Sports car racing: Difference between revisions

A type of hybrid between the purism of [[open-wheeler]]s and the familiarity of [[touring car racing]], this style is often best associated with the annual [[Le Mans 24 Hours of Le Mans]] endurance race. First run in 1923, Le Mans is one of the oldest motor races still in existence.<ref name=":0" /> Other classic but now defunct sports car races include the Italian classics, the [[Targa Florio]] (1906–1977) and [[Mille Miglia]] (1927–1957), and the Mexican [[Carrera Panamericana]] (1950-19541950–1954). Most top -class sports car races emphasizeemphasise endurance (typicallygenerally between 2.5-6 and 24 hours), reliability, and strategy, over pure speed. Longer races usually involve complex pit strategy and regular driver changes. As a result, sports car racing is seen more as a team endeavorendeavour than an individual sport, with team managers such as [[John Wyer]], [[Tom Walkinshaw]], driver-turned-constructor [[Henri Pescarolo]], [[Peter Sauber]] and [[Reinhold Joest]] becoming almost as famous as some of their drivers.

The prestige of storied marques such as [[Porsche]], [[Audi]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.audi.com/en/audisport/history.html|title=Audi Sport|access-date=2017-11-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201030831/http://www.audi.com/en/audisport/history.html|archive-date=2017-12-01|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Chevrolet]], [[Ferrari]], [[Jaguar (car)|Jaguar]], [[Bentley]], [[Aston Martin]], [[Lotus Cars|Lotus]], [[Maserati]], [[Lamborghini]], [[Alfa Romeo]], [[Lancia]], [[Mercedes-Benz]], and [[BMW]] is built in part upon success in sports car racing and the [[World Sportscar Championship]]. These makers' top road cars have often been very similar both in engineering and styling to those raced. This close association with the 'exotic' nature of the cars serves as a useful distinction between sports car racing and touring cars.<ref>{{cnCite book |last=Brooklyn |first=Billie B. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nJJhDwAAQBAJ&dq=distinction+between+sports+car+racing+and+touring+cars&pg=PA14 |title=Sports Car Racing |date=January2014-12-15 2015|publisher=The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc |isbn=978-1-4994-0166-0 |language=en}}</ref>

The [[12 Hours of Sebring]], [[24 Hours of Daytona]], and 24 Hours of Le Mans were once widely considered the [[trifecta]] of sports car racing. Driver [[Ken Miles]] would have been the only ever to win all three in the samepast yearbeen but for an error inconsidered the [[FordEndurance_racing_(motorsport)#Triple_Crown|Triple GT40Crown]]'s of [[teamEndurance_racing_(motorsport)#Automobile_endurance_racing|endurance orderscar racing]] at Le Mans in 1966 that cost him the win in spite of finishing first.

Similarly, through the 1920s and 1930s the roadgoingroad-going sports/GT car started to emerge as distinct from fast tourers (Le Mans had originally been a race for [[touring car racing|touring cars]]) and sports cars, whether descended from primarily roadgoingroad-going vehicles or developed from pure-bred racing cars came to dominate races such as Le Mans and the [[Mille Miglia]].

In open-road endurance races across Europe such as the [[Mille Miglia]], [[Tour de France automobile|Tour de France]] and [[Targa Florio]], which were often run on dusty roads, the need for fenders and a mechanic or navigator was still there. As mainly Italian cars and races defined the genre, the category wascame calledto be known as [[Grand tourer|Gran Turismo]] (particularly in the 1950s),<ref>"A newer concept altogether is the modern "Gran Turismo" class, which was in effect unknown before [[World War II]]; sustained high-speed motoring from relatively modest engine size and compact closed coachwork"--''The Sports Car, Development and Design''; p.179; Stanford, John; B. T. Batsford Ltd, 1957.</ref> as long distances had to be travelled, rather than running around on short circuits only. Reliability and some basic comfort were necessary in order to endure the task.

[[File:Jaguar XKD 606 1956.jpg|thumb|The [[1957 24 Hours of Le Mans]] was won in a [[Jaguar XKD]].]]

