Why is the GTWC so popular?

The GT World Challenge is gaining popularity among the motorsport fans. If you are still immune, this article may change your life.

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GTWC, the GT World Challenge is a racing championship with cars that comply with the FIA GT3 rules. There are 4 separate championships under the GTWC with all being on a different continent: Asia, Europe, Australia and America. But then there is a part of the championship that is a mix of all. The different parts of GTWC are complicated, so this article will be focused only on the European championship.

Despite being one of the biggest GT championships in Europe, GTWC is not that well known. The championship has been around since 2014 and since then the rules, the layouts, the categories and pretty much have changed many times. Nevertheless the championship has introduced some top level racing with the best racing drivers from all around the world.

GTWC Europe is separated into 2 parts: the endurance cup and the sprint cup. Drivers usually compete in both but it is not a given. The Sprint cup race format is very similar to the ADAC GT Masters: one hour of racing with a driver switch half way through.

The endurance cup requires at least 3 drivers per car and the race time varies from 4 to 24 hours. The most famous race of the GTWC Endurance cup would be the Total Energies 24 hours of Spa, which has been held annually since 1924 and is the biggest GT3 race in the world.

To attract many audiences, the races are streamed on Youtube. As it is in GT racing, there are no pure factory teams. There are factory supported teams (that generally have factory drivers racing for them) but all teams are customer teams. From Mercedes to the Ferraris and Porsches, the grid includes many factory drivers well known well beyond just the GT world.

“I like the Blancpain GT championship [now known as GTWC], it’s very competitive. The Sprint series is very cool and the Endurance series as well with all the big races like Spa. I definitely want to keep doing this.” said Daniel Juncadella, Mercedes factory driver, in an interview after his third season in the championship.

Another overall benefit of GTWC and GT racing overall is the fact that it’s much more accessible. Standard tickets usually include pitlane autograph sessions and paddock access which might be very appealing if you want to meet your favourite driver.

The championship is very competitive, very close and welcomes many famous names.