Unchanged Race Format, Tire Warmer Ban for 2025

Photo: Fabian Lagunas/SRO

Fanatec GT World Challenge America powered by AWS will retain its existing race format, while introducing a ban on tire warmers for the 2025 season.

Announced at Friday’s ‘State of the Series’ address at Road America, SRO America President and CEO Greg Gill reaffirmed plans to continue with two 90-minute races for all race weekends except the double points-paying Indianapolis 8 Hour presented by AWS, despite initially exploring other format possibilities.

Fanatec GT America grids have risen over the course of the season, with a season-high 16 cars competing this weekend.

It marks a 25 percent increase in the overall grid since the start of the season.

Gill told Sportscar365: “It’s not where we want to be but when we talked to the teams, and we particularly surveyed the teams: ‘Do you want to change this format?’

“We said, ‘Do you want to go to what we do in our European Sprint rounds, which is two one-hour races, driver change but no tires, no fuel?’

“‘Do you want to move to something else? Do you want more endurance rounds? What are you looking for?’

“Eighty-seven percent of the paddock, and the outside teams that we surveyed said ‘keep your exact same format.’

“That’s why we kept that exact same format. And they weren’t only our customers but prospective customers as well.

“Our point is that we look at where things need to go, as expensive as GT racing is getting, we need to help the customers and look at it.

“We will not be adding extra technical requirements into the sporting regs for the future, and in turn we’ll be removing tire warmers.”

Gill said that the removal of tire warmers, which will reduce teams’ operating costs, came from the idea that other series, such as the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, also forbids them.

Given SRO America’s position of Fanatec GT America serving as a stepping stone for some drivers and teams into the WeatherTech Championship and beyond, Gill said it didn’t make any practical sense to have the warmers be allowed in the series.

“It’s important to our teams in Europe, we picked up on that, but we realized that’s not appropriate for our U.S. teams,” he said.

“That’s a savings that we’ll be giving our teams for next year that they can build into their budget. And that’s already being received well.”

Gill said it hasn’t been decided if tire warmers will be allowed at next year’s Indianapolis 8 Hour, which will again double as the season-ending Intercontinental GT Challenge race.

The 2025 race has been moved back by two weeks to mid-October, which will likely result in cooler ambient temperatures.

“My gut right now is that if tire warmers are continuing in IGTC, then tire warmers will be at Indy,” he said.

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