Finally, confirmed Aus GT in 2005

[D.R.T.]

I know this topic is being dicussed in the AMRS thread, but with so much going on that thread, I thought a new thread would allow the best opportunity to discuss the beginning of a new era of GT racing in Australia.

I only found out about this news from my brother this morning, in all seriousness this was the ONLY thing I wanted this Christmas. So too all involved with making this happen Thanku.

The details I believe (as recited over the telephone) include a 7 round championship on the AMRS bill, which is shaping up as the must see Motorsport program in Aus next year.

Specifications are to the newly defined FIA GT3 Sportscar regulations. (Cup class etc) 360 Challenges, Porsche GT3, Morgan, Lamborgini, BMW theres heaps.

I'm looking foward to see what entries are lodged for the championship. Any ideas.

Could Maranello Motorsports combine this series with their Fia GT assault with Simonsen. Will TLA and Stokell return. Could we see a return of JR. Will Holden take the opportunity to run a 'proper' version of the Monaro.

[the man]

By the sounds of this. it should be a great championship. SO does this mean that all the Group 1 cars from the Aussie GT Championship are gone?But at least now they have some rules which are world wide accepted so there can't be any confusing over the catergory.

[Falcadore]

OK, so lots of cars are eligible, so were lots of cars under Future Touring regulations. While the noise might be fresh and new about the series, will it not be like last year? The Nations Cup cars, detuned perhaps, and bolsterred by the Porsche Drivers Challenge to give their field depth? And how old will some GT cars be?

Palmer's NSX? Carter's Corvette? Ferrari 355s? SP2 RX7s? The Maserati Ghibli? Neilson's Maserati Shamal? The Skyline R32 that preceeded the Shamal? Third generationSupras liek John Bourkes? Older second gen Supras?

[24Hours]

There are plenty of eligable cars in Australia. Numerous Ferrari's and Porsche's for example, just to name two "common" makes. I believe now that there are some stable international rules in place this series can only grow from here, wether it be for profesional or gentleman drivers. I for one will be at the gates with bells on, cant wait!

[Ross Cadell]

DRT, where are these regulations to have a squizz at?

I am interersted as to what cars are actually allowed in.

[gomick]

aussie gt should have started when the nations cup championship started isnt it a 10 round series

[D.R.T.]

The Australian Motor Racing Series has 10 Rounds but not all categories will undertake a 10 round series.With so many Categories of their bill I believe 10 rounds were allocated so everyone can run 7 or 8 rounds.

Ross, GT3 regulations should be accessible from the FIA website. I'll have a look round and see what is available.

Just quickly(to my knowledge), These vehicles are available to compete :

Ferrari 360 Challenge
Porsche GT3
Maserati Trofeo
Morgan Speed 8
Dodge Viper
Lamborghini SVR/ Gallardo
BMW Z3
Lotus
Chevolet Corvette
Noble M12
Ford Mustang
Holden Monaro
TVR Chimera
Jaguar (eg Bob Thornes)

[jetsetter]

It's great to see a G.T. championship is happening, hopefully it can grow so we can see some variety in Australian motorsport.

[Falcadore]

It's good to see many cars are eligible, but many of these cars do not exist in Australia, so the list is being padded with dreams already.

There's only one team running Morgan based sports cars, and thats Morgan themselves so strike that off the list. Similarly there are no Nobles here either.

Lotus is a very vague description. Elise or Espirit? There is a TVR Chimeara in Australia built for racing, but it was withdrawn almost as soon as it appreared and its team reverted to its previous Honda NSX.

Ford Mustang? Surely outclassed in this field.

Porsche GT3? What about the work done in recent times on GT2s?

And will the 2005 Porsche 997 be eligible or just 996? And if some fool wanted to run a 986?

I have lots of questions, because I want to believe in it.

[D.R.T.]

Originally Posted by Falcadore

It's good to see many cars are eligible, but many of these cars do not exist in Australia, so the list is being padded with dreams already.

There's only one team running Morgan based sports cars, and thats Morgan themselves so strike that off the list. Similarly there are no Nobles here either.

From my previous list cars that to my knowledge exist in Aus include :

Ferrari 360
Porsche GT3
Maserati Trofeo
Dodge Viper
BMW Z3
Lotus Elise (I believe run in Marque Sports)
Chevolet Corvette
Ford Mustang
Holden Monaro (built from Melbourne, none exist at the moment)
Jaguar

Originally Posted by Falcadore

Lotus is a very vague description. Elise or Espirit? There is a TVR Chimeara in Australia built for racing, but it was withdrawn almost as soon as it appreared and its team reverted to its previous Honda NSX.

Ford Mustang? Surely outclassed in this field.

Lotus ELise I believe is the model I'm thinking of thats runs in Marque Sports, (actually there are a few of them a few doors up my street.)

Wasn't the TVR run by Kosi Kalaitzidis and stopped running because of lack of $$$$. And didnt Ian Palmer and his team ran the Honda NSX????

Originally Posted by Falcadore

Porsche GT3? What about the work done in recent times on GT2s?

The current GT2 run by Stephens to my thinking would be to fast to be run under GT3 regulations.

Originally Posted by Falcadore

And will the 2005 Porsche 997 be eligible or just 996? And if some fool wanted to run a 986?

I would believe a 997 built in FIA GT3 regulations would be allowed to compete in the championship. (However this is to my knowledge, John Teulan and the Aus GT Organising committee would be best to answer these types of technical Q's)

[GTRMagic]

I would have thought the Lotus Esprit would be a much better car to run... there is still the one Mr Freestone previously ran around somewhere... the ex-Perkins Sony car....

