[FIA GT] FIA GT Championship 2008

[Dracula]

What we know about next season?

It can become maybe the last year with old GT1 and GT2 cars before technical revolution in 2009. And even more it can become the last FIA GT Championship, if World GT Championship starts in 2009.

What about calendar? I'v heard that season will again starts in China. There'll be also new round in Argentina. What about other races? Will be there Spa 24 Hours?

Most of the teams will be the same as this season. There'll be some new teams, like Gigawave, but some maybe pull out.

[Dracula]

Oops, why name of the theard is "Fia Gt 2008", if I wrote "FIA GT 2008"?

[Kidzer]

The name thing is a vBulletin setting (feature?), it prevents all uppercase words in thread titles I beleive.

Anyways, 2008 - I'd like to see a calendar released as soon as, so I can plan my euro-trip next summer!

I wonder what they will do about GT2, they'll need to either add weight to the Ferrari's or tell Porsche to make a better car - or they will be blown out of the water again!

I expect there will be a Spa 24 Hrs again, it was a tremendous event this year, lots of cars on the grid, I dont see any reason *not* to have it.

Other than that, not much to say really - we've had a pretty good championship battle in GT1, theres been bad luck for all so it's pretty well balanced over the course of the season I'd say, with the exception of Kumpen/Longin @ Oschersleben, if they get their points back it'll make the title race even more interesting!

[Francesco]

no Spa 24 next year... well... there will be a Spa 24 but it's going to be a separate event... something like LM or the Silverstone 24... FIA-GT will probably do just a "normal" (2h) race at Spa

[Jonerz]

But they will be FIA GT cars at the Total (?) 24h of Spa 2008... right?!

Chris

[gino]

Originally Posted by Francesco

no Spa 24 next year... well... there will be a Spa 24 but it's going to be a separate event... something like LM or the Silverstone 24... FIA-GT will probably do just a "normal" (2h) race at Spa

What???????????? Who has told you that??????????

[The Badger]

Great ..... let the LMS take it over and have a 24 hour event with protos and gt cars..... but could teams afford 2 24 hour events ?

[SALEEN S7R]

Originally Posted by gino

What???????????? Who has told you that??????????

Nobody has told him that because he is purely speculating. There a lot of rumors flying around at the moment regarding all sportscar racing series as we know and this is just 1 of many, some here would like very much to see the FIA GT Championship lose its headlining event, however we dont always get what we want.

[ThePenguin]

I don't think that the ACO want to take on the 24 hours of Spa, since they have worked so hard to make the 24 hours of Le Mans IMO the top 24 hour race. I think that we will see 24 hours of Spa next year, with the amount of cars in it probably depending on whether or not it is part of the FIA GT Championship. I wonder if we will see any of the new GT1 cars in it next year such as the Koenigsegg, the Gumpert Apollo, or the Ford GT. With the rules supposed to be changing in 2009 I doubt anyone other than a factory team will race those cars.

[Dracula]

Originally Posted by Kidzer

...with the exception of Kumpen/Longin @ Oschersleben, if they get their points back it'll make the title race even more interesting!

Do you know when the appeal of the PK Racing team will obey in the civil court?

[JAG]

Originally Posted by Francesco

no Spa 24 next year... well... there will be a Spa 24 but it's going to be a separate event... something like LM or the Silverstone 24... FIA-GT will probably do just a "normal" (2h) race at Spa

Without Spa 24hr is there even a reason for FIA GT to exist?

What I've seen this season has been absolutely dire, awful!

[The359]

Will the Citation Cup remain?

[duke_toaster]

No Spa 24 = Nail + hammer + coffin of FIA GT.

[minimangler]

Spa 24 will continue, as it harbours a full field and extra money every year.

Why on earth would anyone think anything else? Its idle speculation and imo its rubbish.

What theory is that based on?!?!

[SebringMG]

TBH think the Spa 24 was better when it was for touring cars! Certainly crowds looked bigger!

[Splendid Cat]

The halcyon days for the 24hrs were the early 70s BMW v Capri battles.

The Group A days were popular, certainly when the race wasa round of the ETCC.

Prior to it be becoming a race for GTs it had lost its appeal - reflected in attendance figures.

Attendances reported since 2001 are however good:90,000 (2001) and 106,000 (2004).

I have been to all and there it has always "felt" to be similarly attended in 02,03,05, 06 and 07.

Hope it isn't canned - I gave up on Le Mans this year after 26 yrs. Crap facilities, crap viewing, too many neds / chavs. Strictly IMO, Spa is tonnes better for spectator and purist alike.