After the [[Second World War]], sports car racing emerged as a distinct form of racing with its own classic races, and, from 1953, its own [[Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile|FIA]] sanctioned [[World Sportscar Championship]]. In the 1950s, sports car racing was regarded as almost as important as Grand Prix competition, with major marques like [[Ferrari]], [[Maserati]], [[Jaguar (car)|Jaguar]] and [[Aston Martin]] investing much effort in their works programmes and supplying cars to customers; sports racers lost their close relationship to road-going sports cars in the 1950s and the major races were contested by dedicated competition cars such as the Jaguar C and D types, the Mercedes 300SLR, Maserati 300S, Aston Martin DBR1 and assorted Ferraris including the first Testa Rossas. Top Grand Prix drivers also competed regularly in sports car racing. After major accidents at the [[1955 24 Hours of Le Mans]] and the [[1957 Mille Miglia]] the power of sports cars was curbed with a 3-litre engine capacity limit applied to them in the World Championship from 1958. From 1962 sports cars temporarily took a back seat to GT cars with the FIA replacing the World Championship for Sports Cars with the International Championship for GT Manufacturers.<ref>Denis Jenkinson, Automobile Year Book Ofof Sports Car Racing, 1982</ref>

In the USAUS, imported Italian, German and British cars battled local hybrids, with initially very distinct East and West Coast scenes; these gradually converged and a number of classic races and important teams emerged including [[Camoradi]], [[Briggs Cunningham]] and so on. The US scene tended to feature small [[MG (car)|MG]] and [[Porsche]] cars in the smaller classes, and imported Jaguar, Maserati, Mercedes-Benz, [[Allard Motor Company|Allard]] and Ferrari cars in the larger classes.

[[File:1971 McLaren M8E Laguna Seca.jpg|thumb|The McLaren M8E that was driven by [[Vic Elford]] in the [[1971 CanCanadian-AmAmerican seasonChallenge Cup]]]]

A breed of powerful hybrids appeared in the 50s and 60s and raced on both sides of the Atlantic, featuring European chassis and large American engines&nbsp;– from the early [[Allard Motor Company|Allard]] cars via hybrids such as [[Lotus 19]]s fitted with large engines through to the [[AC Cobra]]. The combination of mostly British chassis and American V8 engines gave rise to the popular and spectacular [[Can-Am]] series in the 1960s and 1970s.

In Germany, domestic production based racing was largely dominated by [[BMW]], [[Porsche]] and [[Mercedes-Benz]], although sports car/GT racing gradually became eclipsed by touring cars and the initially sports car based [[Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft]] gradually evolved into the [[Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft]]. Porsche started to evolve a line of sports prototypes from the late 1950s; noted for their toughness and reliability they started to win in races of attrition such as the [[Targa Florio]] and as they grew bigger (via the [[Porsche 910]] to the [[Porsche 908]] and finally the [[Porsche 917]]) the Stuttgart marque became first a competitor for overall wins and then came to dominate sports car racing&nbsp;– both they and Mercedes have made intermittent returns to the top level of the sport through the 1970s, 80s, 90s and 90s2010s.

Sports car racing has intermittently been popular in Japan&nbsp;– in the 1960s small-capacity sports racers and even a local version of the Group 7 cars as raced in the [[CanCanadian-AmAmerican Challenge Cup]] were popular; a healthy local sports prototype championship ran until the early 1990s and now the [[Super GT]] series provides high-budget exposure to manufacturers, with many international drivers appearing. The Japanese manufacturers have also been frequent visitors to the US sports car scene ([[Nissan]] and [[Toyota]] in particular during the heyday of IMSA) and to the European scene, in particular Le Mans, where despite many years of trying by all the main Japanese marques the only victory to have been scored by a Japanese marque was by [[Mazda]] in 1991, until 2018 when Toyota scored a first and second-place finish. Toyota followed this with another 1-2 finish in 2019.

