![Vitaphone Maserati MC12](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/54/Vitaphone_Maserati_MC12.jpg)
The 2010 FIA GT1 World Championship was the inaugural
FIA GT1 World Championship
The FIA GT1 World Championship was a world championship sports car racing series, developed by the SRO Group and regulated by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), that was held from 2010 to 2012. It featured multiple grand to ...
, a motor racing competition reserved for
FIA
FIA is the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (English: International Automobile Federation), the world's governing body for all forms of motor sport where four or more wheels are used.
Fia or FIA may also refer to: People
* Fia Backst ...
GT1 cars. The championship was a replacement for the
FIA GT Championship
The FIA GT Championship was a sports car racing series organized by the Stéphane Ratel Organisation (SRO) at the behest of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The championship was mostly concentrated in Europe, but throughout ...
which had been held annually from 1997 to 2009. It was the first
sports car racing
Sports car racing is a form of motorsport road racing which utilises sports cars that have two seats and enclosed wheels. They may be purpose-built prototypes or grand tourers based on road-going models. Broadly speaking, sports car racing is ...
series to be sanctioned by the
Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile
The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA; en, International Automobile Federation) is an association established on 20 June 1904 to represent the interests of motoring organisations and motor car users. It is the governing body for ...
(FIA) as a
World Championship
A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
since the demise of the
World Sportscar Championship
The World Sportscar Championship was the world series run for sports car racing by the FIA from 1953 to 1992.
The championship evolved from a small collection of the most important sportscar, endurance, and road racing events in Europe and No ...
at the end of the
1992
File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...
season.
Developed by the
Stéphane Ratel Organisation
SRO Motorsports Group (formerly the Stéphane Ratel Organisation) is an international sporting organisation best known for promoting and running a variety of racing events and series, including the Total 24 Hours of Spa, Intercontinental GT Challe ...
(SRO), the 2010 championship was decided over ten events in ten countries on three continents. It was contested by twelve teams, each being independent of the automobile manufacturer that they represented, although they were permitted limited support from that manufacturer.
Aston Martin
Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings PLC is an English manufacturer of luxury sports cars and grand tourers. Its predecessor was founded in 1913 by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford. Steered from 1947 by David Brown, it became associated with ...
,
Corvette
A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper (or " rated") warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the slo ...
,
Ford
Ford commonly refers to:
* Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford
* Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river
Ford may also refer to:
Ford Motor Company
* Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company
* Ford F ...
,
Lamborghini
Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. () is an Italian brand and manufacturer of luxury sports cars and SUVs based in Sant'Agata Bolognese. The company is owned by the Volkswagen Group through its subsidiary Audi.
Ferruccio Lamborghini (1916–1993) ...
,
Maserati
Maserati S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury vehicle manufacturer. Established on 1 December 1914, in Bologna, Italy, the company's headquarters are now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. The company has been owned by Stellantis since 2021. Ma ...
, and
Nissan
, trade name, trading as Nissan Motor Corporation and often shortened to Nissan, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. The company sells ...
were each represented by two teams. Unlike the FIA GT Championship, where several tyre manufacturers competed, the FIA GT1 World Championship has a single provider,
Michelin
Michelin (; ; full name: ) is a French multinational tyre manufacturing company based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes ''région'' of France. It is the second largest tyre manufacturer in the world behind Bridgestone and la ...
.
Michael Bartels
Michael Bartels (born 8 March 1968) is a German professional racing driver. He is a multiple FIA GT champion and former Grand Prix driver who attempted to qualify for four races in with Lotus.
Career
Bartels was the 1985 German karting champi ...
and
Andrea Bertolini
Andrea Bertolini (born 1 December 1973, in Sassuolo) is an Italian professional racing driver currently driving for AF Corse in the FIA World Endurance Championship. He is the official test driver of the Maserati factory.
Bertolini began racing at ...
, who won the
final FIA GT Championship for Drivers in 2009, won the first GT1 World Championship for Drivers with a race to spare. Despite finishing twelfth in the Qualification Race in
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
, Bartels and Bertolini were assured of the title as the
Young Driver AMR
Fischer Racing GmbH is an auto racing team founded by Erhard Fischer in 2006 and based in Paderborn, Germany. Initially created to compete in the German SEAT León Supercopa, the team expanded in 2009, purchasing Ford GTs to compete in the Germa ...
pairing of
Tomáš Enge
Tomáš Enge (; born 11 September 1976) is a Czech former professional racing driver who has competed in many classes of motorsport, including three races in Formula One. He has twice been sanctioned professionally for drug offences.
