Group GT1


Group GT1 also known simply as GT1, was a set of regulations maintained formerly by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, for Grand Tourer racing. The category was first created in 1994, as the top class of the BPR Global GT Series, and was included in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It fell under FIA regulation from 1997, after the BPR series came under the control of the FIA, becoming known as the FIA GT Championship. The category was dissolved at the end of 2011. The category may be split into 4 distinctive eras, from its debut in 1994–1996, 1997–1998, 2000–2009, 2010–2011.

History

Early years (1994-1996)

In 1994, following the collapse of the FIA World Sportscar Championship in 1992, BPR Global GT series was founded by Jürgen Barth, Patrick Peter, and Stephane Ratel, as a championship for privateers, with 4 Hour Long Endurance Races. Barth, an ex Le Mans winner, was Manager of the Customer Competitions Department at Porsche, Peter was a well respected race promoter, while Ratel was an executive/investor in the Venturi GT1 project. The Series had 4 Categories, namely GT1-4, with each decreasing number signifying increased freedom in its technical regulations. By 1996 however, the championship had grown, with the grids of the championship growing due to an influx of cars from several makes in the top GT1 class, such as the McLaren F1 GTR, and the new Porsche 911 GT2 Evolution based on the new 993 chassis, which replaced the Porsche 964 platform 911 Carrera RSRs that had once dominated the series grids. In addition, Professional teams had also begun to enter the championship that had once been intended for Privateers, which caused costs to increase dramatically. Porsche even sent in a Factory Team to several rounds, with its 911 GT1, which was thought by most in the series paddock as being built against of the spirit of the rules, due to the fact that it was a Porsche 962 with just the front of the chassis being shared with a Type 993, 911, and it having a street variant simply for the sake of meeting its Homologation requirement.

Prototype Years (1997-1998)

Following the loss of Patrick Peter from the BPR Organisation, the BPR Organisation evolved into the Stephane Ratel Organisation, with the SRO now co-organising the championship with the FIA. With this change, it saw an even larger influx of professional teams and manufacturers, with the whole grid of the GT1 class consisting of nothing but professional teams. The 1997 season saw the entry of the Mercedes-AMG Team, who would debut the CLK GTR. Similar to the 911 GT1, the CLK GTR was yet another homologation special prototype, with the car only being a racing-version of a production Grand Tourer in name. The car had no street legal version even built by the time the category collapsed in 1999, and shared only the instrumentation, front grille and the four headlamps with the normal CLK C208. That same season, realising that the F1 GTR would not be competitive against the homologation specials, McLaren also updated the bodywork of the car, with the alterations so significant that they were forced to build a road car with the updated bodywork, effectively turning the car into a homologation special. The resulting car was known as the F1 GT, with 3 being built. In 1998, realising that with the introduction of the updated CLK LM, and the 911 GT1-98, the F1 GTR could no longer be competitive, McLaren withdrew backing from the program, following BMW which had done so the previous year, in 1997, although 2 cars would still be entered by Parabolica Motorsports and Davidoff Classic. In 1999, following the total domination of the Mercedes-AMG team in the Championship in the previous season, which saw them win all races in the championship, with both the CLK GTR and LM, no GT1 teams entered the category, apart from the Mercedes-AMG Team. As such, the FIA chose to run the 1999 FIA GT Championship with just the GT2 class.

GTS "GT1" (2000-2009)

Following the omission of the original GT1 category in the 1999 season, the FIA GT Championship was restructured, such that original GT2 class would be elevated to the top class of the championship, and become known as GT while a new class, N-GT would be the lower class in the championship. The equivalent of this in ACO sanctioned Championships would be the GTS class, and the GT class. In 2005, both classes would become renamed as "GT1" and "GT2" respectively. The Maserati MC12 would be the dominant car of this era, with it earning 5 consecutive teams titles from 2006-2009 for the Vitaphone Racing Team in the FIA GT Championship.

List of FIA GT1 cars

HomologationManufacturerModelDateNotes
GT1-1McLarenF1 GTRJanuary 1995Includes 1996 and 1997 upgrades. Originally homologated as GT-1 before renumbered as GT1-1.
GT1-2JaguarXJ220 GTJanuary 1996
GT1-3Porsche911 GT1March 1997Includes 911 GT1 Evolution variant.
GT1-4PanozGTR-1April 1997
GT1-5Mercedes-BenzCLK GTRApril 1997
GT1-6LotusElise GT1 TurboApril 1997
GT1-8LamborghiniDiablo 132 GT1April 1998
GT1-9Porsche911 GT1-98April 1998
GT1-11Mercedes-BenzCLK LMJuly 1998

HomologationManufacturerModelDateNotes
GT2-1JaguarXJ220April 1995
GT2-2Porsche911 Carrera RS 3.8August 1995964-generation 911
GT2-3Porsche911 Turbo GT2January 1996993-generation 911
GT2-4Porsche911 Carrera RS 3.8April 1996993-generation 911
GT2-5ChryslerViper GTS-RApril 1996
GT2-6SaleenMustang SRApril 1997
GT2-7Renault SportSpiderMay 1997
GT-008ListerStorm GTApril 1999Originally homologated as GT2-8 before being renumbered as GT-008.
GT-009Porsche911 GT3 CupApril 1999Originally homologated as GT2-9 before being renumbered as GT-009. 996-generation 911.
GT-010MarcosMantara LM600June 1999Originally homologated as GT2-10 before being renumbered as GT-010.
GT-011FerrariF50August 1999Originally homologated as GT2-11 before being renumbered as GT-011.
GT-012Maserati3200GTApril 2002
GT-013SaleenS7RApril 2003
GT-014Ferrari575-GTC CompetizioneOctober 2003
GT-015LamborghiniMurciélago R-GTApril 2004
GT-016Aston MartinDBR9June 2004
GT-017MaseratiMC12 GT1November 2004

HomologationManufacturerModelDateNotes
GT1-001SaleenS7RMay 2006Redesigned variant of the S7R based on S7 Twin Turbo.
GT1-002ChevroletCorvette C6.RMay 2006
GT1-003NissanGT-R GT1May 2009
GT1-101NissanGT-R GT1April 2010Redesigned variant of the GT-R GT1.
GT1-102LamborghiniMurciélago LP670 R-SVApril 2010
GT1-103FordGT1April 2010