New GT3 championship to run at Le Mans 24 Hours and with ELMS
Le Mans 24 Hours organiser the Automobile Club de l'Ouest has officially launched a new GT3 championship for the European Le Mans Series support bill in 2016
The Michelin-backed GT3 Le Mans Cup will have a two-hour race at five of the six ELMS rounds - skipping the Silverstone opener where the European series is on the World Endurance Championship bill - and take one of the support slots on the bill for the 24 Hours itself.
It will run to a two-driver format, with one bronze-rated racer in each line-up.
France's leading domestic sportscar series the FFSA GT Tour will avoid date clashes with the GT3 Le Mans Cup to encourage teams to contest both championships.
ACO president Pierre Fillon said the new category would be "for the best teams and drivers in GT3, a true gateway to access the GTE world and therefore to have the opportunity to join the family of the 24 hours of Le Mans."
The GT3 Le Mans Cup is the latest addition to a new event package created by the ELMS linking up with the World Series by Renault.
With Formula Renault 3.5 departing the Renault Sport fold, the Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup and Renault Sport Trophy will run alongside the ELMS and GT3 series.
Previous article
ACO plans new GT3 series for 2016 with Le Mans 24 Hours support race
Next article
Abril replaces Meyrick in works Blancpain Endurance Series Bentley
Why Britain's greatest sportscar was eclipsed on the world stage
The E-Type may be the most famous of all road-going Jaguars, but that didn't always translate into success on the track. After winning on its competition debut in 1961, motorsport success seemed an inevitability, but things didn’t turn out to be quite that straightforward
Why the Jaguar E-type remains special at 60
It’s 60 years since the Jaguar E-type arrived and caused a sensation. As our resident racer Ben Anderson discovered when he got behind the wheel of two special racing versions at Brands Hatch, the thrill of driving them hasn't diminished over time
The rise of a GT squad responsible for a unique 24-hour racing feat
It's a significant achievement to win one 24-hour race in a year, let alone two, and with different manufacturers, but that's exactly what ROWE Racing did in 2020 at the Nurburgring and Spa. This weekend's German classic offers the DTM newcomer a chance of another unique double to add to its growing collection of accolades
The new threat facing motorsport's greatest success story
The manufacturers were unconvinced – and even hostile – when Stephane Ratel launched GT3 in 2006. Now, 15 years on from its debut, they’ve sold more than 2000 cars and counting, but its continued expansion puts the increasingly globalised category at risk of losing its roots
The Lamborghini teams plotting to stop a RAM raid on British GT
With the Silver pairings that dominated 2020 now banned, Mercedes pair Yelmer Buurman and Ian Loggie could be in the box seat after winning last year's Pro-Am crown. But a swarm of Lamborghinis, with the defending outright champion among them, will ensure they face tough opposition
How McLaren’s GT3 ‘single-seater’ defies expectations
Time in a thoroughbred racer leaves you searching for time in yourself, especially when the rewards for total commitment are so high, as our man discovered at Snetterton
How Ferrari's F1 protege became a Mercedes GT prodigy
Raffaele Marciello once appeared to be Ferrari’s next Italian F1 star, but is now under the pay of its German arch-rival in GTs – and he’s very happy with his life
Why GTE's future is a conundrum with no easy answers
The convergence between the World Endurance Championship and IMSA over LMDh regulations offers a bright future for sportscar racing, but the imminent demise of IMSA's GT Le Mans class creates wider issues to which no catch-all solution exists