Career
Born ...
and
Darren Turner
Darren Turner (born 13 April 1974) is a British professional racing driver and owner of Base Performance Simulators. He races for Aston Martin Racing as a Factory-backed, factory driver and also works as a high performance test driver for Aston ...
could only finish tenth which failed to keep them within reach. A non-scoring weekend for Enge and Turner dropped them to fourth in the final championship standings, as
Matech Competition
Matech Concepts was an auto racing development firm based in Geneva, Switzerland and founded by Martin Bartek in 2006. The company had made an agreement with Ford Racing to develop the Ford GT sports car for competition, and constructs the FIA GT ...
's
Thomas Mutsch
Thomas Mutsch (born 2 April 1979) is a German racecar driver.
His first success was a third place in the 1993 German karting championship. Two years later, in 1995, Mutsch finished second in the Formula Renault 1800. In 1999, Mutsch reached seco ...
and
Hexis AMR
Hexis Racing is an auto racing team based in Lédenon, France. Hexis Racing was founded by Michel Mateu, CEO of Hexis S.A. in 2001, initially for participation in the French Formula Renault Championship. Hexis later moved into grand tourer racing ...
's
Frédéric Makowiecki
Frédéric Makowiecki (born 22 November 1980) is a French professional racing driver, currently competing as a factory driver for Porsche Motorsport in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTLM class.
Career
After competing in karting, Arras ...
moved into second and third places respectively as Makowiecki won both races and Mutsch finished second in each race. With the assistance of
Miguel Ramos
Miguel Pedro Caetano Ramos (born 26 September 1971 in Porto) is a Portuguese racing driver. He is a former Spanish and Italian GT champion, and has raced in the FIA GT1 World Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In 2012 he races for V8 Raci ...
,
Enrique Bernoldi
Enrique Antônio Langue e Silvério de Bernoldi (born 19 October 1978) is a Brazilian professional racing driver who raced for the Arrows Formula One team in 2001 and 2002, and was the test driver for British American Racing (later Honda) be ...
and
Alexandre Negrão Alexandre may refer to:
* Alexandre (given name)
* Alexandre (surname)
* Alexandre (film)
See also
* Alexander
Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom o ...
in the team's second car during the season,
Vitaphone Racing
Vitaphone Racing is a German racing team who participate in the FIA GT Championship. The team is actually Bartels Motor & Sport GmbH but runs under the title of their primary sponsor, Vitaphone GmbH. In 2011 Vitaphone Racing was renamed Vita4One. ...
also claimed the Teams' Championship in the same race, as Young Driver AMR, Hexis AMR and
Reiter
''Reiter'' or ''Schwarze Reiter'' ("black riders", anglicized ''swart reiters'') were a type of cavalry in 16th to 17th century Central Europe including Holy Roman Empire, Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, Tsardom of Russia, and others.
...
all failed to score enough points to take the championship to a final race.
Aston Martin
Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings PLC is an English manufacturer of luxury sports cars and grand tourers. Its predecessor was founded in 1913 by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford. Steered from 1947 by David Brown, it became associated with ...
was awarded the SRO Trophy for Manufacturers.
Calendar
The SRO announced a provisional 2010 calendar featuring twelve events, although host circuits were not named. A revised twelve event calendar was announced on 21 October 2009,
removing the previously planned rounds for Argentina, Australia, Bulgaria, Italy, Romania, and Russia.
Eastern Creek Raceway
Sydney Motorsport Park (known until May 2012 as Eastern Creek International Raceway) is a motorsport circuit located on Brabham Drive, Eastern Creek (40-kilometres west of the Sydney CBD), New South Wales, Australia, adjacent to the Western Sy ...
had been part of the unsuccessful bid for the Australian round, while the Russian round planned for 2010 was cancelled due to delays in the completion of the
Eurasia Autodromo
Eurasia (, ) is the largest continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. Primarily in the Northern and Eastern Hemispheres, it spans from the British Isles and the Iberian Peninsula in the west to the Japanese archipelago an ...
