Series promoter Stephane Ratal has expressed his pleasure at the news that 25 cars have signed up for the 2008
FIA GT Championship season.
The 25 entries is an increase of three on the 2007 total, with a further seven cars having been registered on a regular race-by-race basis, competing in eight or nine of the ten rounds.
Another five cars are set to compete in at least half of the races this year, which is set to boost numbers to more than 30 per race on a regular basis.
In GT1, three Maserati MC 12 cars will line-up against three Saleen S7R, three Aston Martin DBR9, three Corvette C6R and a Lamborghini Murciélago. With an additional three to four cars competing in the Citation Cup, there should be an average of 15 or 16 cars on the GT1 grid at each event.
The GT2 category has also seen a significant increase over last year, with ten Ferrari 430 GT2 cars up against four regular Porsche 997 GT3 RSR entrants and one Aston Martin Vantage GT2 – the first Aston Martin to enter the
FIA GT Championship in the GT2 category.
The G2 class has also seen a boost, and the Gillet Vertigo will surely welcome the additional challenge from two Mosler MT900R cars.
With 50 cars set to contest the third season of the
FIA GT3 European Championship and 25 set to start the second year of the GT4 European Cup, grid numbers are high in all three categories – figures that pleased the series boss.
“Our two years of effort and investment in building a strong independent platform are starting to pay off, with a stable calendar, growing international TV distribution as well as expanding grids and committed teams,” he said. “The complementary nature of the various categories is also bearing fruit, with GT3 teams such as Kessel Racing moving up to GT2, while GT1 teams such as Reiter and Jetalliance are also expanding into GT4.
“As for our flagship event, the
FIA GT Championship is getting ready for 2010, when it will expand into the GT1 World and GT2 European Championships.”
