M1 GT Racing Commits to Intercontinental GT Challenge

M1 GT Racing is the first North American based team to announce it will compete in the Intercontinental GT Challenge, having confirmed its participation on Wednesday.

The team, which already announced a Pirelli World Challenge effort with the new Audi R8 LMS featuring Walt Bowlin, Guy Cosmo and Larry Pegram in the driving lineup, will utilize the same car and driver lineup for the four-race international championship that’s promoted by SRO Motorsports Group.

“The Intercontinental GT Challenge is something that we had looked at since the Spa event in June of 2015,” said Remi Lanteigne, M1 GT Racing technical director.

“We reached out to the series, gathered and evaluated information, and were blessed by the timing of the 2016 Intercontinental GT Challenge and will contest multiple events.”

The team will not compete in the Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour in February, the opening round of the new championship, for logistical reasons.

“We were really hoping to compete in all four events but the first event in Australia is just around the corner in February and the entire team agreed that if we couldn’t do it right, then we should hold off to make sure that we are 110 percent prepared and ready,” Lanteigne said.

“We really like the product that SRO Motorsports has put to the racing community and believe in the series.”

The four-race calendar begins at Bathurst on Feb. 5-7, before races at Circuit of The Americas in March, Total 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps in July and the Sepang 12 Hours in December.