Why the birth of GT3 is worthy of remembrance at 82MM

The GT3 class was conceived by Stéphane Ratel, the then head of SRO, which promoted the FIA GT Championship. The intention was to develop a more affordable and accessible form of motorsport, and the main proponent of that being that GT3 cars would be fundamentally production-based.

Whereas the GT1 and GT2 cars of the era were bespoke racers continually developed, the new GT3 cars would allow manufacturers or customer teams to take a Ferrari F430 or Audi R8 and homologate it for GT3 competition. Cars from series like the Porsche Supercup or Ferrari Challenge would be able to race together on a level playing field facilitated by the FIA.

The GT3 category was developed in 2005, before the first FIA GT3 European Championship was run in 2006. Its core basis was a new balance of performance formula centred on power-to-weight ratio. More powerful cars would have to meet a prescribed minimum weight higher than lower-powered cars, generally performance would come in between 500-600PS (368-441kW) for cars weighing 1,200-1,300kg.

Alongside the halo European championship, GT3 cars were also introduced to several national championships in Britain, Italy, Spain and France. In 2007, the German ADAC GT Masters series was launched exclusively for GT3 competition, and the category spread worldwide, with the first uptake outside of Europe coming in the form of the Brazilian GT Championship.

GT3 was immediately a huge success, and the more expensive GT2 category was gradually abandoned following its introduction, in favour of this more affordable new alternative.

The Australian GT Championship was the next series to introduce a GT3 category in 2008, and these cars were welcomed to the Nürburgring 24 Hours first in 2009.

The GT3 phenomenon was truly global by the end of the decade, and it became a major facet of world endurance racing following the creation of the new Blancpain Endurance Series specifically for GT3 cars to race in bespoke endurance events. In its early years it drew the attention of world-famous drivers, the likes of Tom Kristensen, Andre Lotterer, Johnny Herbert, even current McLaren CEO Zak Brown with his United Autosports team.

Separately, the 2011 editions of the Bathurst 12 Hour, Dubai 24 Hour and Spa 24 Hours were all won by GT3 machinery. The Audi R8 was also the first GT3 winner of the Nürburgring 24 Hours in 2012.

The final pieces of the puzzle were the uptake of GT3 in the USA and Japan. Chevrolet, Dodge and Ford had all developed GT3 versions of the Camaro, Corvette, Viper and Mustang respectively, while the Super GT championship introduced a new GT300 class for GT3 cars.

These early examples of GT3 racers were the precursors to the modern generation of GT cars currently competing in the World Endurance Championship and IMSA Sportscar Championship. It’s thanks to the initial success of the GT3 category that the long-term future of races such as the Le Mans 24 Hours are secure, with more manufacturers than ever fighting for a space on the entry list.

The likes of the Aston Martin DBRS9, Lamborghini Gallardo, Ferrari F430, Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, Audi R8 LMS and BMW Z4 GT3 were the cars that confirmed the success of the GT3 category, and the 82^nd Members’ Meeting will go some way to evoking those early days when the Shootout gets underway on the Goodwood Motor Circuit.