Group C
Group C was a category of motorsport, introduced by the
FIA
.svg/360px-Fédération_Internationale_de_l'Automobile_(emblem).svg.png)
FIA in 1982
for sports car racing, along with
Group A
Group A for touring cars and Group B
for GTs.
It was designed to replace both Group 5
Special
Special Production Cars
(closed top touring prototypes like
Porsche
Porsche 935) and Group 6 Two
Seater Racing Cars (open-top sportscar prototypes like
Porsche
Porsche 936).
Group C
Group C was used in the FIA's World Endurance Championship
(1982–1985), World Sports-Prototype Championship (1986–1990),
World Sportscar Championship
World Sportscar Championship (1991–1992) and in the European
Endurance Championship (1983 only). It was also used for other sports
car racing series around the globe (All Japan Sports Prototype
Championship, Supercup, Interserie). The final year for the class came
in 1993. Broadly similar rules were used in the North American IMSA
Grand Touring Prototype
Grand Touring Prototype series (GTP).
Contents
1 History
2 Rise and fall
3
Group C
Group C series
4 List of
Group C
Group C Sports Cars
5 References
History[edit]
Porsche 956
Porsche 956 was a dominant car in its many factory and customer built
forms in the early 1980s.
The roots of the
Group C
Group C category lie in both
FIA
FIA Group 6 and
particularly in the GTP category introduced by the ACO at Le Mans in
the mid-1970s. GTP was a class for roofed prototypes with certain
dimensional restrictions, but instead of the more usual limits on
engine capacity, it placed limits on fuel consumption. The
FIA
FIA applied
the same concept in its
Group C
Group C rules. It limited cars to a minimum
weight of 800 kg and a maximum fuel capacity of 100 litres. With
competitors restricted to five refueling stops within a 1000 kilometer
distance, the cars were effectively allowed 600 litres per 1000
kilometers. The
FIA
FIA hoped this would prevent manufacturers from
concentrating solely on engine development; in the late 1970s, a few
manufacturers (especially
Porsche
Porsche and Lancia) had dominated sports car
racing by simply increasing turbocharger boost pressure, especially in
qualifying trim — the 3.2 L
Porsche 935
_pic2.JPG/560px-Porsche_Coupe_935_(1976)_pic2.JPG)
Porsche 935 was capable of more
than 800 hp. Engines had to be from a recognized manufacturer
which had cars homologated in the FIA's
Group A
Group A Touring Car or Group B
GT Car categories.
While the consumption requirement meant that cars needed to conserve
fuel early in the race, manufacturer support for the new regulations
grew steadily with each make adding to the diversity of the series.
With the new rules, it was theoretically possible for large naturally
aspirated engines to compete with small forced induction engines. In
addition, all races were to be contested over at least 1000 km
— usually lasting more than six hours — so it was possible to
emphasize the "endurance" aspect of the competition as well.
Ford (with the C100) and
Porsche
Porsche (with the 956) were the first
constructors to join the series. The traditional turbocharged boxer
engine in the 956 was already tested in the 1981 version of the Group
6 936. Eventually, several other makes joined the series, including
Lancia, Jaguar, Mercedes, Nissan, Toyota,
Mazda
Mazda and Aston Martin. Many
of these also took part in the IMSA championship, as its GTP class had
similar regulations.
With costs increasing, the
FIA
FIA introduced a new
Group C
Group C Junior class
for 1983. This was intended for privateer teams and small
manufacturers and it limited cars to a minimum weight of 700 kg
and a maximum fuel capacity of 55 liters. With competitors limited to
five refueling stops within a 1000 kilometer distance, the cars were
effectively allowed 330 liters per 1000 kilometers. As in Group C,
engines had to be from a recognized manufacturer which had cars
homologated in
Group A
Group A or Group B. Although it was originally expected
that C Junior cars would use two-litre normally aspirated engines, in
practice most cars used either the 3.5l
BMW M1
BMW M1 engine or the new 3.3l
Cosworth DFL, but, like in the main class, a variety of solutions was
employed by each individual manufacturer. Alba with a small,
lightweight turbo, Tiga, Spice and
Ecurie Ecosse
.svg/400px-Ecurie_Ecosse_Logo_(M-Car).svg.png)
Ecurie Ecosse with
Austin-Rover
Austin-Rover and
later Cosworth-powered cars were among the most competitive in this
class. The low cost of these cars even lead to the notion of their use
in national championships, such as the short-lived British BRDC C2
Championship.
