Global World Challenge Grows to Six Manufacturers

The global Fanatec GT World Challenge powered by AWS for GT3 car brands has grown to six entrants for the 2021 season with BMW and Porsche joining the competition.

The two German manufacturers add to the returning Ferrari, Lamborghini, Audi and double defending champion Mercedes-AMG for the series which takes in all rounds of the four GT World Challenge championships held in Europe, America, Asia and Australia.

Ferrari and Mercedes-AMG signed up for the inaugural season of the SRO Motorsports Group’s World Challenge concept in 2019, before Lamborghini and Audi joined last year.

The first points-paying races take place this weekend at Sonoma where the Fanatec GT World Challenge America powered by AWS season kicks off.

Audi is the only GTWC points-paying brand not represented on the entry list for that event, although manufacturers are not required to have a car on the grid at every round.

The third season of the competition maintains the point-scoring structure used last year, which led to Mercedes-AMG winning with a haul of 10,348 points against Audi’s 8,799.

The highest-finishing car per manufacturer in each class race will score GTWC points.

That points amount, ranging from 25 for winning a 60-minute sprint race to 100 for winning the Total 24 Hours of Spa, will then be multiplied by the total number of cars racing in the given class to produce a final tally.

“We are delighted to have secured the commitment of such prestigious automotive brands, each of which brings a unique sporting heritage,” said SRO Motorsports Group founder and CEO Stephane Ratel.

“This season will be the third for our global program and the first to include Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS. It seems fitting that for our biggest calendar yet, we also have our biggest entry.

“I have always been convinced by this project and it is very rewarding to see it grow each year. At a time when GT3 is drifting dangerously close to factory racing, SRO is proud that this global challenge supports the customer racing ethos of a category that we contributed to the creation of 15 years ago.

“With so much racing to look forward to, I am certain that 2021 will deliver a fantastic season on each continent.”