, while Romania's planned event was cancelled due to a change in the
Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...
government. A further calendar was released on 11 December 2009 with just ten rounds listed,
removing the proposed Canadian, Hungarian, and Chinese rounds but adding the Argentinian round at the
Potrero de los Funes Circuit
The Lago Potrero de los Funes circuit is an Argentine motorsports race track originally constructed in 1987, and rebuilt in 2008. It is located from San Luis, capital city of the San Luis Province, Argentina. The circuit is semi-permanent, wit ...
once more. The
Yas Marina Circuit
The Yas Marina Circuit (Arabic: حلبة مرسى ياس) is the venue for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The circuit was designed by Hermann Tilke, and is situated on Yas Island, near Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. Yas Marina was ...
later requested to the FIA that their event be pushed back two weeks to the weekend of 17 April in order to avoid a conflict with the FIA World Cup for Cross Country Rallies which was to be held in the United Arab Emirates on 5 April.
The British round was to incorporate the
RAC Tourist Trophy
The RAC Tourist Trophy (sometimes called the International Tourist Trophy) is a motor racing award presented by the Royal Automobile Club (RAC) to the overall victor of a motor race in the United Kingdom. Established in 1905, it is the world's ol ...
while also serving as the first motor racing event held on the newly built Arena layout for the
Silverstone Circuit
Silverstone Circuit is a motor racing circuit in England, near the Northamptonshire villages of Towcester, Silverstone and Whittlebury. It is the home of the British Grand Prix, which it first hosted as the 1948 British Grand Prix. The 1950 ...
.
Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps (), frequently referred to as ''Spa'', is a motor-racing circuit located in Stavelot, Belgium. It is the current venue of the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix, hosting its first Grand Prix in 1925, and has held ...
would continue to host a round, but the GT1 races would be held separately from the
Spa 24 Hours
The 24 Hours of Spa is an Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance racing event for cars held annually since 1924 at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot, Belgium. It is currently sponsored by TotalEnergies.
History
The Spa 24 Hours was ...
during the same weekend.
In July 2010, following delays in completing alterations to the
Durban street circuit
The Durban street circuit was a temporary street circuit located in Durban, South Africa which was from Durban's North Beach and from Durban's CBD. The circuit and infrastructure was designed by D3 Motorsport Development which also oversaw t ...
due to construction for the
2010 FIFA World Cup
, image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg
, size = 200px
, caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...
, the South African round was postponed until 2011. A Spanish event at the brand new
Circuito de Navarra
Circuito de Navarra is a motorsport race track that opened in June 2010 near Los Arcos in the Navarre region of Northern Spain. It is a permanent road course that hosted the Superleague Formula series and the FIA GT1 World Championship.
Histo ...
was proposed as a replacement for Durban on the calendar,
and was confirmed at the
FIA World Motor Sport Council
The World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) is a major organ within the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile's governance structure. Its primary role is amending current regulations and drafting new regulations for all of international motor spor ...
meeting of 24 October.
All events consisted of a one-hour Qualifying race and a one-hour Championship race. For European rounds, FIA GT1 would be joined at the circuit by the
FIA GT3 European Championship
The FIA GT3 European Championship was a sports car racing series organized by the Stéphane Ratel Organisation (SRO) and regulated by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). It was a championship derived from the international FIA ...
.
Entries
Manufacturers
![Zuber and Hennerici Phoenix Racing Corvette 2010](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d3/Zuber_and_Hennerici_Phoenix_Racing_Corvette_2010.jpg)
The SRO initially expected at least five manufacturers to participate in the inaugural 2010 season. A maximum of six manufacturers would be accepted, with each manufacturer limited to supplying two
privateer teams of no more than two cars. To ensure close competition, each model of car would be tested by the FIA to determine any mandatory adjustments for performance balancing.
The FIA employed
Christophe Bouchut
Christophe Bouchut (born 24 September 1966 in Voiron, Isère) is a French professional racing driver. He currently competes in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series, driving for Dexwet-df1 Racing and Alex Caffi Motorsport in a part-time effort. He won ...
,
Anthony Davidson
Anthony Denis Davidson (born 18 April 1979) is a British former racing driver, currently working as an analyst for the Sky Sports F1 television channel, as part of the commentary team for WEC TV, as colour commentator for the F1 series of vid ...
, and
Heinz-Harald Frentzen
Heinz-Harald Frentzen (born 18 May 1967) is a German former racing driver. He competed in multiple disciplines including Sportscars, Formula One and DTM. He had his most success in Formula One, entering over 150 Grands Prix and winning three.
...
for balance of performance test sessions held at
Circuit Paul Ricard
The Circuit Paul Ricard () is a French motorsport race track built in 1969 at Le Castellet, Var, near Marseille, with finance from pastis magnate Paul Ricard. Ricard wanted to experience the challenge of building a racetrack. The circuit has ho ...
as well as just prior to the first race event at
Yas Marina Circuit
The Yas Marina Circuit (Arabic: حلبة مرسى ياس) is the venue for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The circuit was designed by Hermann Tilke, and is situated on Yas Island, near Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. Yas Marina was ...
