The FIA GT1 World Championship brings together nine luxury sports car brands, represented exclusively by two-car teams featuring Aston Martin, Audi, BMW, Ferrari, Ford, Lamborghini, McLaren, Mercedes and Porsche at the season-opening 2012 round in Nogaro this weekend.
Stephane Ratel, founder and CEO of SRO Motorsports Group, says the aim of the new-look championship was to create an exciting racing environment for teams and brands which would be easy for fans to follow.
"Each team exclusively running two cars of the same brand in a competitive world championship was the vision for 2012," Ratel said. "This is a clear format that the fans can relate to – as they do with Formula 1. To have Aston Martin, Audi, BMW, Ferrari, Ford, Lamborghini, McLaren, Mercedes, Porsche together in the FIA GT1 World Championship is an appetizing combination. I am pleased to say that at Nogaro this weekend, the vision will become a stunning reality.”
The series brings together reputable sports car teams and an international mix of illustrious drivers comprising factory specialists, doyens of GT and ex-open-wheel drivers. The one-hour sprint format, first introduced in 2010, remains a unique feature.
Reigning champion Hexis Racing will field a pair of McLaren GT MP4-12Cs having campaigned Aston Martins for the past two seasons. Frenchman Frederic Makowiecki returns to the team after a spell with Marc VDS Racing in 2011, to spearhead a driver lineup that includes his partner in the No. 1 car Stef Dusseldorp. In the sister car, France's Gregoire Demoustier is joined by Portugal's Alvaro Parente.
Mike Parisy, a resident of nearby Pau, races in the Exim Bank Team China Porsche 911 GT3 R alongside versatile New Zealander Matt Halliday. China's Ren Wei, who has built a solid reputation in Porsche Cup Asia, will be joined by France's Benjamin Lariche in a squad run by Porsche specialists Muhlner Motorsport. Parisy was the pacesetter on day one of a two-day test that precedes the race weekend. The Frenchman set a time of 1:25.538 around the 3.6-mile circuit to suggest that the Porsches will be on the pace come race time.
Belgian Audi Club Team WRT has assembled a solid quartet for its two Audi R8 LMS ultras in the shape of former DTM star Frank Stippler, factory driver Oliver Jarvis and former Le Mans winner Stephane Ortelli. Twenty-year-old Laurens Vanthoor, the German Formula 3 champion of 2009 and fresh from the Formula 3 Euro Series completes the lineup. The Belgian squad has been in the top three on the time sheets throughout the test with both Audis running in the mid 1:26s. The Audis loom as strong title contenders.
The Mercedes SLS AMG GT3 will be in the hands of the German All-Inkl.com Munnich Motorsport team, who were strong contenders for the teams' title in 2011. The lineup features the German trio of Marc Basseng, Markus Winkelhock and Thomas Jager along with Dutchman Nicky Pastorelli.
The Mercedes SLS AMG GT3 will be in the hands of the German All-Inkl.com Munnich Motorsport team, who were strong contenders for the teams' title in 2011. The lineup features the German trio of Marc Basseng, Markus Winkelhock and Thomas Jager along with Dutchman Nicky Pastorelli.
Rche Carrera Cup Asia, Macau GT Cup and stints in WTCC and DTM. O'Young was also part of the winning lineup at this year's Bathurst 12 Hours.
Ferrari squad AF Corse pairs Finn Toni Vilander with Italian young gun Filip Salaquarda and Francesco Castellacci, the 2011 FIA GT3 European Championship drivers' titleholder and Belgian Enzo Ide, a GT3 race winner in 2011 and third in the drivers' standings.
Multiple FIA GT and GT1 champion Michael Bartels drives with BMW Team Vita4One, joined in the team's Z4 by Dutchman Yelmer Buurman. On the opposite side of the garage are Mathias Lauda, son of F1 World Champion Niki Lauda, and Reiter Lamborghini convert Nikolaus Mayr-Meinhof of Austria.
Valmon Racing Team Russia bring two Aston Martin DBRS9s to the series with a driver combination led by Austrian Andreas Zuber. He is joined by the Russian duo of Formula 2 veteran Sergey Afanasyev and the experienced Alexey Vasilyev with the third driver yet to be named.
Flying the Ford flag is Spain's Sunred Engineering who feature former FIA Formula 2 champion Andy Soucek and Serbia's Milos Pavlovic in the No.10 Ford GT with Italians Matteo Cressoni and Emmanuel Moncini in the other car.