Group C
Group C Junior was formally renamed Group C2 for 1984.
Rise and fall[edit]
Jaguar XJR-8/9 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, 2008.
By 1989, the
Group C
Group C series popularity was nearly as great as Formula
One.[citation needed] When C1 cars were found to be breaking over the
400 kilometres per hour mark at Le Mans'
Mulsanne Straight
Mulsanne Straight — the
WM-
Peugeot
Peugeot recorded the highest 407 km/h (253 mph) during
qualifying for the 1988 event[1] — the
FIA
FIA revolutionized the class
by attempting to turn it into a formula series to replace the C2
category (after they proved to be unreliable at endurance races). The
new formula restricted the performance of cars built to the original
rules (such as the
Porsche
Porsche 962 used by many privateers) and benefited
teams using F1-sourced 3.5 L engines — these latter teams being
effectively the large manufacturers alone, as the new formula cars
were more expensive than the C1 cars. What followed was the quick
downfall of Group C, as the new engines were unaffordable for
privateer teams like Spice and ADA. A lack of entries meant the 1993
Championship was canceled before the start of the first race. However,
the ACO still allowed the
Group C
Group C cars to compete (albeit with
restrictions) at 24 Hours of Le Mans. Nevertheless, the race still
witnessed protests against the new state of affairs, as spectators
placed cloth banners in fences expressing their feelings.
The 1994
24 Hours of Le Mans
24 Hours of Le Mans was the last one in which
Group C
Group C cars
were permitted. A new category formed especially by race organizers
also saw modified
Group C
Group C cars without roofs. In fact, a former C1 car
disguised as a road-legal GT car which was entered in the GT1
category, the Dauer 962 Le Mans, and won the race after transmission
problems by a leading
Toyota
Toyota 94C-V. The 962 was subsequently banned;
the
Toyota
Toyota was later given a special dispensation to race in the
Suzuka 1000km, and a few C1 racers were allowed to compete in the
newly formed
Japanese GT Championship
Japanese GT Championship — this would be its final year
of competition. Many of the modified open top
Group C
Group C cars continued
to compete until they wrecked, broke, or retired out of
competitiveness; notable among these was the
Porsche
Porsche WSC-95 which won
the 1996 and 1997 Le Mans races, using the monocoque of the Jaguar
XJR-14 and
Porsche
Porsche 962 mechanicals (engine, transmission, etc.).
Group C
Group C series[edit]
The FIA's
Group C
Group C formula was designed primarily for the World
Endurance Championship which included the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
However, several smaller series also adapted the
Group C
Group C regulations.
The
Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft
Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft allowed
Group C
Group C cars to compete
alongside various other types of cars from the 1982 season until 1985,
when the series was reformed as the Supercup. Under the new Supercup
series, only
Group C
Group C cars would be allowed to compete. This series
lasted until 1989.
In Great Britain, the
Thundersports championship combined a variety of
cars with the C Junior (later C2) class of cars. This too was later
replaced with a C2 only series known as the BRDC C2 Championship, and
lasted until 1990. The European
Interserie championship also allowed
Group C
Group C cars to compete, although they did not use the same class
structure.
In Japan, the
All Japan Sports Prototype Championship
All Japan Sports Prototype Championship was created in
1983, while the Fuji Long Distance Series also began allowing Group C
cars for the first time. It was not until 1989 however that the series
concentrated solely on the
Group C
Group C formula. Both championships lasted
until 1992, when they were cancelled along with the World Sportscar
Championship.
List of
Group C
Group C Sports Cars[edit]
Main article: List of
Group C
Group C sports cars
References[edit]
^ http://www.mulsannescorner.com/maxspeed.htm
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FIA
FIA categories and groups
Category I
Group N
Group A
Group R
Group T1
Group T2
Category II
Group R-GT
Group GT3
Group CN
Group D
Group E
Group T3
Category III
Group F
Group T4
Former
categories
and groups
Category I
Group B
Group B (1983–86)
Group ST (1996–2002)
Group CL1 (1996–2002)
Category II
Group C
Group C (1983–93)
Group GT1 (1997–2012)
Group GT2 (1997–2012)
Group GT (1993–?)