.
, three manufacturers had announced their entries for the 2010 season.
Nissan
, trade name, trading as Nissan Motor Corporation and often shortened to Nissan, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. The company sells ...
's performance division,
Nismo
, abbreviated as Nismo, is a division of Nissan Motorsports & Customizing focused in motorsport and performance-oriented car models for Nissan. Nismo was initially a company, , formed in 1984 as a result of a merger of two motorsport departmen ...
, developed their
GT-R for GT1; the GT-R was initially tested for the World Championship by competing in select
2009 FIA GT events with Gigawave Motorsport.
Ford
Ford commonly refers to:
* Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford
* Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river
Ford may also refer to:
Ford Motor Company
* Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company
* Ford F ...
also used 2009 as a development year for its
Ford GT
The Ford GT is a mid-engine two-seater sports car manufactured and marketed by American automobile manufacturer Ford for the 2005 model year in conjunction with the company's 2003 centenary. The second generation Ford GT became available for th ...
race car built by
Matech Concepts
Matech Concepts was an auto racing development firm based in Geneva, Switzerland and founded by Martin Bartek in 2006. The company had made an agreement with Ford Racing to develop the Ford GT sports car for competition, and constructs the FIA GT ...
.
Lamborghini
Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. () is an Italian brand and manufacturer of luxury sports cars and SUVs based in Sant'Agata Bolognese. The company is owned by the Volkswagen Group through its subsidiary Audi.
Ferruccio Lamborghini (1916–1993) ...
was the third announced manufacturer, fielding a car based on the
Murciélago LP670-4 SV and built by
Reiter Engineering
Reiter Engineering GmbH & Co Kg, commonly known simply as Reiter Engineering, is a German racing team and racing car manufacturer established in 2000 by motorsport engineer Hans Reiter.
Reiter was a partner of Lamborghini from 2000 to 2014, involv ...
who had built the previous GT1-spec Murciélago R-GT.
Following the announcement of the initial three manufacturers,
Aston Martin Racing
Aston Martin Racing is a British auto racing team established in 2004 as a partnership between automobile manufacturer Aston Martin and engineering group Prodrive. The partnership was initially created for the purpose of returning Aston ...
and
Prodrive
Prodrive is a British motorsport and advanced engineering group based in Banbury, Oxfordshire, England. It designs, constructs and races automobile, cars for companies and teams such as Aston Martin, Bahrain Raid Xtreme and Team X44. Its advan ...
submitted a proposal to the
FIA World Motor Sport Council
The World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) is a major organ within the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile's governance structure. Its primary role is amending current regulations and drafting new regulations for all of international motor spor ...
for modifications to the existing
Aston Martin DBR9
The Aston Martin DBR9 is a racing car built by Aston Martin Racing, debuting in 2005 and racing actively in international sportscar racing until the end of GT1 category in 2011. The name DBR9 is derived from the original 24 Hours of Le Mans-winn ...
to allow customers to enter the series. The FIA would be required to make technical waivers on the DBR9 in order for it to be allowed to compete.
General Motors
The General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and ...
'
Corvette
A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper (or " rated") warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the slo ...
brand also asked for a technical waiver on a modification to their 2009
Corvette C6.R
The Chevrolet Corvette C6.R is a grand tourer racing car built by Pratt & Miller and Chevrolet for competition in endurance racing (motorsport), endurance racing. It is a replacement for the Chevrolet Corvette C5-R, Corvette C5-R racing car, app ...
s in order to compete in 2010.
Maserati
Maserati S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury vehicle manufacturer. Established on 1 December 1914, in Bologna, Italy, the company's headquarters are now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. The company has been owned by Stellantis since 2021. Ma ...
and
Saleen
Saleen Automotive, Inc., commonly known as Saleen (/səˈliːn/), is an American manufacturer of specialty high-performance sports cars and high-performance automotive parts. Saleen is headquartered in Corona, California, US. On June 26, 2013 Sal ...
also sought those technical waivers for their 2009 cars, but required a further waiver due to the
MC12 and
S7 not meeting the minimum requirement of 300 production cars for the 2010 regulations. In November 2009, the SRO confirmed their six manufacturers for the 2010 season, allowing Corvette, Aston Martin, and Maserati their technical waivers to join Nissan, Ford, and Lamborghini.
