FIA GT2 canceled? and forgotten?

What has been in the air for several weeks is now reality: the European Championship is doing so badly that SRO (Stéphane Ratel Organisation) has proposed to the FIA ​​to simply cancel the 2010 season of the discipline. Lack of competitors preferring to run in GT1 or GT3, cost problem, the European GT2 seems to have become quite old this winter, with not many candidates being able to take part.

The revival of GT1, with the creation of World Championship status and 24 cars for its first season, and the increasingly increased competition from the GT3 category (40 cars expected) finally got the better of a category that lacked ?arguments.

« SRO proposed to the FIA ​​to cancel the 2010 European GT2 championship, declares Stéphane Ratel, promoter of the discipline. The rapid development of the GT3 category, with 13 models and 12 brands, plus three others in 2012, leads to offering participation at reasonable prices with performances comparable to those of GT2, which pushes SRO to have to rethink the future of the GT2 category. »

« A proposal was made to the FIA, a proposal which will be studied by the World Council on Thursday March 11, in order to postpone the establishment of the GT2 European Championship, and to relaunch it when a new direction has been found, with a minimum of four manufacturers, and undoubtedly a category structured around hybrid technologies. »

The blow is severe for the development of the GT2 and GT3 categories, which had to do without GT1 on several occasions this season, notably at Oschersleben (June 20). For the 24 Hours of Spa, the problem is different. If the GT1s will be present in Belgium on the same weekend as the GT2 and GT3, they will run separately, during two one-hour races, the usual format this season in GT1. As a result, the double round of the clock will only be integrated into the GT3 championship but SRO still plans the presence of GT2 cars.

« SRO proposed to the Royal Automobile Club of Belgium, promoter of the 24 Hours of Spa, to focus its efforts on the GT2 category in order to award the FIA ​​GT2 European Cup to the best classified GT2 car during this race, continues Ratel. The equivalent performances between the GT2 and the GT3 promise to witness a great clash between the different brands. »

« SRO has extensive experience in restarting championships and we are working tirelessly with those involved to get a GT2 championship back up and running as quickly as possible. » However, with the rebirth of the GT1 World Championship and the rise of the GT3 category, it seems just hypothetical that GT2 could be revived. The multiplicity of categories and the lack of clarity for the general public lead to a simplification of the hierarchy. If GT1 and GT3 confirm their success in the coming months, the European GT2 Championship may not return.