... I have always liked the shape of the car

[rdmdog]

I was following the Coopers Racing transporter into Sydney last night, ex PHR, I guess its the sister car to the one that has been advertised in the fish wrappers recently?

Would it have been travelling up here to pick up the race car from its overseas trip?

[Senna05]

The Porsche GT2 is eligible for GT2, as the GT1 is eligible for GT1.

It's the same vehicle essentially, with enough tweaks/parts to spec it to that class.

Liken it to SS for APC and GTS for GTP - Same shell, different parts.

[the man]

[QUOTE=Senna05]The Porsche GT2 is eligible for GT2, as the GT1 is eligible for GT1.
[QUOTE]

The only Porsche homologated with the FIA for GT racing is the Porsche GT3RS and the Porsche GT3RSR, which are in the newly formed GT2 category (old FIA N-GT and ACO LM-GT).

The old Porsche GT1 had only 1 road going version built, to suit the GT1 rules used in 1998. Nowadays that car would be a prototype.

[Falcadore]

Palmers built the, or a, TVR originally. It ran at Phillip Island and then didn't appear again. I assume Kosi K drove the same car?

I pity the guys who run the underpwoered BMW Z3. That car should be shifted to GT-Perofrmance. It may not look like a right match visually, but performance is more approriate.

[rdmdog]

Didnt it appear at the GP and get in the way of the race leaders?

[abr944]

hey guys don't get too excited......its just gonna be a rehashed version of marque sports.......a kind of nations cup with more spices thrown in to the pot!!!!
ps....a bit of what ran at the 1 hour enduro at pi at island magic.....it was a huge sucsess......but i seriously doubt if we will ever see exotics ever again in this country.......

[Falcadore]

abr: if the B24 is to be revived than thise class will be the basis of the leading class - so SOME excitement is warranted. The class potential concerns me though.

I seriously doubt there will be a cmparison with the Tattersalls series you saw at PI and some seriously non GT cars appeared in it, like the Falcon powered historic Anglia of Paul Redding and Audrey, the turbo charged lightweight Datsun Fairlady driven by Gerry Geltch, plus a variety of Cobra and GT40 replicas. All of which I doubt would be eligible for the Aus. GT series.

[abr944]

well....don't be too much like what we have had in the past....what the purists want and what exists are two very different acts.......i personally want to see and race in events where we get 30 to 40 entries.....not some pipe dream class where we would be lucky to see 5 to 6 cars......at the most....
never forget what happened at oran park early this year when only 6 cars turned up for nations cup and they had to combine with the porsches to be able put on a show..........
this type of categorie will fail if 4 to 5 cars show up and the promoters say"we will have more next year!!".....the public and the racers will walk away .......

[D.R.T.]

[QUOTE=abr944]
never forget what happened at oran park early this year when only 6 cars turned up for nations cup and they had to combine with the porsches to be able put on a show..........
QUOTE]

abr944, should know that there were alot of factors that contributed to the slender field at OP earlier this year. Ie No firm regulations, heavy parity adjustments and a late tv deal caused these fields.

By constructing a series to FIA GT3 regs, getting on the AMRS bill, now hopefully a tv deal on Speedweek can be found.

There are people in Aus who want to run these exotic machines, just look at seasons 2000-2002. They just want some structure clear regulations to compete in.

I am confident the new organisers have been able to achieve this.

[abr944]

I sadly think that if there are any people with the cash to run these cars........who are they??????...where are they?????...get real...look at the dwindling fields in carrera cup...and its fully televised and extremely well funded......yeah...well i guess a few cashed up property developers know better......better than even a humble car manufacturer like porsche.....tv coverage...in your dreams....hey....at least the island magic 1 hour race was shown on fox sports.....great coverage.....in car shots...interviews...
ps....number one question.......how and who is gonna fund this new event??????....name some cars and drivers we will see.....

[D.R.T.]

I have found your posts to be quite negative in regards to this series. I can fully understand people apllying caution in discussion about this championship, but your not holding back are you.

Competitors, look at past seasons 2000-2002 where equivalent machines were raced in Nations Cup. There were plenty of cars and interest. Now I realise that was 3 years ago and alot has happened since then.

But with a solid structure put in place for 2005 with GT3 regs, whats to say that the organisers are dreaming.

Tv in my dreams, please explain. Marque Sports had speedweek tv in 2004.

[abr944]

when you refer to tv..........you are reffering to the tattersals one hour races.....they got a fair amount of publicity and enjoyed good turnouts and good fields and the racing was great....but i think you will find that the tv did not happen by accident...
ps..i was the one that started the amrs posts.....so i am far from negative about the series....just trying to keep to reality....
ps.....now that the big show events have gone.....no melb grand prix....no clipsal 500....no indy...no 24 hour.......what kind of sponsors are gonna dive in......"freds paint and panels"....errr..."mamas coffee and cakes"......look at the reality...look at carrera cup where almost every car carries sponsors from the drivers own companies....
i am not against this gt class....just can't see it happening....not in this part of the world!!

[pplater]

I'm on holidays and I've only just found this news...

YAY!

Can't wait to get out there and support the new series.

Long live GT racing... death to the taxis!

This can only be a fairly minor support series as the indications show that whilst many put their hands up, very few in fact turn up.

Anyone who think differently are dreamers . . . probably think super touring still has a future . . .