Teams
For the teams which represented each of the six manufacturers, two
privateers
A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...
were selected by each manufacturer. During the launch of the FIA GT1 World Championship,
Matech Concepts
Matech Concepts was an auto racing development firm based in Geneva, Switzerland and founded by Martin Bartek in 2006. The company had made an agreement with Ford Racing to develop the Ford GT sports car for competition, and constructs the FIA GT ...
and VDS Racing Team announced their continuation with the Ford GT project.
Hexis Racing
Hexis Racing is an auto racing team based in Lédenon, France. Hexis Racing was founded by Michel Mateu, CEO of Hexis S.A. in 2001, initially for participation in the French Formula Renault Championship. Hexis later moved into grand tourer racing ...
of France also announced their intent to participate in the series with Aston Martin,
joining fellow
FIA GT3 European Championship
The FIA GT3 European Championship was a sports car racing series organized by the Stéphane Ratel Organisation (SRO) and regulated by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). It was a championship derived from the international FIA ...
competitor
Fischer Racing
Fischer Racing GmbH is an auto racing team founded by Erhard Fischer in 2006 and based in Paderborn, Germany. Initially created to compete in the German SEAT León Supercopa, the team expanded in 2009, purchasing Ford GTs to compete in the Germ ...
which would participate under the
Young Driver AMR
Fischer Racing GmbH is an auto racing team founded by Erhard Fischer in 2006 and based in Paderborn, Germany. Initially created to compete in the German SEAT León Supercopa, the team expanded in 2009, purchasing Ford GTs to compete in the Germa ...
title.
Swiss Racing Team
Swiss Racing Team (SRT) is an auto racing team based in Inwil, Lucerne, Switzerland. Formed by Othmar Welti and Erich Kolb in 2000, Swiss Racing Team initially competed in the German Formula Three Championship before also joining the Formula ...
announced on 5 November that they would enter using the Nissan GT-R, to team alongside Sumo Power GT which replaced the departing 2009 development team of Gigawave Motorsport.
Maserati retained the five-time FIA GT champions
Vitaphone Racing Team
Vitaphone Racing is a German racing team who participate in the FIA GT Championship. The team is actually Bartels Motor & Sport GmbH but runs under the title of their primary sponsor, Vitaphone GmbH. In 2011 Vitaphone Racing was renamed Vita4One. ...
, while the second squad was formed by
Altfrid Heger
Altfrid Heger is a German racing driver who competed in the 1987 World Touring Car Championship. He won the 1988 Guia Race. Heger is the co-founder of Hegersport, a German company which organizes auto racing series such as the V8Star Series.
...
's
Triple H Team Hegersport
Hegersport GmbH is a German auto racing company which serves as organizer for German Porsche Sports Cup series, as well as a racing team which competed in the FIA GT1 World Championship under the title Triple H Team Hegersport. The company was ...
of Germany.
[12 Teams Have Applied for Entry to the FIA GT1 World Championship, fiagt.com, as archived at web.archive.org](_blank)
/ref> Corvette also retained several of its privateer teams from the FIA GT Championship, with DKR Engineering and Selleslagh Racing Team combining their C6.Rs to form Mad Croc Racing, and Phoenix Racing and Carsport Holland merging into Phoenix Racing Carsport. Lamborghini would be represented by previous Lamborghini FIA GT campaigners Reiter
''Reiter'' or ''Schwarze Reiter'' ("black riders", anglicized ''swart reiters'') were a type of cavalry in 16th to 17th century Central Europe including Holy Roman Empire, Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, Tsardom of Russia, and others.
...
and Münnich Motorsport
Münnich Motorsport GmbH, which also competes under the title All-Inkl.com Racing, is an auto racing team founded by German racing driver and entrepreneur René Münnich in 2006. The team has been built around three areas of motorsport since its ...
.
On 17 January 2010 the SRO confirmed the twelve teams which had submitted entries for the championship.
Drivers
Each event comprised 48 drivers, with many of these drivers featuring in every round of the season. The full-season line-up included drivers from varying backgrounds, including experienced sports car drivers and relative newcomers. Seven former FIA GT Champions were contracted with teams, including three-time co-champions Michael Bartels
Michael Bartels (born 8 March 1968) is a German professional racing driver. He is a multiple FIA GT champion and former Grand Prix driver who attempted to qualify for four races in with Lotus.
