Photo: GT Celebration
Former sports car and stock car racer Rob Morgan has launched a new GT series in North America aimed at “retired” GT3 machinery.
GT Celebration will feature a six-round calendar in 2020, running in conjunction of the Pirelli Trophy West series, with a pair of 40-minute sprint races on each weekend.
Morgan’s father, Charles, who had previously been a shareholder of WC Vision, has been named chairman.
Rob Morgan had served as GT series manager for Pirelli World Challenge prior to the series’ majority takeover by SRO Motorsports Group in 2018.
The series, which will be eligible for both new and previous-gen GT3 cars, comes following the recent launch of SRO America’s GT Sports Club America, which features a near-identical format.
“We are extremely excited to launch our new GT Celebration road racing sports car series in 2020,” said Rob Morgan.
“Our research has shown a large amount of older FIA GT3 sports cars are currently available for competition in North America. The owners of these cars have been looking for a new venue to enjoy their cars and compete against other FIA GT3 cars.
“We want these competitors to improve their racing skills and technical understanding of their cars in a no-pressure and fun atmosphere.
“Racers looking for a path towards a pro series such as IMSA, WEC or SRO can use GT Celebration as a launching pad.
“In the future, the plan is to grow the Yellow (previous-gen GT3) and Red (new-gen GT3) designations into separate classes. This is to ensure equal and spirited competition on the track.”
Former Corvette Racing factory driver Kelly Collins will serve as sporting director and driver advisor, with Todd Snyder as director of competition and operations.
The series has secured several key partners including Pirelli.
Teams Express Early Interest in Series
A number of teams have shown interest already in the GT Celebration tour, as well as part-time west coast drivers.
“We believe Rob and his staff are on to something with this new series and format,” said Darren Law, program director and co-owner of Flying Lizard Motorsports.
“This is a really good situation with the first generation GT3 cars. I think more people will gravitate to the series with this new opportunity.”
TruSpeed Autosport team owner Tyler Tadevic added: “With the advent of the GT Celebration series, we finally have a location for the guys, who own this kind of hardware to go compete, have fun and do so at a professional level of racing without the kind of cost that comes along with professional racing.”
2020 GT Celebration Schedule
April 15-17 — Thunderhill
May 15-17 — Sonoma Raceway
May 29-31 — WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
Aug. 19-23 — Road America
Sept. 18-20 — Utah Motorsports Campus
Oct. 2-4 — Circuit of The Americas
GT World Challenge Australia
Car Collection Joins 19-Car Field for Bathurst Finale
