SRO’s GT2 European Series Powered by Pirelli is being shaken up for 2026 with a new format, in a bid to boost the car count and secure the platform’s future.
Next year, a new class for Silver driver pairings will be introduced, to feature alongside the existing Pro/Am (open to combinations with Gold and Platinum drivers) and Am classes.
A new SRO GT Academy programme is also being launched with support from Maserati, Mercedes-AMG and Pirelli. The fastest silver driver (not the winner of the event) racing an MC20 GT2 or AMG GT2 will be offered a full-season seat in the GT World Challenge Endurance Cup with a Mercedes-AMG customer team.
The parallel SRO GT Academy prize offered to competitors in the FFSA GT Championship will give them “access to GT2”.
In addition to that, a three-hour endurance race for the cars is being considered for the meeting at Spa to give the competitors a taste of the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup format.
“We’ve never had a very big grid for GT2 and it’s been difficult to attract people,” said Stéphane Ratel, the head of SRO, at today’s annual Spa conference.
“So we said let’s change the fundamentals, let’s promote young drivers as well. We have the Silver class and no limits in Pro/Am with the continuation of an Am class.
“The fastest Silver driver, not the winner of the event, will be decided by their performance in Qualifying and a number of factors, including best straight line speed, best 10 lap average. We will measure the pure performance.
“The winner of this, racing with Maserati or Mercedes, will be offered a full season the following year in GT World Challenge with a very good AMG team. It’s a very valuable prize, with the cost entirely covered aside from accident damage.”
Expanding on the background to the changes, Ratel said: “Right now there are a lot of successful single-seater series wanting to join the bill on our events. So the temptation was, instead of losing my shirt with an eight or nine-car grid, I just drop it and take one of those offers.”
“But I want to be responsible; I sold GT2 hard to the likes of Mercedes and Maserati and I want to keep trying. I have a picture of Winston Churchill in my office in London, and I’m always thinking like him: ‘never, never, never give up’. So I discussed with them, and with other potential manufacturers and constructors, to make GT2 a bridge between GT4 and GT3. I’m not just going to abandon GT2 without having tried something else; let’s try this and see that it works.”
One of the constructors talked to was the UK’s Ginetta, whose Motorsport CEO Mike Simpson also spoke at the conference following the public reveal of the company’s new GT2 model, first revealed on DSC.
“We’re really pleased to be here this week to show our GT2 car, it’s going to be spectacular and great value. We feel we can bring plenty of cars and drivers to it,” he said.
“We’re good at finding the talent and we are proud to be here working with Stephane on GT2.”
The six-round calendar for 2026 has been finalised, beginning at Monza in May and concluding in Portimao in October, with each race featuring on the GT World Challenge Europe bill.
2026 GT2 European Series calendar
- May 30-31: Monza
- June 20-21: Spa-Francorchamps
- July 18-19: Misano
- August 29-30: Nürburgring
- September 19-20: Zandvoort
- October 17-18: Portimão
