Ratings Overhaul Prompts New Class Structure for Next Season

The class structure in Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Endurance Cup will change next year to reflect an overhaul in the FIA’s global driver ratings system.

New criteria for the Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze driver ratings were recently ratified by the FIA and presented by their creator SRO Motorsports Group, which runs the GT World Challenge format and the Intercontinental GT Challenge powered by Pirelli.

The redefined ratings will result in changes to how GTWC classes look next season, with SRO founder and CEO Stephane Ratel initially outlining the GTWC Europe Endurance Cup structure only.

The other GTWC competitions in America, Asia and Australia have not confirmed their classes and permitted driver lineups for next year.

Regional variation from Europe is expected based on different market requirements, but all of SRO’s GT3-based series will use the same FIA driver ratings system.

In Endurance Cup, what is today known as the Pro class will be called Overall and will have no driver rating limitations, as is currently the case in the series’ top category.

The main change is an effective switch around between the Gold Cup and Silver Cup classes.

SRO’s driver ratings overhaul was partly designed to break up a large pool of Silver-rated drivers, categorizing those who started racing at an early age and demonstrate sufficient speed into Gold and those who have less experience and are not as fast into Silver.

Therefore, newly minted Gold-rated drivers will compete in the Gold Cup, which will feature all-Gold driver lineups.

This resembles the current Silver Cup class in that all drivers will be of the same rating.

On the other hand, the Silver Cup will become a mixed-combination class next year, with one Platinum or Gold driver partnering one Silver and one Bronze. This is similar to the Platinum-Silver-Bronze combination currently used in the Gold Cup of Endurance.

GTWC Europe Endurance Cup’s existing Pro-Am class has been replaced with Bronze Cup, which will retain the format of two Bronze drivers and one driver of a higher grading.

The requirements for each class in the two-driver GTWC Europe Sprint Cup series have not been announced.

However, it is expected that the Gold Cup will be for Gold-Gold pairings, transitioning from the current Silver Cup, and that the Bronze Cup will retain today’s Pro-Am format of one Bronze and one higher-rated driver.

It is unclear if there will be any rating limitations in Sprint Cup Overall, with SRO yet to provide official clarification following a request from Sportscar365.

The current Pro category has a maximum allowed combination of Platinum-Gold. But with the FIA Gold rating taking on a new definition next year, it remains to be seen how that will factor into the Sprint Cup regulations.

There is also uncertainty over where Silver-rated drivers will race in Sprint Cup, either as part of Silver-Silver pairings or teamed up with a driver of a different rating, as will be the case in the Endurance Cup series.

“Based on these new definitions, we have new classes in Fanatec GT World [Challenge] Europe powered by AWS,” Ratel said at the TotalEnergies 24 Hours of Spa.

“We’re going to make it simple: we have Overall, which is basically the Pro class. We have Gold Cup, which was previously the Silver Cup. But since most of the Silver drivers in that class today are super fast, and basically Gold, that will become the Gold Cup.

“What was previously the Gold Cup with a Bronze, Silver and pro will become the Silver Cup. And the Pro-Am Cup will become the Bronze Cup. I think it fits well together, overall.

“I think, through time, we will get there and it’s clearer for everybody.”

2023 GTWC Europe Endurance Cup Classes at a Glance
Overall – No limitation
Gold Cup – Gold/Gold/Gold
Silver Cup – Platinum or Gold/Silver/Bronze
Bronze Cup – Platinum or Gold or Silver/Bronze/Bronze