Powerful prototypes (effectively pure-bred two-seater racing cars with no real link to production vehicles) started to appear as the 1960s progressed, with worldwide battles between Ferrari, Ford, Porsche, Lotus, Alfa Romeo and [[Matra]] as well as other more specialist marques running on into the early 1970s. The competition at Le Mans even made it to the movie screens, with [[Steve McQueen (actor)|Steve McQueen]]'s film [[Le Mans (film)|Le Mans]]. This era was seen by many as the highpoint of sports car racing, with the technology and performance of the cars comfortably in excess of what was seen in Formula 1. [[Homologation]] saw many out-and-out racing cars produced in sufficient quantities to see them classed as production vehicles; the FIA responded by placing more restrictions on even the allegedly production-based cars and placed draconian limits on the power available to prototypes&nbsp;– these prototypes of the late 1960s/early 1970s were comfortably quicker than contemporary Grand Prix machinery and for 1972 they were constrained to run much smaller engines to F1 rules, often detunedde-tuned for endurance. [[Group 4 (racing)|Group 4 Grand Touring Cars]] and [[Group 5 (racing)|Group 5 Special Production Cars]] became the premier form of "sports car" racing from 1976, with prototypes going into a general decline apart from [[Porsche 936]] domination at Le Mans and a lower-key series of races for smaller two-litre [[Group 6 (racing)|Group 6]] prototypes.

In Europe, the FIA adopted the ACO GTP rules virtually unchanged and sanctioned the [[Group C]] [[World Sportscar Championship|World Endurance Championship]] (or [[World Sportscar Championship]]), featuring high-tech closed-cockpit prototypes from Porsche, Aston Martin, [[Mercedes-Benz]], [[Nissan]], Jaguar and others. In the USAUS, the [[International Motor Sports Association|IMSA]] [[IMSA GT Championship|Camel GTP]] series boasted close competition between huge fields of manufacturer-backed teams and privateer squads&nbsp;– the cars were technically similar to Group Cs but used a sliding scale of weights and engine capacities to try to limit performance. Both Group C and GTP had secondary categories, respectively Group C2 and Camel Lights, for less powerful cars, targeting entries by small specialist constructors or serious amateur teams.

The original [[Trans-Am Series]] dissolved in 2006, but returned to action in 2009 with tube frame TA1 and TA2 divisions racing with production-based TA3-American and TA3-International divisions. In addition, the SCCA continues to provide a major support series for Trans-Am. This series, known as the [[Pirelli World Challenge|SCCA World Challenge]], consists of a one-hour race for each round, combining three classes: GT ([[Chevrolet Corvette]], [[Aston Martin DB9]], etc.), "GTS" ([[Acura TSX]], [[BMW 3-series Series]], etc.; replaced the former touring car class), and Touring Car (a "showroom stock" class similar to Grand Am's Continental Challenge). The Trans Am series returned in 2009, but has yet to establish a television contract.

The reformatted Trans-Am Series has remained stagnant, being heavily overshadowed by the SCCA's World Challenge, and failing to garner a television contract. A major factor in this is the fact that Trans Am's teams still use vehicles dating back to 1999. In most other series, teams tendtended to update their vehicles every few years or so (examples include the 2005 vs. 2010 Mustangs in the Continental Challenge and the two different generations of [[Mazda]] RX-8 in the Rolex Series).

There are many kinds of sports cars that compete, but they can be broadly broken down into two main categories: [[Sports prototype]]s and [[Grand tourer|Grand Touring]] (GT) cars. These two categories (or "classes") are often mixed together in a single race, such as in the [[24 Hours of Le Mans]]. In mixed-class races, an overall winner is awarded, but alsothough individual class winners are often recognizedrecognised as well.

[[Image:ALMS Prototypes.jpg|thumb|right|200px|A group of modern [[Le Mans PrototypesPrototype]]s competing in the [[American Le Mans Series]]]]

Sports prototype is the name given to a type of car used in sports car racing and is effectively the next automotive design and technological step -up from road-going sports cars and are, along with open-wheel cars, the pinnacle of racing- car design.

