Support for the FIA WEC in Brazil came with a double-header of races for the GT Series Cup Brasil, a recently established series encompassing GT3, GT4 and selected one-make machinery.
One car the DSC editor did not expect to see on the grid was a brand new sports prototype, sitting on display in the support paddock.
The branding quickly established that this was a Sigma P1. A brand familiar to anyone who has followed the Império Endurance Brasil series, a mixed sports prototype and GT endurance series that famously features a range of innovative Brazilian-built small prototypes from makers including Metalmoro and AJR.
Recently, though, the locally designed and built cars have been somewhat overshadowed in the main prototype class by an influx of LMP3s, which run unlimited in the series.
That left Southern Brazil-based Sigma P1 looking for new opportunities, and the Interlagos paddock offered exactly that as it took the wraps off its plans for a one-make prototype Series supporting the current GT Series Cup.
The planned Sport Protótipo series will debut in 2026 with a package that is aiming to win friends across the board. Sigma P1 G5 Evo promises GT3 performance but with running costs under those of a GT4, and a bargain price of c.$170,000 USD.
The new one-make car is, as its designation suggests, an evolution of the cars seen most recently in the Brazilian Endurance Championship, but with significant changes to bring both purchase and operating costs down.
All cars will be operated by a single team (ISM) and will be blueprinted and equalised with only selected adjustments allowed.
Power from the 6.2-litre GM LT1 engine will be 450 bhp, well down on the current cars, with the current (LMP3-derived) XTrac gearbox switched for a new Sadev unit.
Yokohama rubber will be standard for the 1000 kg cars, with cockpit air conditioning included to assist the gentleman drivers with the Brazilian climate; most of the eight double-header race weekends will be held at Interlagos. Plus, there will be a standalone class for the cars in the long-established Mil Milhas 1000 mile race.
The car’s tubular chassis has been comprehensively reworked for the Evo car too, with an LMP3 standard front crashbox.
The aero package still gives significant downforce despite the deletion of the (front and rear) DRS systems fitted to earlier cars, all, again, in the name of serviceability and purchase costs.
Sigma P1 founders Pedro Fetter and Evandro Flesch were both on-site to add details of the package to any prospective customers, and there were several.
The pair set up the company in 2014 after meeting at college (both are trained mechanical engineers), beginning by manufacturing racing spares and kart chassis.
Nowadays, there are several revenue streams for the pair and their four employees, including the car builds, plus racing services commissions and design and engineering consultancy.
As for the Sigma sports prototypes, “We have built six cars so far, four are active in racing, one is in the process of a rebuild, and the sixth was destroyed in a huge accident,” said Fetter.
“We are in the process of building two more right now for orders for the new series,” adds Flesch, “and we can add more as demand builds.”
“This Evo version, whilst in some ways less advanced than some of the more bespoke cars in the Brazilian series, is actually more refined,” explains Fetter.
“In the Brazilian Championship, we have so much freedom that we are all always developing the car. So it’s hard to keep spares. It’s hard to make a business of it. The cars are very bespoke, so we’re always designing new parts for the next race.
“Since we have the control of the (new) championship, we can do what we have always wanted to do and consolidate the design a little bit so we can make it a little easier to maintain, easier to rebuild in case of incidents, to improve build quality. And so we call it the Evo. It’s actually a tamer version of the car we race in the Brazilian Championship, but at the same time, it’s much more refined, much more standardised, and much more serviceable.”
“Operating costs are a key here too,” adds Flesch. “On engine rebuild and major maintenance, the c.600bhp units we use in the Brazilian Championship need a rebuild every 2-3 races. In this (c.450bhp) form, that will only need to be done at the end of a full season. The gearbox, too, is designed for low maintenance and rebuild costs. We’re working towards making it last for perhaps two full seasons.
“This is a very fast, very simple car,” adds Fetter. “And, at the same time, we have a very deep and very serious commitment to driver safety, which is very hard, and most people don’t know how hard it is to make such a fast car safe.
“We have two cars already ordered by customers, and they will be used to validate the full design, likely in late September and carry forward with any refinement that is needed for other cars.
“We plan to race two cars in the Mil Milhas in January to continue the process of refining things for production.
“We hope to have 10 cars on the grid for next season, but we can start the season with as few as six, and interest here this weekend has been very high!”
Indeed, DSC observed a conversation with an existing GT3 team owner/driver that looked very positive.
In an era of standardisation and homologation, what a breath of fresh air to see a nationally-based micro-industry flourishing, and finding customers.
After a “flawless” 50+ laps shakedown at Tarumã, the sales push continued at Interlagos with the car on display in the paddock and on circuit at the Paulista de Automobilismo, a regional series run by the promoter of the GT Series Cup, Thiago Pereira.
The car’s demo laps in the hands of ex-United Autosports LMGT3 racer Nicolas Costa turned heads in the stands and in the pits, with more potential sales enquiries coming Sigma’s way.
“We’re now targeting between 6 and 10 cars in our first race in Q2 2026,” Fetter told DSC this week.
“Of course, being in this part of the industry, we have dreamed of perhaps being the first Brazilian manufacturer at Le Mans.
“How and when will be part of an ongoing series of enthusiastic conversations. For now, we are pushing hard for success in this new project.”