Group NGT
Group NGT (2000–2004)
Category A
Group 1 (1966–82)
Group 2 (1966–82)
Group 3 (1966–81)
Group 4 (1966–82)
Category B
Group 5 (1966–82)
Group 6 (1966–82)
Category C
Group 7 (1966–82)
Group 8 (1966–82)
Group 9 (1966–82)
FIA
FIA categories and groups defined in Appendix J to the International
Sporting Code
v
t
e
Classes of auto racing
Formula racing
F1
F2
F3
F4
F500
Formula 1000
Formula Atlantic
Formula Car Challenge
Formula Continental
Formula E
Formula Ford
FF1600
Formula Libre
Formula Vee
IndyCar
Super Formula
Supermodified
BOSS GP
Monoposto Racing Club
Defunct Formula racing
F3000
F5000
Formula A (SCCA)
Formula B (SCCA)
Formula C (SCCA)
FCJ
Formula Dream
Formula Holden
Formula Junior
Formula Mondial
Formula Pacific
Formula Super Vee
Australian National Formula
Grand Prix Masters
Tasman Formula
One-make formulae
CFGP
Formula Abarth
Formula Car Challenge
Formula LGB
Swift
Hyundai
Formula Maruti
Formula Masters China
Formula Mazda
Formula Renault
Formula Toyota
GP3
Indy Lights
SRF
USF2000
FIA
FIA Formula 2 Championship
Defunct one-make formulae
A1GP
ADAC Formel Masters
Auto GP
Barber Pro
FA1
Formula Alfa
Formula Asia
Formula BMW
FC Euro Series
Formula König
Formula Lightning
Formula Nissan
Formula Opel/Vauxhall
Formula Palmer Audi
Formula RUS
Formula Rolon
Formula SCCA
Grand Prix Masters
GP2
International Formula Master
Superleague Formula
World Series Formula V8 3.5
Karting
KF1
KF2
KF3
KZ1
KZ2
Superkart
Touring car racing
DTM
WTCR
BTCC
Group F
Group G
Group H
Super 2000
Diesel 2000
NGTC (TCN-1)
TCR (TCN-2)
Supercars
TC2000
Defunct touring car racing
Appendix J
BTC-T
Group 1
Group 2
Group 5
Group A
Group C
Group C (Australia)
Group E
Group N
Group N
Group N (Australia)
Group S
Class 1
Super Touring
Super Touring (Class 2)
Superstars
V8Star
WTCC
Stock car racing
ARCA
Allison Legacy Series
AUSCAR
IMCA Sport Compact
Late model
Legends
Modifieds
NASCAR
Monster Energy
NASCAR
NASCAR Cup
Xfinity
Truck
Pinty's
Whelen Euro Series
PEAK Mexico
Super Stock
Street Stock
Brasil
Turismo Carretera
Oval racing
BriSCA F1
BriSCA F2
V8 Hotstox
Hot Rods
Superstocks
Sprint car racing
Midget car racing
Quarter Midget racing
Rallying
Group R
Group R-GT
Super 2000
Super 1600
World Rally Car
Defunct rallying
Group 1
Group 2
Group 4
Group A
Group B
Group N
Group S
Sports prototypes
Clubmans
DP
Group 3
Group 4
Group 5
Group 6
Group 7
Group A
Group A Sports Cars
Group C
GC
GC-21
Group CN
IMSA GTP
LMP
LMPC
S2000
Grand touring
LM GTE (GT2)
GT3
GT4
GT500
GT300
Trans-Am
Appendix K
Group D GT Cars
Defunct grand touring
Group 3
Group 4
Group 5
Group B
Group D Production Sports Cars
GT1 (1993–99)
GT2 (1993–99)
FIA
FIA GT1 (2000-12)
IMSA AAGT
IMSA GTO/GTS
IMSA GTU
IMSA GTX
Drag racing
Top Fuel
Top Fuel Dragster (TF/D)
Top Alcohol
Top Alcohol Dragster (TA/D)
Top Fuel
Top Fuel
Funny Car
Funny Car (TF/FC)
Pro Stock
Pro Stock (PS)
Pro Modified (Pro Mod)
Pro FWD
Super Comp/Quick Rod
Top Doorslammer
Defunct drag racing
Top Gas
Modified
Altered
Competition
Super Stock
Off-road racing
Baja Bug
Dune buggy
Rallycross
Trophy Truck
Group T4
Truggy
Side b
