FIA GT3 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP 2009 PRESENTATION CONTENTS • IntroductIon by Stephane RATEL 3 • 2009 caLendar 4 • What’S neW In 2009 ? 5 • SerIeS concept 8 THE CARS • GT3 cars : prestigious brands 8 • Balance of performance 9 • Technical specifications 10 THE TEAMS • Competitors’ entry 23 • The title of FIA GT3 European Championship for teams 23 • Official presentation of the teams and their cars 24 • Substantial additional information 25 • GT3 team contacts 27 THE DrIvErS • Championship eligibility procedure 30 • Category definitions 30 • Official presentation of the drivers 31 • The titles for drivers 32 • Budget 34 • License 34 • tyreS manufacturerS & fueL SuppLIer • Michelin / Pirelli 35 • Total 35 • medIa 36 • Tv Broadcasting 36 • On-board and hand-held 40 • fiagt3.com and fia.com websites 41 • Gt3 SpreadInG WorLdWIde 42 • contacts 47 2 INTRODUCTION On a stormy day in Monaco, just over three years ago, one of the most successful phenomena in the recent history of Motorsport, the FIA GT3 European Championship, was launched. The old saying of rain on the wedding day signalling a strong marriage has held true, with the GT3 category racing over the past years. Every season, the title going from strength to strength, gradually but firmly fight has gone down to the last meeting, and teams taking over existing national GT Championships and drivers representing four different brands have and creating new series, both close to home, in claimed the trophies. And now, with the category Belgium, France, Germany and the UK, and further firmly established and an entry list of 40 cars despite afield, like in Brazil. It is hard to remember that the difficult economic times, the GT3 cars will play as recently as 2005, GT3 did not exist, except in their part in establishing the latest generation of GT1 the minds of a few people who saw the potential cars, with Matech’s Ford GT1, which will compete in and started building and adapting the cars. the 2009 FIA GT Championship. 2009 looks set to Three years later, another new crop of entrants be another exciting, close season, with packed grids has confirmed just how far GT3 has come. With and plenty of action on track. cars from BMW Alpina and Audi joining the field, alongside the prestigious names already taking See you there! part : Aston Martin, Corvette, Ferrari, Ford, Jaguar, Lamborghini, Morgan, Porsche and Viper, GT3 Stephane Ratel / will see 11 manufacturers represented this year SRO Motorsports Group Chairman – twice as many as were presented in Monaco. Thanks to the careful work from the GT Bureau in balancing the performance of such disparate models, the series has seen some exceptional 3 2009 CALENDAR In 2009, the FIA GT3 European Championship will continue to take part in the FIA GT rounds as well as standing on its own in Portugal and Dubai. Date Circuit COUNTRY 1st / 3rd May Silverstone Great Britain 15th / 16th May Adria* Italy 19th / 21st June Oschersleben Germany 11th / 13th September Algarve Portugal 2nd / 4th October Paul Ricard France 12th / 14th November Dubai U.A.E * Please note that Adria is a 2-day event (Friday and Saturday with one night race). SILVERSTONE OSCHERSLEBEN GrEAT BrITAIN GErMANY Track Length : 3,667 meters Track Length : 5,140 meters PAUL RICARD ADRIA FrANCE ITALY Track Length : 2,702 meters (Full) Track Length : 5,810 meters ALGARVE DUBAI POrTUGAL U.A.E Track Length : 4,692meters Track Length : 5,390 meters DUBAI ROUND : Non-2009 FIA GT3 competitors competitors may be accepted by the GT Bureau to take part in the last event of the Championship, depending on the number of places available and within the limit of a maximum of 6 cars per model (cf. Article 36 f of the FIA GT3 regulations). These competitors will not score points for the Championship. Applications to take part in that event must be submitted to the FIA on the entry form available from the FIA (cf. Appendix 3) no later than 7 days prior to the start of the event, accompanied by the entry fee, which is fixed at 4000 (four thousand) euros per car. TOTAL 24 Hours OF SPA (23rd / 26th July) - FIA GT EVENT : The FIA GT3 teams can participate in the Total 24 Hours of Spa. The entry fee is fixed at 12,000 euros per car. For more details, please contact : Sophie Peyrat - FIA GT/GT2/GT4 Teams Coordinator : [email protected] - phone : +33 (0)1 56 64 04 44 WEEKEND FORMAT DUrATION APPrOXIMATE TIME Thursday Administrative checks* 20’ 8.45 to 18.00 Scrutineering 30’ 8.45 to 20.00 Friday Administrative checks 20’ 08.00 to 9.00 Drivers briefing 20’ 10.00 1st free practice 60’ 11.00 2nd free practice 60’ 15.30 Saturday Qualifying sessions 20’+10’+20’ 10.00 Race 1 60’ 15.30 Sunday Race 2 60’ 12.00 *Sporting checks : The drivers only have to sign on once, as long as they remain on the same car for the whole season. 