The highest level in sports car racing, these cars are purpose-built racing cars with enclosed wheels, and either open or closed cockpits. SinceEver since the [[World Sportscar Championship]] was conceived, there have been various regulations regarding bodywork, engine style and size, tyres and aerodynamics to which these cars must be built. Sports- prototypes may be (and often are) one-of-a-kind machines, and need bear no relation to any road-going vehicle, although during the 1990s, some manufacturers exploited a loophole in the FIA and ACO rules. whichAs meanta result, some cars racing in the GT category weredid actuallypass as true sports- prototypes, andin siredturn leading to some road-going versions for homologation purposes. The Dauer-[[Porsche 962]]LM, [[Porsche 911 GT1]]-98, [[Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR|Mercedes CLK-GTR]] and [[Toyota GT-One]] were prime examples of prototypes masquerading as GTs.

In simplistic terms, sports- prototypes are two-seat racing cars with bodywork covering their wheels, and are as technically advanced and, depending on the regulations they are built to, as quick as or quicker than their single-seat counterparts. Although not widely known, sports-prototypes (along with Formula 1 cars) are responsible for introducing the most numbers of new technologies and ideas to motorsport, including rear-wings, ground effect 'venturi' tunnels, fan-assisted aerodynamics and dual-shift gearboxes. Some of these technologies eventually filter down to road cars.

In the [[Automobile Club de l'Ouest|ACO]] regulations, two categories of sports- prototypes are now recognizedrecognised: P1 and P2. Cars competing in the P1 category must weigh no less than 900&nbsp;kg and are limited to 6000 cc [[naturally aspirated]] and 4000 cc [[turbocharged]] engines. 5500 cc turbo-[[Diesel engine|Diesel]] engines are also permitted in P1&nbsp;– [[Audi]] scored Le Mans victories with such a car in 2006, 2007 and 2008 and [[Peugeot]] returned to racing in 2007 with a car with a similar powerplant (Peugeot 908). P2 cars can weigh much less&nbsp;— first 675&nbsp;kg, then 750&nbsp;kg and now 825&nbsp;kg&nbsp;— but are restricted to 3400 cc V6 or V8 normally aspirated or 2000 cc turbocharged powerplants. In the European series in which endurance is a priority and P2s have been run largely by privateers, P2s have not challenged P1s for outright victories; in the [[American Le Mans Series]] with generally shorter races P2 has become the most active prototype category with serious involvement from [[Porsche]] and [[Acura]] and whereas P2 in Europe tends to involve races of attrition, in the US series the P2s, particularly the [[Porsche RS Spyder]] are often quicker round a lap than P1s, with the Porsche having scored many overall victories against the Audis in P1.

[[Daytona Prototype]]s are a product of the [[Grand-Am Road Racing|Grand-Am]] [[Rolex Sports Car Series]], and offer a different interpretation of the prototype theme. DPs, as they are often called, are closed-cockpit, purpose-built racing machines which are less expensive and (deliberately) somewhat slower than Le Mans Prototypes, which were becoming dangerously quick on the Daytona oval and prohibitively expensive for smaller teams to run. Compared to the LMPs, DPs are severely limited in terms of approved technology; for instance, they are required to be constructed of steel tube frames with carbon-fiberfibre skins, rather than being carbon-fiberfibre monocoques, and must use production-based engines. In addition, contrary to their European counterparts who continuously alter and develop a vehicle to increase performance as a season progresses, DPs are restricted to their original conception of the car from the start of the season. For these reasons, the category being labeled as a "prototype" has occasionally been criticised as misleading and being more in line with traditional "spec" race series prevalent in the United States. The intention of the DP formula was to provide a class in which tight technical regulations encouraged close competition and where budget would be relatively unimportant. DP chassis are subject to a franchise-like approval system in which only approved constructors are eligible, with rules stability enforced for several years at a time, although this led in 2007 to established constructors like [[Lola Cars|Lola]] and [[Dallara]] entering the 2008 series by taking over the rights of existing constructors (Multimatic and Doran respectively).

