Blancpain Racing Series Corvette?
06-20-2015, 01:27 PM
#1
Intermediate
Thread Starter
Blancpain Racing Series Corvette?
I'm new to the details of racing but have enthusiastically watched racing for 60 years. Why is Corvette not participating in the Blancpain Series? Is it because the cars are only built on the other side of the pond? 
06-20-2015, 04:07 PM
#2
Burning Brakes
The Blancpain endurance and sprint series racing (2013-present) are essentially the resurrection of the now defunct FIA GT World Championship (1997-2009)/FIA GT1 Championship (2010-2012) and FIA GT3 European Championship series (2006-2012). All the race cars are built to GT3 specifications. The only two American car makers that have built race cars to GT3 specs and participated in the previous series that I know of are Dodge (Viper) and Callaway (Z06-R). Callaway built 6 or 8 Z06-R's and won the FIA GT3 championship in 2010 if I remember correctly. Then Callaway withdrew as the Corvettes had too many restrictions to equalize competition.
As for why Chevrolet doesn't entry the Blancpain series, I can only guess that since the Tudor Racing series is now allowing GT3 series cars to race there in a separate class from the Corvettes, there isn't any interest in building a separate GT3-spec Corvette for either the Tudor or Blancpain series.
As a side note, the link to FIA GT3 specs above mentions that both SRT Viper and Callaway are considering new GT3-spec'ed cars to continue Viper versus Corvette racing in the Blancpain series. We'll see....
As for why Chevrolet doesn't entry the Blancpain series, I can only guess that since the Tudor Racing series is now allowing GT3 series cars to race there in a separate class from the Corvettes, there isn't any interest in building a separate GT3-spec Corvette for either the Tudor or Blancpain series.
As a side note, the link to FIA GT3 specs above mentions that both SRT Viper and Callaway are considering new GT3-spec'ed cars to continue Viper versus Corvette racing in the Blancpain series. We'll see....
06-20-2015, 04:38 PM
#3
The cars in the GT3 class are built for the class through a homologation process.
There are a few factory-built race cars available or previously available to race team buyers:
Dodge Viper Competition Coupe
Dodge Viper Competition Coupe Series 2 (the ACR-X ?)
Ford Mustang FR500C GT
Porsche 997 GT3 Cup (2006)
Porsche 911 GT3 Cup
Well, the Viper and the Porsche are everywhere because any little race team could get a car. But that's a sponsored little race team because the Porsche cup car is about $240,000.
A Corvette would be easy for a race shop to develop themselves because its rectangular tube frame could be used as a platform for a roll cage from front bumper to rear bumper. (Previous Corvettes built similar to GT3 have often been 102" wheelbase stock car chassis but "Corvette Racing" uses the Corvette frame.)
.
There are a few factory-built race cars available or previously available to race team buyers:
Dodge Viper Competition Coupe
Dodge Viper Competition Coupe Series 2 (the ACR-X ?)
Ford Mustang FR500C GT
Porsche 997 GT3 Cup (2006)
Porsche 911 GT3 Cup
Well, the Viper and the Porsche are everywhere because any little race team could get a car. But that's a sponsored little race team because the Porsche cup car is about $240,000.
A Corvette would be easy for a race shop to develop themselves because its rectangular tube frame could be used as a platform for a roll cage from front bumper to rear bumper. (Previous Corvettes built similar to GT3 have often been 102" wheelbase stock car chassis but "Corvette Racing" uses the Corvette frame.)
.
Last edited by B Stead; 06-20-2015 at 11:31 PM.
06-20-2015, 05:05 PM
#4
Intermediate
Thread Starter
The Blancpain endurance and sprint series racing (2013-present) are essentially the resurrection of the now defunct FIA GT World Championship (1997-2009)/FIA GT1 Championship (2010-2012) and FIA GT3 European Championship series (2006-2012). All the race cars are built to GT3 specifications. The only two American car makers that have built race cars to GT3 specs and participated in the previous series that I know of are Dodge (Viper) and Callaway (Z06-R). Callaway built 6 or 8 Z06-R's and won the FIA GT3 championship in 2010 if I remember correctly. Then Callaway withdrew as the Corvettes had too many restrictions to equalize competition.
As for why Chevrolet doesn't entry the Blancpain series, I can only guess that since the Tudor Racing series is now allowing GT3 series cars to race there in a separate class from the Corvettes, there isn't any interest in building a separate GT3-spec Corvette for either the Tudor or Blancpain series.
As a side note, the link to FIA GT3 specs above mentions that both SRT Viper and Callaway are considering new GT3-spec'ed cars to continue Viper versus Corvette racing in the Blancpain series. We'll see....
As for why Chevrolet doesn't entry the Blancpain series, I can only guess that since the Tudor Racing series is now allowing GT3 series cars to race there in a separate class from the Corvettes, there isn't any interest in building a separate GT3-spec Corvette for either the Tudor or Blancpain series.
As a side note, the link to FIA GT3 specs above mentions that both SRT Viper and Callaway are considering new GT3-spec'ed cars to continue Viper versus Corvette racing in the Blancpain series. We'll see....