Career
Bartels was the 1985 German karting champi ...
and Andrea Bertolini
Andrea Bertolini (born 1 December 1973, in Sassuolo) is an Italian professional racing driver currently driving for AF Corse in the FIA World Endurance Championship. He is the official test driver of the Maserati factory.
Bertolini began racing at ...
once again sharing a Vitaphone
Vitaphone was a sound film system used for feature films and nearly 1,000 short subjects made by Warner Bros. and its sister studio First National from 1926 to 1931. Vitaphone was the last major analog sound-on-disc system and the only one th ...
Maserati
Maserati S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury vehicle manufacturer. Established on 1 December 1914, in Bologna, Italy, the company's headquarters are now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. The company has been owned by Stellantis since 2021. Ma ...
. Fellow three-time champion Christophe Bouchut
Christophe Bouchut (born 24 September 1966 in Voiron, Isère) is a French professional racing driver. He currently competes in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series, driving for Dexwet-df1 Racing and Alex Caffi Motorsport in a part-time effort. He won ...
drove one of Münnich Motorsport
Münnich Motorsport GmbH, which also competes under the title All-Inkl.com Racing, is an auto racing team founded by German racing driver and entrepreneur René Münnich in 2006. The team has been built around three areas of motorsport since its ...
s' Lamborghini
Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. () is an Italian brand and manufacturer of luxury sports cars and SUVs based in Sant'Agata Bolognese. The company is owned by the Volkswagen Group through its subsidiary Audi.
Ferruccio Lamborghini (1916–1993) ...
s, while 1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...
champion Ricardo Zonta
Ricardo Luiz Zonta (born March 23, 1976) is a Brazilian professional racing driver. He currently competes full-time in the Brazilian Stock Car Pro Series, driving the No. 10 Toyota Corolla E210 for RCM Motorsport.
Early career
Born in Curitiba, ...
returned with the fellow Lamborghini at Reiter
''Reiter'' or ''Schwarze Reiter'' ("black riders", anglicized ''swart reiters'') were a type of cavalry in 16th to 17th century Central Europe including Holy Roman Empire, Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, Tsardom of Russia, and others.
...
. 1999
File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...
champion and the record holder for most FIA GT wins, Karl Wendlinger
Karl Wendlinger (born 20 December 1968) is an Austrian professional racing and former Formula One driver.
Mercedes Juniors
Born in Kufstein, Wendlinger started his career in karting and in Formula Ford before entering the German Formula 3 Cham ...
was enlisted by Swiss Racing Team for Nissan
, trade name, trading as Nissan Motor Corporation and often shortened to Nissan, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. The company sells ...
while 2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...
champion Jamie Campbell-Walter
Jamie Campbell-Walter is a British professional racing driver. He was born in Oban, Scotland on 16 December 1972. He won the FIA GT Championship in 2000 and took a World Endurance Championship title in 2013 as an Aston Martin Racing factory dr ...
drove the Nissan of Sumo Power
Sumo Power is a British car tuning company based in Rye, East Sussex, England. Founded in 2002, Sumo Power specializes in custom tuning Japanese imports, including the Nissan Skyline GT-R and Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, as well as the impo ...
. 2003
File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...
champion Matteo Bobbi
Matteo Bobbi (born 2 July 1978 in Milan) is an Italian racing driver with experience in several motor sport categories, including three years as a Minardi test driver in Formula One.
During a brief time with Formula One's Minardi as their test d ...
returned to a Maserati
Maserati S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury vehicle manufacturer. Established on 1 December 1914, in Bologna, Italy, the company's headquarters are now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. The company has been owned by Stellantis since 2021. Ma ...
for the Hegersport
Hegersport GmbH is a German auto racing company which serves as organizer for German Porsche Sports Cup series, as well as a racing team which competed in the FIA GT1 World Championship under the title Triple H Team Hegersport. The company was ...
squad. Other sports car veterans included 2004 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 72nd 24 Hours of Le Mans (French: ''72e 24 Heures du Mans'') was a non-championship 24 hour automobile endurance race for Le Mans Prototype and Grand Touring cars held from 12 to 13 June at the Circuit de la Sarthe close to Le Mans, Le ...
winner Seiji Ara
Seiji Ara (荒 聖治; Ara Seiji) (born May 5, 1974 in Chiba, Japan) is a Japanese race car driver.
