GT World Challenge Europe
Auto racing championship held in Europe
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
GT World Challenge Europe (known as GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS for sponsorship reasons, and formerly known as the Blancpain GT Series between 2014 and 2019, and the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS between 2021 and 2024) is a sports car racing series organised by SRO Motorsports Group. It features grand-touring racing cars modified from production road cars that comply with the FIA's GT3 regulations. The series is divided into two championships, the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup and the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup, each with five weekends. Each race meeting focuses on either the Sprint Cup or Endurance Cup, alongside the overall championship.
GT World Challenge Europe logo since 2026 | |
| Category | Sports car racing |
|---|---|
| Region | Europe |
| Affiliations | Intercontinental GT Challenge |
| Inaugural season | 2014 |
| Classes | Pro • Gold • Silver • Bronze |
| Manufacturers | Aston Martin • Audi • BMW • Chevrolet • Ferrari • Ford • Lamborghini • McLaren • Mercedes-AMG • Porsche |
| Tyre suppliers | Pirelli |
| Current champions |  Kelvin van der Linde Charles Weerts |
| Teams' champion | Team WRT |
| Official website | gt-world-challenge-europe.com |
 Current season | |
The championship currently divides into four classes: Pro, Gold, Silver, and Bronze. Pro cars have no driver restrictions and compete for the overall drivers' and teams' championships. Pro cars are limited to just three drivers at the 24 Hours of Spa. Gold entries compete in the Gold Cup, consisting of Gold drivers and one Silver driver per car. Cars in the Silver Cup are made up entirely of Silver class drivers. Lastly, entries in the Bronze Cup have a maximum driver quality line-up of a Platinum and a Bronze driver at Sprint rounds, with additional Silver drivers eligible for entry at Endurance rounds.[1]
History
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Throughout its history, the racing series has utilised cars that comply with the FIA's GT3 regulations and has implemented a Balance of Performance (BoP) system to ensure competitive racing among different manufacturers. The series originated in 2011 and has evolved through several name changes and format modifications.[2]
Initially known as the Blancpain Endurance Series, the championship focused on long-distance GT3 races, with the 24 Hours of Spa as its premier event. This championship quickly attracted large fields of both professional and amateur drivers. In 2014, a sprint-format series was introduced alongside the endurance events, initially called the FIA GT Series and later renamed the Blancpain Sprint Series. This development created a comprehensive GT championship, culminating in a single overall title, with Laurens Vanthoor becoming the first champion.
In 2016, the Sprint and Endurance series were further integrated under the umbrella of the Blancpain GT Series, emphasising both the overall drivers' and manufacturers' titles. The individual events were renamed the Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup and the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup, respectively. Additionally, 2016 marked the introduction of subsidiary championships: the Pro-Am and Am Cups, with Michał Broniszewski and Claudio Sdanewitsch crowned as the inaugural champions, respectively.[3]
In 2018, the Silver Cup was introduced for young, silver-rated drivers, with Nico Bastian and Jack Manchester winning the inaugural title. It was also the final season for the Am Cup, which was won by Adrian Amstutz and Leo Machitski. In 2019, the sponsorship agreement between SRO and the Swiss watchmaker Blancpain ended, leading to the series being rebranded as the GT World Challenge Europe. This change aligned the European series with new GT World Challenge championships in Asia and America, forming a global platform for manufacturers to earn points across different regions.
In 2020, Amazon Web Services (AWS) became the official presenter and global technology provider, and the series adopted the name GT World Challenge Powered by AWS. In 2021, Fanatec was introduced as an additional title sponsor, a partnership that will last until the end of the 2024 season. As of 2023, the championship consisted of five titles, following the introduction of the Gold and Bronze Cups alongside the overall title, Silver Cup, and Pro-Am Cup. Niklas Krütten and Calan Williams won the inaugural Gold Cup, while Alex Malykhin became the first winner of the Bronze Cup. Additionally, 2023 marked the final year of the Pro-Am Cup.
In 2023, it was announced that the winner of the Bronze Cup would receive an automatic invitation to compete in the LMGT3 class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. To earn this invitation, a team must compete in all 10 rounds of the combined Endurance and Sprint series. Pure Rxcing won in its first year, gaining entry to the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans. As of 2026, the series maintains an even split between the Sprint and Endurance Cups, with each contributing to the overall championship title.[4] The series also maintains capacity grid sizes, demonstrating its popularity; 2026 will see a record-breaking entry for the Sprint Cup with 45 cars.[5]
Format
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The GT World Challenge Europe is divided into two formats: the Endurance Cup and the Sprint Cup. Each format features an equal number of events, and together they contribute to the overall championship title.[1] All races adhere to FIA GT3 regulations.[2]
A typical race weekend begins with Free Practice 1 and, new for 2026, Free Practice 2, replacing Pre-Qualifying. Pre-Qualifying was replaced with an additional practice session to give drivers and teams more flexibility with their setups. At Endurance Cup rounds, both FP1 and FP2 will run for 90 minutes. Despite the name change, FP2 may still be used to set the grid if qualifying cannot be run.[6]
The qualifying format has also been adjusted for 2026 due to growing grid sizes. Split sessions were introduced for the Sprint Cup in 2025 and will now be expanded to the Endurance Cup. Qualifying, as it has since 2018, consists of three segments, with the aggregate time for each car establishing the grid. The segments will be split into two, with 10 minutes for the Silver and Bronze Cup (Group A) cars, and 10 minutes for the Pro and Gold Cup runners (Group B). Q1A and Q1B will run back-to-back, followed by a five-minute break; the same format continues for Q2A and Q2B, and finally Q3A and Q3B.[6]
The Endurance Cup consists of five rounds, with races typically lasting 3 or 6 hours. The highlight of the season is the prestigious 24 Hours of Spa, a single 24-hour race that awards the most points of the year.[3] Each race is usually shared by three drivers, with a fourth available at Spa for cars not in the Pro class. The strategy for Endurance Cup races emphasises consistency, effective driver management, and careful pit stop planning. The Sprint Cup also features five rounds, with each event weekend comprising two one-hour races. In these races, cars are shared by two drivers. The races are fast-paced and intense, requiring a mandatory driver change during a designated time window.
