FIA GT

[markf8691]

Can anybody clarify how much support the manufacturers provide in FIA GT?

Do they pay the entry fees or provide any of the budget, or is it just technical assistance. Would the teams be classed as factory teams?

Anybody know?

Thanks in advance.

[morningview66]

I doubt the teams recieve any help from the manufacturers outside of some technical stuff theese days especially with this new reformed/scaled-down series this year.

I wasn't really sure of Ratels plan for the GT1 world series was when it began, he couldn't seem to make up his mind quite what he wanted from the manufacturers.
Originally he wanted then to build new GT1 cars that they could sell to a team to race and provide support, but not race them as a works-outfit. This didnt really work out, especially when the ACO scrapped GT1, the manufacturers could only sell about 4 cars max and only Nissan ended up taking this route.

But did Ratel waiver from his cause, no he continued with GT1 for another year, but when it was obvious no-one in their right mind would build a GT1 car he switched to GT3 cars as there were plenty around. But still insisted on the one team one brand, no manufacturers method.
In this format some teams ie WRT Auid, Vita4One BMW, Reiter Lamborghini, AF Corse Ferrari, Hexis McLaren and All-Inkl Mercedes may have received some kind of support (largely technical) or in the form of works drivers from their respective manufacturers. But keeping an all pro lineup and the teams still operating within financial sense proved impossible so SRO had to give up on the world championship.

Now I imagine the series will be more like the blancpain endurance, with more amateur drivers funding the teams and the manufacturers not overly bothered because they dont have to put in the money they used to and probably didnt want to just because it was a world championship and they had to protect their prestiege.

So i hope you enjoyed the story but in short the answer to your story is probably no very little manufacturer support i would imagine aside from some technical stuff and maybe the odd factory driver.

[urdragon]

Ironically last year was the best format for the brands with very good teams and drivers, but it died because of lack of entries, the cars per brand limit is spectacular, but halves entry list, the better for some brands and teams(More exposure), the worst for some fans.

This sprint series only reflects the failure to built a succesful GT1 years before, and is only justified in the idea of a diversification outside BES of Ratel's business.

The international format today only works with factory support, due to low promotional ROI due to the smaller marketing investment of companies (Nothing to do with the increasing media interest from sportcars, or the increasing economic power of manufacturers of high class sportcars) due to financial crisis, in times of the highest supercar sales in all the history, reflected in the highest different number of factory GT (and road supercars), built cars.

[Graham Goodwin]

Originally Posted by markf8691

Can anybody clarify how much support the manufacturers provide in FIA GT?

Yes - Zero

Originally Posted by markf8691

Do they pay the entry fees or provide any of the budget.

No and No

Originally Posted by markf8691

Or is it just technical assistance.

They are customer cars - assistance would be in line with their purchase contracts with the manufacturer/ tuner

Originally Posted by markf8691

Would the teams be classed as factory teams?

No

[morningview66]

Originally Posted by Graham Goodwin

Yes - Zero



No and No



They are customer cars - assistance would be in line with their purchase contracts with the manufacturer/ tuner



No

A very succinct and to the point version of what i was spinning Mr Goodwin, though i hope knowing your profession you appreciated my story at least.

[Graham Goodwin]

Originally Posted by morningview66

A very succinct and to the point version of what i was spinning Mr Goodwin, though i hope knowing your profession you appreciated my story at least.

Absolutely - I hope the new series takes hold - There are some positive
signs though these are hard times for race teams.

[urdragon]

LOL:

http://shop.marcvds.com/product/gt1-...ter-experience

MVDS organises tours on their GT1 Ford GTs for 350€ (Cheap compared to the 150€ of the famous stock road 458 or Gallardo).



Like this Business model, racing, some sort of birthday present for 10/10ths fans.

[JoestForEver]

I believe GT3 is all about customer racing and so did the FIA GT championship after 2004. Customer racing means the team can buy their own car, own driver, mechannics and so on (factory mechanics and drivers may be provided as part of on-the-shelf bonus like Vita4One MC12,All-Inkl SLS, Hexis Mclaren/Aston, the lot), but it also allows privately-built racing cars (Matech Ford GT1, Reiter Lambo) and it allows a rent-and-ride form.(Gentleman driver or team manager rents a car+toll truck+engineers from the factory customer racing team). As long as they keep their own stuff in place, it can't be called as a fully-powered factory team.

[carbon_titanium]

GT3 was born in 2004 or 2005 to let gentleman drivers to take part to national championships and fia gt3 using racing cars not so deeply modified from the road version, giving the possibility to little private teams to spend a reasonable budget. In my opinion the revolution started in 2009 when audi released the r8 lms, objectively the most advanced GT3 and was the first manufacturer to start an intensive customer program like today ferrari, mercedes, mclaren, porsche and bmw use to do. The death of GT1 class and the high costs of GTE cars helped a lot the worldwide diffusion of GT3 cars.
If you ask my opinion the modern GT3 cars suit more the GT1 concept than the original low-budger am drivers oriented GT3 concept.

[urdragon]

Today doing little research about old GT1 cars I found this:

https://www.mecum.com/lot-detail/CA0...-GT1-Race-Car/

ESTIMATE: $1,500,000 - $1,750,000 Looks like this sportcars gain price fast in the secondary market, despite being a GT1, The Ford GT wasn't the most expensive GT1, not?

[rich07]

That's a rather high estimate, it can't be worth more then half of that realistically.