Get the lowdown on the series and find out how you can follow along in our second season of GT racing.
Since its inaugural season in 2011 as the Blancpain Endurance Series, the GT World Challenge Europe has amassed many fans worldwide, with the five-round series expanding to 10 rounds comprising both Endurance and Sprint racing.
Joining in with its counterparts in Asia, America and Australia to form part of the global GT World Challenge, the series allows manufacturers to illustrate the prowess of their customer racing programmes.
The hero event of the series is found at the Spa 24 Hours, where each team is given the longest endurance challenge.
Continuing on from its success in the International GT Open in 2022, Theeba Motorsport will compete in the Pro-Am class.
The FIA offers different driver gradings, which have been upgraded for this year. This includes:
Platinum; meaning professional drivers and factory drivers.
Gold; meaning young, experienced drivers without major titles.
Silver; meaning young drivers with limited or no experience, experienced and quick amateurs or those who are aged 50+.
Bronze; meaning amateur or less-experienced drivers.
The Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS Championship runs according to different classes. These teams and drivers are made up of the following grades determined by the FIA, with third drivers for the Endurance races in brackets:
Pro; Platinum+ Platinum (+ Platinum)
Pro-Am; Platinum/Gold + Bronze (+ Silver/Bronze)
Gold; Platinum/Gold + Silver (+ Bronze)
Silver; Silver + Bronze (+ Bronze)
For the main racing event, the Spa 24H, teams will also run an additional fourth driver.
Under each different class, teams are able to claim wins and titles, while the winner of the Pro class is considered to be the overall champion at the end of the season.
For Sprint race weekends, each team will be able to compete in two one-hour long sessions, held on Saturday and Sunday. There is a single mandatory pitstop to change drivers and tyres, which takes place in a window that is between 25 and 35 minutes into the race.
The Endurance races can be anywhere between three to 24 hours long. In this period, teams are given an allotted pit-window in which drivers are able to come into the pits and switch positions with their teammates.
As it says in the name, the GT World Challenge visits some of Europe’s most prestigious circuits.
Starting off the season in April, the event first hits Monza for the first of its Endurance races. In May, the series comes to the UK for the first Sprint race at Brands Hatch.
June sees the series visit Paul Ricard for a 1000km race, while the Spa 24H at the famous Spa-Francorchamps commences at the end of June and goes into the first weekend of July.
July is a busy month, as the series then heads back to Italy’s Misano circuit, and then moves on to the challenging Nurburgring in Germany.
After its summer break in August, the series returns with a bang as the teams take on Hockenheim in Germany, then later heading to Valencia and Barcelona in the same month.
For the last race of the season, the series rounds out its 10 weekends at Zandvoort in the Netherlands, where the champions are crowned.
Every GT World Challenge qualifying session and race is broadcast live on the championship’s YouTube channel.
To follow our journey and stay up to date with our latest news, follow Theeba Motorsport on our Twitter and Instagram channels.