===Grand Touring car===

[[ImageFile:MaseratiCorvette MC12Racing's 36643138Chevrolet Corvette C7R Marcel Fässler, Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner.jpg|alt=|thumb|right|No. 3564 [[MaseratiChevrolet MC12|Maserati MC12Corvette GT1C7.R]] car running at the 2005[[2019 Grand24 PrixHours of AtlantaLe Mans]]]]

Grand Touring (from the Italian ''[[Grand tourer|Gran Turismo]]'') racing is the most common form of sports car racing, and is found all over the world, in both international and national series. Historically, Grand Touring cars had to be in series production, but in 1976 the class was split into production -based [[Group 4 (racing)|Group 4 Grand Touring Cars]] and [[Group 5 (racing)|Group 5 Special Production Cars]], the latter of which were essentially pure-bred racing cars with production-lookalike bodies. GT racing gradually fell into abeyance in Europe in the 1980s and 1990s, with silhouette cars continuing to race in [[International Motor Sports Association|IMSA]] races in the USA. When GT racing revived after the collapse of the World Sports Car Championship at the end of 1992, the lead in defining rules was taken by the ACO. Under the ACO rules, Grand Touring cars are divided into two categories, Grand Touring 1 (GT1, formerly GTSGT) and Grand Touring 2 (GT2, formerly N-GT). As the name of the class implies, the exterior of the car closely resembles that of the production version, while the internal fittings may differ greatly. GT2 cars are very similar to the FIA GT2 classification, and are considered 'pure' GT cars; that is production exotic cars with relatively few internal modifications for racing. The [[Porsche 911]] is currently the most popular car in the GT2 class. 2009 will be the last run of the GT1 class as a result of budgeting issues. GT1 teams are currently enlisting to run their cars in the GT2 class next year. The [[American Le Mans Series]] also runs a "GT-Challenge" class, which currently only uses [[Porsche 911 GT3]] Cups but will open to other cars next year. This category is designed for privateer and rookie teams as an easier way to enter the series.

FIA divides GT cars into four categories called GT1 (formerly GT), GT2 (formerly N-GT), GT3 (recently introduced) and GT4. The GT1 and GT2 divisions are very close to the ACO rules outlined above, and again some crossover racing does occur, particularly in the GT2 class. The GT3 class is relatively new and was introduced for 2006. These cars are closer to standard form than in GT2, and in most cases modifications are restricted to those found in one-make cups. GT4 is another new category for nonamateur and semi-professionalpro drivers in production-based cars with very few racing modifications&nbsp;– for example, no aerodynamic aids or body modifications are permitted. All of the categories (with the exception of GT2) have their own championships/cups run by the FIA. Currently, GT2 is defunct in the FIA, and only runs in Le Mans Series/ALMS; however, the FIA has also announced that GT2 cars will be able to compete in the [[FIA GT1 World Championship]] in 2012 in a '''World Class''' along with GT3 cars.

Grand-Am has only one class for Grand Touring cars which allows production-based GT racers at a spec somewhere between FIA GT2 and GT3 in terms of modification (e.g. the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup) to compete with purpose-built tube-frame "silhouette" machines reminiscent of the former IMSA GTO/GTU classes. Grand-Am also runs various under-classes more reminiscent of GT4, though closer to factory cars. For 2012, GT3 cars will be allowed, with spec wings and splitters, as long as they pass a test at the NASCAR Research and Development Center in Concord, North Carolina, thus allowing GT3 cars to run with few modifications relative to other series (NASCAR, the parent company of Grand-Am, does not permit anti-lock brakes or traction control to be used on Grand-Am GT cars).

{{As of|2012}}, the four GT categories are in mixed health. '''GT1''' has been all but phased out with the removal of the class from the [[FIA GT1 World Championship]] andin laterfavor of GT3 cars, in turn leading to the outright discontinuation of the series. '''GT2''' is usedcurrently bylimited to certain series, including the [[AmericanIMSA LeSportsCar Mans SeriesChampionship]], [[European Le Mans Series]], [[FIA World Endurance Championship]], [[Asian Le Mans Series]], and the [[International GT Open]]. '''GT3''', currentlywhich has since emerged as the most popular of the GT classes, ishas usedseen bywidespread use in many international and regional series such as the [[FIA GT3 European Championship]], and the [[Blancpain Endurance Series]], andas well as most national series such as Germany's [[ADAC GT Masters]] orand the [[British GT Championship]]. '''GT4''' has alsolikely been phased out like GT1, with the removal of the category from the Blancpain Endurance Series and the cancellation of the [[GT4 European Cup]] for 2012 due to issues regarding the organiser.