4 WHAT’S NEW IN 2009 ? NUMBER OF CARS PER TEAM Each team has to enter 2 cars. Each model has to be represented by a minimum of two and a maximum of three teams. However, during the first year of entry of a particular model, a single team may be accepted. NUMBER OF PERSONNEL PER TEAM Each team is allowed 6 members of staff including the team manager. MANUFACTURERS CUP To score points for the classification of the Manufacturers’ Cup a model must be represented on the closing date of entries to the Championship, by at least 4 cars (2 teams of 2 cars). MULTI-TYRE COMPETITION A multi-tyre supply system is introduced, allowing the teams to choose their tyres freely and ensuring that they have equal access to these tyres at a maximum price that is set in advance and applied to all the proposed makes of tyre. The competitors have to declare the tyres they will use during the season at the time of entry. The car-tyre combination is presented by each team for each of their cars at the pre-season testing sessions organised by the Promoter. Only one change of tyre make is authorised per season, should the same car/tyre combination already exist. The list of the combinations and the tyres’ specifications is published by the FIA, under the control of the GT Bureau. Michelin Competition and Pirelli are supplying both the FIA GT Championship and the FIA GT3 European Championship. 5 WHAT’S NEW IN 2009 ? SUCCESS BALLAST New for the 2009 FIA GT3 European Championship season is the introduction of success ballast for the top three cars in each race. Ballast will be added and subtracted following each event with 20kg, 15kg and 10kg being added to the cars that finish 1st, 2nd and third in each race. Cars that finish 4th and below will have success ballast removed, starting with 10kg removed for 4th place, 15kg for 5th and 20kg for all cars finishing 6th and below. The maximum ballast that can be attributed is 100kg. The success ballast will be added, or subtracted, ahead of the following FIA GT3 event. The success ballast will not be altered between race 1 and race 2 on each of the event weekends. If a car is excluded, no points and no variations in the success ballast will be allocated. If a race has been suspended and only half points have been awarded, the success ballast, both positive and negative, will also be divided by two. NEW MODELS JOINING THE CHAMPIONSHIP • AUDI R8 LMS GT3 As a result of its newly aligned motorsport programme Audi offers its motorsport customers a bespoke vehicle concept for the first time: Audi Sport developed the new R8 LMS specifically to suit the user-friendly and cost-effective requirements in the production-based GT3 class in international motorsport. The powerful 500 hp plus race car based on the Audi R8 is due to be delivered in order to prove itself on track throughout the 2009 season. • BMW ALPINA B6 GT3 After a 20-year hiatus, ALPINA celebrate their return to racing with the BMW ALPINA B6 GT3, to compete in the FIA European GT3 championship. Based on the BMW 6 Series, ALPINA have developed a competitive weapon for GT racing that will be offered to clients, collectors and race teams alike. Furious forward pace is provided by the 4.4-litre V8 with radial compressor, taken from the BMW ALPINA B6 S. It yields 530 horsepower and 725Nm of torque. 6 WHAT’S NEW IN 2009 ? hoMoLogateD evoLUTIoNS of exISTING GT3 cARS • feRRARI 430 ScUDeRIA A new Ferrari GT3 racer designed to contest the 2009 FIA GT3 European Championship has been revealed by Kessel. Based on the Ferrari 430 GT3, the new car is currently awaiting FIA homologation after which three teams – Kessel Racing, JMB Racing and CRS Racing have pledged to enter versions in the hotly contested championship. The Ferrari 430 Scuderia has been developed by Kessel to fill the shoes of the successful Ferrari 430 GT3 that won the GT3 title in 2007. The ‘standard’ 430 GT3 on which the new racer is based was conceived as a road-going development of the 430 challenge racers – and as such is ideally equipped to provide a basis for FIA homologation. With 508bhp and a weight saving of 100kgs over the standard 430 GT3, the ‘street’ Scuderia does 0-60mph in 3.1secs and has a 198mph maximum. Its various unique features are conceived with track performance in mind, with aerodynamic twicks such as an upgraded diffuser, modified exhaust and carbon fibre parts.