[Splendid Cat]

Crowd numbers and the diversity of TV coverage would appear to make the 24 hrs lucrative for sponsors.

The consistent numbers of one-off / Spa only entrants gives credence to this.

[Francesco]

Spa 24h WILL continue but it won't be a round of the FIA-GT Championship... it's not a "speculation" it was proposed for the '08 calendar and many team managers are happy with that has it is the 25-30% of the budget for the season and every team willing to win the championship can't skip that race... IMO it's a good thing because:
-Spa24 will still get a lot of cars, like silverstone or other 24h races do all the year
-FIA-GT Team will need a "smaller" budget for the whole season

[minimangler]

No, Silverstone 24h is a bag of s**t and we all know it; any "premier" race that needs that many classes is REALLY struggling.

Spa has 5, but only 3 stages of car- effectively GT1, GT2, GT3.

Many FIA GT teams get sponsorship on the basis of the Spa race. To not go there would be just like F1 not going there, or worse, F1 canning Monaco.

It can't happen, surely?

[TheNewBob]

Originally Posted by minimangler

No, Silverstone 24h is a bag of s**t and we all know it; any "premier" race that needs that many classes is REALLY struggling.

Your missing the point entirely there. The Silverstone 24h isn't trying to compete with Spa or LM - it's a completely different event with completely different goals. Britcar is open to all those different machines anyway, and is designed for the club racer with a comparatively low budget.

If the Spa 24h isn't part of the FIA GT series, then SRO needs to do something to give the championship a new "jewel in the crown" - there is now less incentive to compete in the series, certainly from a commercial side of things anyway.

[Francesco]

you are right bob... but do you really think that Spa was worth that 30% of the budget for most teams? i honestly doubt it... yeah it was a big event but not a good "value for money" and you HAD to go at Spa if you want to have a chance for the title... from this point of view it's a good thing to leave the Spa 24 out...

on the other side surely a big highprofile event like this will be missed but i am quite confident that we can still have a good race even if it is out of the FIA-GT calendar...

[JAG]

I think what your saying is with the LMS, ALMS, WTCC and good national GT series, is there a need for a globtrotting FIA GT series.

[Graham Goodwin]

Originally Posted by minimangler

No, Silverstone 24h is a bag of s**t and we all know it; any "premier" race that needs that many classes is REALLY struggling.

A couple of points -

Firstly please don't presume to include others with your own (rather offensively presented) point of view

Secondly - i'm afraid your point of view shows an almost complete ignorance of that race and other races too.

By your reckoning a one class race is necessarily better than a four class race - so F1 is better than Le Mans for instance - You might actually think that - I don't

[AstonGeoff]

Well said Graham! Lets not forget too that we have only just had the 3rd running of the Silverstone 24hrs, but already it seems to be gaining momentum and professionalism on all sides. Yes, I'd like to see an end to the "Max Power" style of night lighting on some of the cars, but the level of teams does seem to be getting higher. When it's been running as long as Spa, the Ring or LM then lets judge it against them!!!!

The Spa 24hrs will continue without FIA GT's and vice versa. Already some teams only run 1 car at Spa to save costs, and part of the reduction from 3 to 2 hour race distances was to reduce costs, so does the series really need an expensive 24hr race (the 2nd one for a few teams anyway)? I doubt it.

[brielga]

Originally Posted by minimangler

No, Silverstone 24h is a bag of s**t and we all know it; any "premier" race that needs that many classes is REALLY struggling.

Spa has 5, but only 3 stages of car- effectively GT1, GT2, GT3.

Many FIA GT teams get sponsorship on the basis of the Spa race. To not go there would be just like F1 not going there, or worse, F1 canning Monaco.

It can't happen, surely?

From an historical perspective many big races (Sebring, Le Mans, Daytona, Spa) started (and went on for a long time) with a whole bunch of classes, did you know which car won the first Sebring 12 Hours? The health of a race is not measured by the number of classes, many other factors measure success. Losing Spa in FIA-GT is certainly a shame but that means both the championship and the race face both a whole new challenge and we'll need to see which tackles theirs in a good way... IF Spa's organizers do a good job, the race will survive on as a sort of "European GT Masters", FIA-GT is pursuing a World Championship status which is a complete different challenge. Let's see how they fare in the next few years.

In Spanish we say "books don't bite", this you might take as a small piece of advice. Seeing things in historical perspective always helps...