Points from both the Sprint and Endurance Cups are combined to determine the overall champions for the GT World Challenge Europe for drivers and teams. Additionally, the series holds separate championships within each event for different classes based on driver ratings (Gold, Silver, Bronze), following an FIA driver categorisation system. Cars entered in the Pro "class" do not compete for a separate title; instead, they aim solely for the overall championship.[4]
Champions
Season results
Drivers
Teams
| Year | Overall | Gold Cup | Silver Cup | Bronze Cup | Pro-Am Cup | Am Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Belgian Audi Club Team WRT |
N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a |
| 2015 | Belgian Audi Club Team WRT | |||||
| 2016 |  HTP Motorsport |
 Kessel Racing |
 AF Corse | |||
| 2017 |  GRT Grasser Racing Team |
Rinaldi Racing |
Kessel Racing | |||
| 2018 |  AKKA ASP Team |
Not awarded | Saintéloc Racing |
 Barwell Motorsport | ||
| 2019 |  Orange1 FFF Racing Team |
AKKA ASP Team |
AF Corse |
N/a | ||
| 2020 | Belgian Audi Club Team WRT |
 Madpanda Motorsport |
Sky - Tempesta Racing | |||
| 2021 | Belgian Audi Club Team WRT |
Emil Frey Racing |
Barwell Motorsport | |||
| 2022 | AKKodis ASP Team |
Team WRT |
AF Corse | |||
| 2023 | AKKodis ASP Team |
Boutsen VDS |
Tresor Attempto Racing |
 Pure Rxcing |
Car Collection Motorsport | |
| 2024 | Team WRT |
Saintéloc Racing |
Boutsen VDS |
Rutronik Racing |
N/a | |
| 2025 | Team WRT |
Team WRT |
Boutsen VDS |
Kessel Racing |
Drivers' champion statistics
By season
By driver
| Driver | Titles | Season(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Raffaele Marciello |
3 | 2018, 2022, 2023 |
 Timur Boguslavskiy |
2 | 2020, 2023 |
| Charles Weerts |
2021, 2025 | |
| Laurens Vanthoor |
1 | 2014 |
 Robin Frijns |
2015 | |
| Dominik Baumann |
2016 | |
| Maximilian Buhk |
2016 | |
| Mirko Bortolotti |
2017 | |
| Christian Engelhart |
2017 | |
| Andrea Caldarelli |
2019 | |
| Marco Mapelli |
2019 | |
| Dries Vanthoor |
2021 | |
| Lucas Auer |
2024 | |
| Maro Engel |
2024 | |
| Kelvin van der Linde |
2025 | |
| 15 drivers | 19 titles |
By nationality
| Country | Titles | Drivers | Seasons | By driver (titles) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Italy |
3 | 4 | 2017, 2018, 2019 | Mirko Bortolotti (1) |
| Andrea Caldarelli (1) | ||||
| Marco Mapelli (1) | ||||
| Raffaele Marciello (1)[a] | ||||
| Belgium |
3 | 3 | 2014, 2021, 2025 | Charles Weerts (2) |
| Dries Vanthoor (1) | ||||
| Laurens Vanthoor (1) | ||||
| Germany |
3 | 3 | 2016, 2017, 2024 | Maximilian Buhk (1) |
| Maro Engel (1) | ||||
| Christian Engelhart (1) | ||||
| Switzerland |
2 | 1 | 2022, 2023 | Raffaele Marciello (2)[a] |
| Austria |
2 | 2 | 2016, 2024 | Lucas Auer (1) |
| Dominik Baumann (1) | ||||
| Netherlands |
1 | 1 | 2015 | Robin Frijns (1) |
| Russia |
1 | 1 | 2020 | Timur Boguslavskiy (1)[b] |
| South Africa |
1 | 1 | 2025 | Kelvin van der Linde (1) |
| 8 countries | 12 titles | 15 drivers |
Circuits
- Bold denotes a circuit will be used in the 2026 season.
See also
Notes
- Raffaele Marciello won the 2018 championship while representing Italy, and the 2022 and 2023 championships while representing Switzerland.
- Timur Boguslavskiy won the 2020 championship while representing Russia, and the 2023 championship while a neutral competitor, as Russian national emblems were banned by the FIA following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.