Nine cars attended the initial round of the 2016 French GT and Prototype Championship (best known as the “GT Tour”) at Nogaro. After this debacle, Dominique Roger, president of the FFSA (Federation Francaise de Sport Automobile) circuits commission, made the following declaration in the French newspaper La Dépêche du Midi : “We made the mistake of coming to Nogaro with so few cars. We must find a new top series… We’ve anticipated this possibility a bit over the past two years.”
Hugues de Chaunac, president of ORECA (which currently promotes the championship) considered these statements “unacceptable” and said his group would “give itself time to think about what decisions are best adapted to the situation”.
The track of Ledenon just announced the cancellation of the second round of the GT/ LMP3 championship planned in Ledenon on June 3-5.
It is another blow to the French Championship, Oreca and their fans. It is also a new opportunity for Stephane Ratel and SRO to offer a credible alternative to the existing championsip model. “Should the FFSA so wish,” says SRO, “[we] are fully prepared and motivated to cooperate with the French Federation in order to renew the national championship on the basis of [a] new concept. A 100% GT series in 2017 […] centred on the French racing scene.”