He was the winner of the 24-hour Le Mans race in 2004, driving an Audi R8. In the same year he also raced in the Le Mans Endurance Series and Ja ...
at Swiss Racing, 2007 FIA GT3 Champion Henri Moser at Hexis
Hexis ( grc, ἕξις) is a relatively stable arrangement or disposition, for example a person's health or knowledge or character. It is an Ancient Greek word, important in the philosophy of Aristotle, and because of this it has become a traditio ...
, 2008 Le Mans Series
The European Le Mans Series (abbreviated as ELMS) is a European sports car racing endurance series inspired by the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The European Le Mans Series is similar to the fo ...
champions Tomáš Enge
Tomáš Enge (; born 11 September 1976) is a Czech former professional racing driver who has competed in many classes of motorsport, including three races in Formula One. He has twice been sanctioned professionally for drug offences.
Career
Born ...
and Stefan Mücke
Stefan Mücke (born 22 November 1981) is a German professional racing driver.
Racing career
Born in Berlin, Mücke started his racing career in 1998, when he won the Formula BMW ADAC series, with his father's Mücke Motorsport team, also making ...
co-driving for Young Driver AMR
Fischer Racing GmbH is an auto racing team founded by Erhard Fischer in 2006 and based in Paderborn, Germany. Initially created to compete in the German SEAT León Supercopa, the team expanded in 2009, purchasing Ford GTs to compete in the Germa ...
, former American Le Mans Series
The American Le Mans Series (ALMS) was a sports car racing series based in the United States and Canada. It consisted of a series of endurance and sprint races, and was created in the spirit of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The American Le Mans' hea ...
champions Mika Salo
Mika Juhani Salo (born 30 November 1966) is a Finnish former professional racing driver. He competed in Formula One between and . His best ranking was 10th in the world championship in 1999, when he stood in for the injured Michael Schumacher ...
and Oliver Gavin
Oliver Benjamin Gavin (born 29 September 1972), is a British racing driver who joined Corvette Racing in 2002. He has won five American Le Mans Series class championships, five 24 Hours of Le Mans class wins, five 12 Hours of Sebring class win ...
driving a Mad-Croc Corvette
A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper (or " rated") warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the slo ...
, and two-time Super GT
Super GT (stylized as SUPER GT) is a grand touring car racing series that began in 1993. Launched as the , generally referred to as either the JGTC or the All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship, the series was renamed to Super GT in 2005. It is ...
champion Michael Krumm
Michael Krumm (born 19 March 1970) is a German professional racing driver who won the 2011 FIA GT1 World Championship driving for JR Motorsports.
Biography
Born in Reutlingen, Krumm married Japanese tennis player Kimiko Date on 1 December 2001 ...
with Sumo Power.
Several drivers already had world championship
A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
experience in other forms of motorsport, including the Formula One World Championship
Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...
and World Touring Car Championship
The FIA World Touring Car Championship was an international touring car championship promoted by Eurosport Events and sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). It has had several different incarnations, including a sin ...
. Romain Grosjean
Romain David Jeremie Grosjean (; born 17 April 1986) is a Swiss-French professional racing driver, competing under the French flag in the NTT IndyCar Series, driving the No. 28 Honda for Andretti Autosport. Grosjean had previously spent nine ...
moved directly from a 2009 seat at Renault F1
The French automotive manufacturer Renault has been associated with Formula One as both team owner and engine manufacturer for various periods since 1977. In 1977, the company entered Formula One as a constructor, introducing the turbo engine ...
to drive for Matech Competition
Matech Concepts was an auto racing development firm based in Geneva, Switzerland and founded by Martin Bartek in 2006. The company had made an agreement with Ford Racing to develop the Ford GT sports car for competition, and constructs the FIA GT ...
in GT1, while former Formula One driver Enrique Bernoldi
Enrique Antônio Langue e Silvério de Bernoldi (born 19 October 1978) is a Brazilian professional racing driver who raced for the Arrows Formula One team in 2001 and 2002, and was the test driver for British American Racing (later Honda) be ...
, who had won races during his rookie season in the 2009 FIA GT Championship
The 2009 FIA GT Championship season was the thirteenth and final season of the FIA GT Championship for grand tourer cars competing in the GT1 and GT2 categories. The season began 3 May, and ended 25 October after eight races. This was also the fin ...
, switched to Vitaphone Maserati. Jean-Denis Délétraz Jean-Denis is a masculine given name, and may refer to:
* Jean-Denis Bredin (born 1929), a French attorney
* Jean-Denis Délétraz (born 1963), a Swiss racecar driver
* Jean-Denis Lanjuinais (1753–1827), a French politician, historian and noblema ...
was another driver with experience in grand prix racing. Drivers making the transition from touring car racing
Touring car racing is a motorsport road racing competition with heavily modified road-going cars. It has both similarities to and significant differences from stock car racing, which is popular in the United States.
