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GT World Challenge Europe
Sports car racing series, begun in 2014 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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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's GT3 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]
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History
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Throughout its history, the series has utilized cars that comply with the FIA's GT3 regulations and implemented a Balance of Performance (BoP) system to ensure competitive racing among various car manufacturers. The series traces its origins back to 2011 and has evolved through several name changes and format integrations.[2]
Initially known as the Blancpain Endurance Series, the championship focused on long-distance GT3 races, with the Spa 24 Hours as its premier event. This championship quickly drew large fields of both professional and amateur drivers. 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.
In 2016, the Sprint and Endurance series were further integrated under the umbrella of the Blancpain GT Series, with a strong emphasis on 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.
In 2019, the sponsorship agreement between SRO and the Swiss watchmaker Blancpain concluded, and the series was rebranded 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, leading to the series adopting the name "GT World Challenge Powered by AWS." In 2021, Fanatec was introduced as an additional title sponsor, with the sponsorship lasting until the end of the 2024 season. As of 2025, the series remains evenly split between Sprint and Endurance Cups, with each contributing to the overall championship title.[4]
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Circuits
- Bold denotes a circuit will be used in the 2025 season.
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Champions
Drivers
Teams
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See also
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External links
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