Wendl: 2023 IGTC Season Logistics “Quite a Challenge”

Photo: SRO

The logistics involved with next year’s Intercontinental GT Challenge powered by Pirelli calendar has been described as “quite a challenge” by Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing boss Stefan Wendl, particularly in assembling cars for both the Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour and Kyalami 9 Hour.

The pair of season-opening races are separated by three weeks on the 2023 calendar, with Bathurst scheduled for Feb. 3-5 and Kyalami due to take place on Feb. 23-25.

SRO Motorsports Group founder and CEO Stephane Ratel explained that the tight timeframe would require separate shipments to Australia and South Africa for teams and manufacturers committed to the full season of the globe-trotting GT3 series.

Wendl has agreed with Ratel’s remarks, although questions if Bathurst will be Pro-Am-enforced, as was the case this year that saw SunEnergy1 Racing take overall honors (pictured above).

Sportscar365 understands that SRO is pushing for the event to return to a Pro format, although event organizers Supercars are hesitant on the number of all-pro GT3 entries it can attract given continued worldwide logistical complications.

“The IGTC calendar for next year is quite a challenge,” Wendl told Sportscar365.

“On one hand, we are on very close exchange with Stephane [Ratel, SRO founder and CEO] and have been involved in the development of this calendar.

“I know all the challenges he faces, trying to align them with the logistics schedules.

“Obviously the change from Bathurst to Kyalami is one of the big tasks. The only way to make it happen is with two different cars, spares and equipment, or to go with air freight, which is very expensive and, at the moment, not so reliable on the shipping dates.

“We have teams interested in doing both races. We want to go to Bathurst and win it again, however will it be handled as a Pro-Am event again supported by our customers, or if we go full-Pro as it was before COVID?

“For the Kyalami race, it’s a little bit more difficult to find teams. But we are in good talks. We try to help out wherever.

“We are talking about rental cars supplied by AMG which would be sent to Kyalami just for the single event. But it’s really not easy.”

A number of Mercedes-AMG teams are already plotting either full or partial season IGTC programs next year, in what would form the German brand’s title defense after locking up this year’s manufacturers’ championship last weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

SunEnergy1 is set to continue with a Pro-Am effort and Indianapolis 8 Hour presented by AWS winners Craft-Bamboo Racing has confirmed plans to return to Bathurst.

“We always search or the strongest partners in each region to help us be successful in those races,” said Wendl.

“This is the idea of IGTC and this year we have successfully showed this can work.

“For next year, we have teams that are interested to do the full IGTC as a championship. For those teams, it’s more of a challenge and they probably need some help.

“We talk with other teams whereby we could make a joint venture [with a local team], for example.”

However, joint ventures would only work in certain regions where local teams are willing to support the wider Mercedes-AMG cause.

“A big challenge is that the South African market is not so big, so far,” Wendl noted. “We were happy to see the first four cars into the market last year.

“Those customers are really happy with our product, and they want to race it by themselves. They are not so much interested in renting a car to a Pro lineup.”

Wendl said that considerations for next year have to be made quite quickly due to the movement of equipment from December’s season-ending Gulf 12 Hours to Bathurst, which is separated by only eight weeks.

Making logistics even more difficult is the fact that a number of teams taking part in the Gulf 12H will also remain in the Middle East for the Hankook 24H Dubai in mid-January.

“It’s still half a year to go, but also it’s not so long that we have [in order] to fix all the logistics schedules,” Wendl added.

“If you lead on Abu Dhabi, what to do with the cars… you need to see from now on how to send one car to Bathurst and one to Kyalami, or both cars to Kyalami… and another car from Europe or wherever to Bathurst.

“Really difficult, complex strategies are necessary for the teams and we try to help them the best possible [way] and supply a full network of our own support, as well as other teams.

“As you see, for example, from Craft-Bamboo. Since last year, we have established a contact with Lone Star Racing and they have formed a joint effort from Indianapolis, that they use some equipment and a rental car.

“This is the second time in a row and it’s working really well.”

Daniel Lloyd contributed to this report

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