The original form of GT1 racing was dropped in 1998 because of rising costs. The GT1 class wasintended for the purebred [[supercar]]s and purpose-built race cars,. suchExamples asinclude the [[McLaren F1 GTR]], [[Ferrari F40]], [[Porsche 911 GT1]], [[Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR]], [[Toyota GT-One]] and [[Nissan R390]]&nbsp;– while the first two were a derivatives of roadgoingroad-going sports cars, the German and Japanese contenders were pure-bred racing cars&nbsp;– virtually sports prototypes. Rising costs coupled with declining entries led to the death of this class in 1998, and it was replaced by what iswas then called GT2 (by the FIA, which later evolved into the GT1) and [[Le Mans Prototype]] (LMP, by the ACO).

This process iswas due to happen againrepeated in 2009 as ain response to cost increases in GT1 and GT2 racing:, forresulting in the 2009abolition season,of GT1both andGT GT2classes as they currently stand will be abolishedstood. Various proposals exist to control technology and costs, mainly by abolishingdiscontinuing the existing GT1 class and creating new class boundaries between current GT2, GT3 and GT4 cars.

In Europe, although most national championships ([[British GT Championship|British]], [[FFSA GT Championship|French]], [[ADAC GT Masters|German]] and the SpanishSpain-based [[International GT Open]]) run under FIA/ACO GT regulations with some modifications to ensure closera racingmore balanced competition and lower costs, some championships are open to non-homologated GT cars. The [[Belcar]] series in Belgium allows silhouettes and touring cars to race alongside GTs, while the [[VdeV Modern Endurance]] allows small prototypes from national championships such as the Norma, Centenari and [[Radical Sportscars|Radical]] to race alongside GT3 -class cars. [[Britcar]] permits a wide range of touring and GT cars to compete in endurance races, and [[Britsports]] permits various kinds of sports racerracing cars.

*[[FIA World Endurance Championship]]&nbsp;– isIn anoperation since 2012, the current auto racing World Championship for Sports cars and GTs organised by the [[Automobile Club de l'Ouest]] (ACO) and sanctioned by the [[Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile]] (FIA).

*[[World Sportscar Championship]]&nbsp;– The long-running former World Championship, which dissolved in 1992. Originally contested in 1953 by Sports carsCars, GTs and even Touring carsCars, towards its end it was Sportsrestricted carsto onlySports Cars. At various times, it was also known as the '''International Championship for GT Manufacturers''', '''International Championship for Sports Cars''', '''International Championship for Makes''', '''World Championship for Makes''', '''World Endurance Championship''' and '''World Sports Prototype Championship'''. 1963 saw the first formal separation of Sports Cars and GT cars in separate championships. The practice continued until 1977, after which it became a Sportssports car only series.

*[[FIA GT1 World Championship]]&nbsp;– A short-lived GT series in the early 2010s created by promoting[[SRO Motorsports Group|Stéphane Ratel Organisation]] (SRO) in an attempt to promote the [[FIA GT Championship]] to World Championship status.

*[[Porsche Supercup]]&nbsp;– One -make series for Porsche Carrera Cup cars., Supportsserving as a support series for the Formula One world championship. PredominatelyPredominantly European series, but has since also ventured into western Asia.

*[[American Le Mans Series]]&nbsp;– Based on the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Run in the United States and Canada, although held events elsewhere, as far away as Australia. Emerged from the IMSA GT split, and essentially replaced IMSA GT. LastedIt lasted from 1999 to 2013 and merged into the United SportCar Championship.

*[[Intercontinental Le Mans Cup]]&nbsp;– GlobalInternational Championshipchampionship, howeverstarting in 2010 and ending in 2011. Despite its international status, it was not considered an official World Championship because it iswas not organised by the FIA, starting in 2010 and ending in 2011.

*[[UnitedWeatherTech SportsCar Championship]] - {{dash}}the current top-level North American sports car and GT series., Replacedfounded following the merger of the [[Rolex SportscarSports Car Series]] and the [[American Le Mans seriesSeries]], forwith the 2014first season held in 2014.