While the cars do not move ...
to sports cars included Hegersport founder Altfrid Heger
Altfrid Heger is a German racing driver who competed in the 1987 World Touring Car Championship. He won the 1988 Guia Race. Heger is the co-founder of Hegersport, a German company which organizes auto racing series such as the V8Star Series.
...
and 2005
File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
WTCC Independents Champion Marc Hennerici
Marc Hennerici (born 10 May 1982 in Mayen) is a German auto racing driver. He is best known for being the first winner of the World Touring Car Championship's Independents Trophy, in 2005.
Racing career
Hennerici competed in Formula BMW from 1999 ...
.
A unique driver line-up amongst the field of 24 cars was the No.6 Matech Ford
Ford commonly refers to:
* Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford
* Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river
Ford may also refer to:
Ford Motor Company
* Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company
* Ford F ...
which featuring the only females in the series. The two Swiss women, Natacha Gachnang
Natacha Gachnang (born 27 October 1987 in Vevey, Switzerland) is a Swiss race driver and the cousin of former Formula One driver Sébastien Buemi. In 2010 she was a member of the first all-female crew to race at Le Mans 24 hours since 1991 and she ...
and Cyndie Allemann
Cyndie Allemann (born 4 April 1986 in Moutier) is a Swiss racing driver.
She is the daughter of former Swiss karting champion Kurt Allemann and the sister of fellow racing driver Ken Allemann. After beginning her career in karting, she moved to ...
, both had experience in various open wheel racing
An open-wheel single-seater (often known as formula car) is a car with the wheels outside the car's main body, and usually having only one seat. Open-wheel cars contrast with street cars, sports cars, stock cars, and touring cars, which have thei ...
series, but were teaming together to make their debuts in sports car racing.
Entry list
On 27 January 2010 the FIA published the full entry list of teams and manufacturers for the 2010 season.
On 26 February 2010 the SRO published a first partial entry-list of drivers. All teams used Michelin
Michelin (; ; full name: ) is a French multinational tyre manufacturing company based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes ''région'' of France. It is the second largest tyre manufacturer in the world behind Bridgestone and la ...
tyres.
Results and standings
Race results
Championships
Championship points were awarded for the first three positions in each qualifying race and for the first ten positions in each championship race. Entries had to complete 75% of the winning car's race distance in order to be classified and earn points. Individual drivers were required to participate for a minimum of 25 minutes in order to earn championship points in any race.
Drivers' Championship
Teams' Championship
Prior to the Nürburgring round, Phoenix Racing / Carsport informed the FIA that they were no longer able to enter the No. 14 Corvette
A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper (or " rated") warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the slo ...
due to the car being returned to its private owner. Phoenix's inability to enter two cars for the remainder of the season led race stewards to deem the team to be in violation of GT1 regulations. This required the team to forfeit all points earned over the course of the season, and team points from the Nürburgring round onward would also be redistributed to other competitors finishing behind the remaining Phoenix entry. Prior to the San Luis finale, Mad-Croc also failed to maintain a two-car entry and forfeited their Teams' Championship points.
SRO Trophy for Manufacturers
The SRO Trophy for Manufacturers was established mid-season by the SRO Group
SRO Motorsports Group (formerly the Stéphane Ratel Organisation) is an international sporting organisation best known for promoting and running a variety of racing events and series, including the Spa 24 Hours, Total 24 Hours of Spa, Intercontine ...
as an award for the best of the season's six manufacturers, although unlike the Drivers' and Teams' Championships it was not an official FIA championship. Rankings for the Trophy were based on the results for each car in both the Qualifying and Championship Races, with all finishing cars in points earning positions combining their points toward the manufacturer's total. Aston Martin
Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings PLC is an English manufacturer of luxury sports cars and grand tourers. Its predecessor was founded in 1913 by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford. Steered from 1947 by David Brown, it became associated with ...
secured the inaugural Trophy, having previously won the FIA GT
The FIA GT Championship was a sports car racing series organized by the Stéphane Ratel Organisation (SRO) at the behest of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The championship was mostly concentrated in Europe, but throughout ...
Manufacturers' Cup in 2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
.
References
External links
FIA GT1 World ChampionshipAs archived at web.archive.org on 15 December 2010
{{FIA GT Championship Seasons
FIA GT1