What Is The Point?
Earlier today Le Mans Endurance Management announced that all GT3 cars homologated by the FIA will be accepted for the GTC class of the European Le Mans Series in 2013.
But haven’t we heard this before? Back in April after the cancellation of the European Le Mans Series round at Zolder, the European Le Mans Series organizers announced that “in order to meet the numerous requests of GT teams and drivers from all over Europe” they had decided to open up the GTC category for FIA GT3 cars. The decision was made in agreement with the ACO and the aim was to boost the grid at Donington Park. We all know how many GT3 cars showed up at Donington for the final European Le Mans Series round on European soil this season. Exactly, zero!
With GT3 cars already racing in various national as well as international series (Blancpain Endurance Series and GT Open) one could wonder why LMEM made this decision – other than hoping to increase the number of cars on the European Le Mans Series grid to a ‘decent’ number.
But what is the point in racing your GT3 cars adjusted to ACO Balance of Performance in a 3-hour race when you know you won’t get any (mainstream) media coverage, simply because you’re the fifth and slowest category in the race. All focus will go to the LMP2 and GTE cars first, the LMPC follow and then, when you have the feeling everyone has left already, the GTC class.
If you’re a driver or team manager and you want to run GT3 cars in three-hour races the Blancpain Endurance Series is more likely the series you want to race in, as you’ll be fighting with a large number of identical cars and you can fight for the overall victory. The only thing that could attract some teams to the European Le Mans Series would be an automatic entry into the 2014 Le Mans 24 Hours, but today’s announcement doesn’t mention invites at all and you would still have to get a GTE car for 2014 should the ACO decide to copy what they’ve done in the Asian Le Mans Series.
So, what sounds more appealing to teams and drivers? Being part of the main event on Monza, Silverstone, Paul Ricard, Spa-Francorchamps (24 Hours) and the Nürburgring or being yet another category of the support series at Silverstone, Imola, Red Bull Ring, Hungaroring and Paul Ricard. I know where I would be racing those weekends…
For some of the bigger teams two series could work though, as they now have more opportunities to rent their cars to drivers with budgets. However, the first round of the European Le Mans Series clashes with the opening round of the Blancpain Endurance Series. Two three-hour races open for GT3 cars on the same weekend in April and both are on F1 circuits (Silverstone and Monza). Any plans of committing to a full season of racing in either one of the series can go straight down the toilet.
Today’s announcement seems nothing more than yet another chapter of what is clearly becoming a GT war between SRO and ACO. After the single GT class plan announcement by the ACO and the announcement by Stéphane Ratel at the SRO Awards that the FIA has approved his FIA GT World Series concept, this is another shot fired by the ACO.
Where will it end?
