GT4 European Series Splits; Extended Schedule for 2017

Photo: GT4 European Series

The GT4 European Series will split into two cups for 2017, as announced on Friday by Stephane Ratel at SRO Motorsport Group’s annual press conference.

The series will in effect become the GT4 European Series Northern Cup, racing across Northern and Central Europe, while a Southern Cup will be created alongside, racing in France and Spain.

Teams will be able to enter the full season, consisting of 12 rounds, or one of the two cups.

The Northern Cup will race at Misano, Brands Hatch, Zandvoort, Spa-Francorchamps and Nürburgring, while the Southern Cup will hold events at Nogaro, Pau, Dijon, Magny-Cours, Barcelona and Circuit Paul Ricard.

This change has been made to accommodate the series’ growing grid, and the general expansion of GT4 racing worldwide.

“I believe the cost of GT4 corresponds to the French market,” Ratel said about the establishment of the Southern Cup.

“I think the capacity to win overall with cars which are €80,000 to €180,000 is very appealing for a market which is not going through an easy time recently.”

The GT4 Southern Cup winner will be awarded the title of FFSA French GT Champion, which was previously awarded in the ORECA-run French GT Tour, which has canceled the remainder of it 2016 season due to low car count.

Further changes are set to be made to SRO’s GT4 European Series for 2018, with the championship splitting into three cups: Northern, Southern and Alpine.

The latter is expected to host rounds in countries including Italy, Austria, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

2017 GT4 European Series Schedule:
Apr. 01-02 – Misano (Northern)
Apr. 15-16 – Nogaro (Southern)
May 06-07 – Brands Hatch (Northern)
May 20-21 – Pau (Southern)
June 03-04 – Zandvoort (Northern)
July 01-02 – Dijon (Southern)
July TBA – Spa-Francorchamps (Northern)
Aug. TBA – TBA (Austria or Hungary) (Northern)
Sept. 02-03 – Magny-Cours (Southern)
Sept. 16-17 – Nürburgring (Northern)
Sept. 30 – Oct. 01 – Barcelona (Southern)
Oct. 14-15 – Paul Ricard (Southern)

Jake Kilshaw

Jake Kilshaw is a UK-based journalist. He is a graduate of Politics and International Relations.