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RECORD-BREAKING ENTRIES
Throughout more than 10 years of history, the GT World Challenge Europe has always attracted a healthy number of entries. The Sprint Cup – which comprises two one-hour races per weekend over five rounds – will boast a record-breaking 41 cars on the grid this season.
The grid will be full at Misano, Hockenheim and Valencia, while the first and last rounds at Brands Hatch and Zandvoort will be restricted to three classes, given the tight confines of those tracks. The Endurance Cup, on the other hand, has 15 more cars: bringing the total number of entries to 56. The field, the largest since 2017, will compete at Monza, Paul Ricard, Spa, the Nürburgring and Barcelona. The CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa, celebrating its 75th edition this year, will also break records, with 72 GT3 cars competing in the historic endurance race.
NEW CARS
The GT World Challenge Europe grid brings together the top car brands. There are cars from eight different manufacturers contesting the full season: Audi, BMW, Mercedes-AMG, Honda, Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini and McLaren. The latter four will take to the track with new or updated models. The AF Corse team will enter the new Ferrari 296 GT3, which was officially unveiled at the Spa 24 Hours in 2022 and made its track debut in Daytona at the end of January. This car replaces the 488 GT3, which some teams will continue to use. There's also a brand new car for Porsche, which will now field the 911 GT3 R. The German supercar, which began development in 2019, is based on the 992 but with a six-cylinder boxer engine featuring increased displacement that puts out 416kW and 565 horsepower. Both Lamborghini and McLaren have renewed their two models to make them even more powerful. The Huracan GT3 EVO2 is now in its third generation, while the British marque has improved the already reliable 720S, which will be entered by five teams this year. Competing in the Spa 24 Hours only will be another legendary British brand – Aston Martin – with its iconic Vantage.