SRO Relaunches GT2 Category; Set for 2019 Debut

SRO Motorsports Group has revealed the return of the GT2 name to contemporary racing, with the creation of a new amateur driver-focused sprint race platform that’s set to launch next year.

The announcement came Friday at Stephane Ratel’s annual press conference at Spa-Francorchamps.

Ratel confirmed that SRO has acquired the GT2 trademark, previously used in SRO and ACO-based sports car racing until 2011, with the new category aimed to fill the market gap in price and performance between GT3 and GT4.

The class, featuring ‘true supercars’ ranging from 640-700 horsepower, will apply SRO’s GT4 concept to more powerful cars that have previously been toned down in either GT3 or GT4 specification.

Ratel wouldn’t give a specific example of eligible cars, but referred to “powerful top of the range” supercars.

“[It’s] not GT1,” he said. “No hypercars but the most powerful of this car range are there. I think they can be developed into extremely exciting great cars.

“There could be some GT3 models being developed. It’s a merger between GT3 and GT4, with a lot of power.”

The platform, which will initially be introduced in a yet-to-be-announced one-off event next year, along with eligibility in the Blancpain GT Sports Club and British GT Championship, will be rolled out to all of SRO’s GT sprint race series in 2020.

It will include the Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup, Blancpain GT Series Asia and GT Pirelli World Challenge America, each with dedicated Am classes for the cars.

Ratel said there’s been interest from several manufacturers, hinting at the potential of three different automakers for the category’s launch next year.

He also indicated the new class could serve as a safeguard should GT3 cars get too expensive, or the FIA’s ongoing concept of GT harmonization between GT3 and GTE-spec machinery materializes. 

“I never hide the fact that I was a little bit [worried] with convergence that if you converge cars which are €400,000 with cars which are €800,000, you may end up with all cars at €600,000 and plus,” Ratel said.

“In no circumstance, it wants to replace a very healthy and successful category which is GT3.”

Eligible GT2 cars will feature a 2-1 weight to power ratio, limited aerodynamic developments, limited modification to road car shape and no modification in engine or gearbox positioning.

Ratel has not revealed details of the exhibition race that’s in the works for next year.

“We want to do a pilot race which is all to bring the cars,” he said. “The rest is not to create a championship but to reinforce it into the existing GT3 series.

“These cars will become the Am class of all our sprint series. We don’t think that they will be suitable for endurance because of their weight and power.”

John Dagys contributed to this report