Five Manufacturers Confirmed for FIA GT World Cup

Photo: Brecht Decancq/SRO

A total of five GT3 manufacturers will be fighting for top honors in the inaugural FIA GT World Cup, the FIA confirmed Friday.

The Nov. 19-22 event on the streets of Macau will see participation from Aston Martin, Audi, McLaren, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche, with only the current model year cars eligible.

It thus rules out any of the manufacturers bringing new-for-2016 GT3 models.

Organizers had been targeting up to seven GT3 manufacturers for the event, but will remain with the planned limit of three entries per manufacturer, which will all be allocated to private teams.

The remainder of the 28-car grid will be filled by entries selected by the GT World Cup Committee, and will be open to all FIA GT3-compliant machinery.

“We’re very satisfied to have received entries from five of the world’s most famous racing manufacturers for the first event,” said FIA GT Commission President Christian Schacht.

“It’s the result of two success stories; the FIA GT3 concept used in the majority of GT championships all over the world, and the legendary Macau Grand Prix.

“For Aston Martin, Audi, McLaren, Mercedes and Porsche, the FIA GT World Cup provides a great opportunity to showcase their cars on a big stage in the heart of the growing Asian market.”

In addition to overall race winners, there will be a FIA GT World Cup for Manufacturers as well, which will be awarded according to points scored by the two-highest place cars of each make.

Teams have until Sept. 25 to register, with the full entry list set to be announced in Macau on Oct. 7.

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John