*[[PirelliGT World Challenge|SCCA World ChallengeAmerica]]&nbsp;– GT and [[Touring Car Racing]] series in the US and Canada

*[[ContinentalMichelin Tire Sports CarPilot Challenge]]&nbsp;– support/feeder series to the Rolex Sports Car Series, and its successor WeatherTech SportsCar Championship; mixes GT and touring cars

*[[United States Road Racing Championship]]-&nbsp;– emerged from the IMSA GT split, became the Rolex Series.

*[[International GT OpenWorld Challenge Europe]]&nbsp;-– European Championship for GT2 and GT3 cars, foundedwhich replaced the [[FIA GT1 Championship]] in 20062013. Consists of [[GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup]] & [[GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup]]

*FIA GT Series (later known as [[BlancpainInternational SprintGT SeriesOpen]])&nbsp;– European Championship for GT2 and GT3 cars, which replaced the [[FIA GT1 Championship]]founded in 20132006.

*[[FIA GT Championship]]&nbsp;– European Championship organizedorganised by FIA for GT1 and GT2 cars, ran from 1997 to 2009.

*[[Asian Le Mans Series]]&nbsp;– Series running [[LMP1Le Mans Prototype#LMP2|LMP2]], all[[Le theMans wayPrototype#LMP3|LMP3]] toand [[FIA GT2 EuropeanGroup ChampionshipGT3|GT2GT3]] cars.

*[[GT World Challenge Asia]]&nbsp;– Asian GT3 Championship founded in 2009, that replaced the [[Asia GT Challenge]] and [[GT Asia]].

*[[Super GT]]&nbsp;– Japan -based Sportssports Carcar racing championship; (formerlypreviously known as the Japan GT Championship (JGTC).

*[[Fuji Grand Champion Series]]&nbsp;– a Japanese series originally for Gr. 6 cars, was originally held only in [[Fuji Speedway|Fuji]].

*[[Sports Prototype Endurance Event Driving|Speed]]&nbsp;– National level endurance car championship run by [[MotorSport Vision|MotorsportVision Racing]]. Sometimes called LMP3 cars.

====Germany/WestUnited GermanyStates====

====Australia=Major single events===

* [[Denis Jenkinson]], "Automobile Year Book Ofof Sports Car Racing" (photographic history of sports car racing from the early 1950s to the 1970s).

* [[John Wyer]], "The Certain Sound"&nbsp;– memoirs of Aston Martin and Ford GT40 team manager.

* [[Chris Nixon]], "Racing Withwith Thethe David Brown Aston Martins", 2 vols.

* Brooklands Books, "Le Mans"&nbsp;– 5 volumes of contemporary race reports.

* Brooklands Books, "Mille Miglia"&nbsp;– 2 volumes of contemporary race reports.

* Brooklands Books, "Targa Florio"&nbsp;– 5 volumes of contemporary race reports.

* Brooklands Books, "Carrera Panamericana"&nbsp;– 1 volume of contemporary race reports.

* [[Chris Nixon]]&nbsp;– "Sports Car Heaven"&nbsp;– Aston Martin vs Ferrari.

* [[Karl Ludvigsen]]&nbsp;– "Quicksilver Century"&nbsp;– competition history of Mercedes-Benz.

* [[Karl Ludvigsen]]&nbsp;– "Porsche: Excellence Was Expected" (3 vols)&nbsp;– extensive history of Porsche.

* [[Norbert Singer]], "24:16"&nbsp;– his role in Porsche's Le Mans wins.

* [[John Horsman]], "Racing Inin Thethe Rain", an account of his engineering career with Aston Martin, John Wyer and Mirage.

* Curami/Vergnano, {{"'}}La Sport' e i suoi artigiani"&nbsp;– Italian domestic sports car competition from the 1930s–1960s and the 'specials' that competed in it.

* [[Mike Fuller]] & [[J. A. Martin]], "Inside IMSA's Legendary GTP Race Cars: The Prototype Experience", {{ISBN |0-7603-3069-7}}, Motorbooks International, 25 April 2008. Technical and historical overview of IMSA GTP racers.