SRO Re-Evaluating IGTC Calendar for 2024

Photo: Kevin Pecks/SRO

SRO Motorsports Group is re-evaluating the Intercontinental GT Challenge powered by Pirelli calendar for 2024, which could feature fewer rounds according to Stephane Ratel, who admitted that the timing of this year’s Kyalami 9 Hour was a mistake.

The globe-trotting GT3 series, which has returned to five events this year, had its first two races in February, with the Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour and Kyalami separated by just three weeks.

It required full season teams like Team WRT, GruppeM Racing and Grove Racing to split their equipment and use different cars for the events.

Ratel revealed to Sportscar365 that a complete re-think on the calendar, which also features the 24 Hours of Spa, Indianapolis 8 Hour and Gulf 12 Hours this year, is under way.

“We created [IGTC] because there was an interest from the manufacturers to have these big events,” Ratel said. “It’s down to what they want to.

“Between now and Spa, we need to speak to each manufacturer and say, ‘Do you want this and how do you want it?’

“Will we do three races? Do we do four races? Do we do five races? ‘Of the ones we have potentially available, which ones are you interested in?’

“From there, we will design the future of IGTC. We’re not going to drop [the series], but we’ll maybe have less rounds.”

Ratel said the foundation of the 2024 calendar will have teams and manufacturers rely exclusively on sea-freight, with potential consideration also taken to avoid overseas races during the European season.

“One thing is for sure: we can’t have a calendar that requires air freight,” he said. “It’s too expensive and it’s environmentally unfriendly.

“Starting from that, do you think you need to do a calendar where European teams, which is our larger mass of teams, can do it before and after the European season mainly? That’s option one.

“Option two is to say, ‘No, we can have others like Tim Pappas and Craft-Bamboo, who are looking for a season that’s only sea freight and one team can put their car [and] equipment in one container and it would be a floating championship.

“Is this the concept or not?”

The future of Kyalami remains up in the air according to Ratel, who said there needs to be more discussions with the local promoter in order to determine a possible return.

“We have to see what the promoter in Kyalami wants to do because it’s been a couple of difficult years,” he said. “We were benefitting from financial support and sponsorship from the city of Joburg. It’s true, it’s been difficult.

“Initially the first date [for 2023] was a bit later [in April] so cars could come from Bathurst. But then the first feedback we got from some manufacturers is that the [European] teams can’t do it and be in Monza on time.

“So we put the race earlier in the year and then you couldn’t go from Bathurst to Kyalami. I think it was a mistake we made.

“I think it’s better to design a calendar where a team can say, ‘OK, I’m going to do these five big endurance races and we’re going to do everything in sea freight.’

“That’s the option we probably favor. Then we have to find the dates and events.”

Ratel has set a deadline of Spa, with its new early July date, to determine IGTC’s future, although stressed that he has no plans to eliminate the championship, which is now in its eighth season.

“At Spa we normally announce everything but now we’re a month earlier,” he said. “We were already very early announcing everything. I don’t know if we can do it this year. We’ll see.

“The idea is to pave the way and maybe to try and get a decision from manufacturers and teams at Spa.”

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