The sporting regulations will change in 2019

Stéphane Ratel revealed on the sidelines of the Blancpain GT Series final Endurance Cup in Barcelona the changes to the sporting regulations for the Endurance and Sprint championships for 2019.

Overall, private testing will be prohibited between the start and end of the season, with the exception of five official test days, four on Thursday or Friday during selected events, plus the Spa 24 Hours Test Day.

Endurance

In the Endurance Cup, the obligatory 5-minute technical stop at Spa, effective to change the brakes, can now be carried out at any time during the race. Enough to remove the “casino” character as specified by the boss of SRO Motorsports and thus give space to strategy.

A possible change in the rule of the safety car and the Full Course Yellow for Spa, on a model used in the United States could also occur, the safety car no longer necessarily coming out in front of the overall leader, reducing the possibilities of losing a ride for some cars.

SRO Motorsports will also reduce entry opportunities in the Pro category for manufacturers. You will therefore have to take part in a complete championship (Blancpain GT Series, Intercontinental GT Challenge or the GT World Challenge, unveiled at Spa) to be able to enter cars in the Pro class.

Sprint

Grids will be limited to 26 cars, with a potential two additional cars per race. Pit stop times will be increased, prohibiting mechanics from carrying more than one wheel at a time. This is to increase pilot safety during procedures.

A minimum stopping time will be introduced in the Am Cup, in order to attract Bronze drivers who have somewhat deserted the series this year. The length of the weekends will be reduced, in particular by speeding up the technical verification process, with two GT3 / GT4 grids.

In terms of the calendar, no change to note, apart from the date of the Spa 24 Hours Test Day, now set for July 3. Finally, the Sprint Cup integrates the Blancpain GT World Challenge and will henceforth be called Blancpain GT World Challenge Europe.