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup, respectively. Additionally, 2016 marked the introduction of subsidiary championships in the form of the Pro-Am and Am Cups, with Michał Broniszewski and Claudio Sdanewitsch crowned as the inaugural champions.
In 2018, the Silver Cup was introduced for young, silver-rated drivers, with Nico Bastian and Jack Manchester winning the inaugural title. It was also the final season for the Am Cup, which was won by Adrian Amstutz and Leo Machitski.
In 2019, the sponsorship agreement between SRO and the Swiss watchmaker Blancpain concluded, leading to a rebranding of the series as the GT World Challenge Europe. This change aligned the European series with new GT World Challenge championships in Asia and America, forming a global platform for manufacturers to earn points across different regions.[3]
In 2020, Amazon Web Services (AWS) became the official presenter and global technology provider, resulting in the series adopting the name "GT World Challenge Powered by AWS." In 2021, Fanatec was introduced as an additional title sponsor, a partnership that would last until the end of the 2024 season.
As of 2023, the championship consisted of five titles, following the introduction of the Gold and Bronze Cups alongside the overall title and the Silver and Pro-Am Cups. Niklas Krütten and Calan Williams won the inaugural Gold Cup, while Alex Malykhin became the first winner of the Bronze Cup. Additionally, 2023 marked the final year of the Pro-Am Cup.
As of 2025, the series will maintain an even split between Sprint and Endurance Cups, with each contributing to the overall championship title.[4]
Circuits
Bold denotes a circuit will be used in the 2025 season.
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Kelvin van der Linde 
Charles Weerts 
Current season 
