GT World Challenge Europe

GT World Challenge Europe (known as GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS for sponsorship reasons, and formerly known as the Blancpain GT Series between 2014 and 2019, and the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS between 2021 and 2024) is a sports car racing series organised by SRO Motorsports Group. It features grand-touring racing cars modified from production road cars that comply with the FIA's GT3 regulations. The series is divided into two championships, the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup and the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup, each with five weekends. Each race meeting focuses on either the Sprint Cup or Endurance Cup, alongside the overall championship.

The championship currently divides into four classes: Pro, Gold, Silver, and Bronze. Pro cars have no driver restrictions and compete for the overall drivers' and teams' championships. Pro cars are limited to just three drivers at the Spa 24 Hours. Gold entries compete in the Gold Cup, consisting of Gold drivers and one Silver driver per car. Cars in the Silver Cup are made up entirely of Silver class drivers. Lastly, entries in the Bronze Cup have a maximum driver quality line-up of a Platinum and a Bronze driver at Sprint rounds, with additional Silver drivers eligible for entry at Endurance rounds.^[1]

Throughout its history, the racing series has utilised cars that comply with the FIA's GT3 regulations and has implemented a Balance of Performance (BoP) system to ensure competitive racing among different manufacturers. The series originated in 2011 and has evolved through several name changes and format modifications.^[2]

Initially known as the Blancpain Endurance Series, the championship focused on long-distance GT3 races, with the Spa 24 Hours as its premier event. This championship quickly attracted large fields of both professional and amateur drivers. In 2014, a sprint-format series was introduced alongside the endurance events, initially called the FIA GT Series and later renamed the Blancpain Sprint Series. This development created a comprehensive GT championship, culminating in a single overall title, with Laurens Vanthoor becoming the first champion.

In 2016, the Sprint and Endurance series were further integrated under the umbrella of the Blancpain GT Series, emphasising both the overall drivers' and manufacturers' titles. The individual events were renamed the Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup and the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup, respectively. Additionally, 2016 marked the introduction of subsidiary championships: the Pro-Am and Am Cups, with Michał Broniszewski and Claudio Sdanewitsch crowned as the inaugural champions, respectively.^[3]

In 2018, the Silver Cup was introduced for young, silver-rated drivers, with Nico Bastian and Jack Manchester winning the inaugural title. It was also the final season for the Am Cup, which was won by Adrian Amstutz and Leo Machitski. In 2019, the sponsorship agreement between SRO and the Swiss watchmaker Blancpain ended, leading to the series being rebranded as the GT World Challenge Europe. This change aligned the European series with new GT World Challenge championships in Asia and America, forming a global platform for manufacturers to earn points across different regions.

In 2020, Amazon Web Services (AWS) became the official presenter and global technology provider, and the series adopted the name GT World Challenge Powered by AWS. In 2021, Fanatec was introduced as an additional title sponsor, a partnership that will last until the end of the 2024 season. As of 2023, the championship consisted of five titles, following the introduction of the Gold and Bronze Cups alongside the overall title, Silver Cup, and Pro-Am Cup. Niklas Krütten and Calan Williams won the inaugural Gold Cup, while Alex Malykhin became the first winner of the Bronze Cup. Additionally, 2023 marked the final year of the Pro-Am Cup.

In 2023, it was announced that the winner of the Bronze Cup would receive an automatic invitation to compete in the LMGT3 class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. To earn this invitation, a team must compete in all 10 rounds of the combined Endurance and Sprint series. Pure Rxcing won in its first year, gaining entry to the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans. As of 2025, the series maintained an even split between the Sprint and Endurance Cups, with each contributing to the overall championship title.^[4]

The GT World Challenge Europe is divided into two formats: the Endurance Cup and the Sprint Cup. Each format features an equal number of events, and together they contribute to the overall championship title.^[5] All races adhere to FIA GT3 regulations.^[6]

The Endurance Cup consists of five rounds, typically lasting 3 or 6 hours. The highlight of the season is the prestigious 24 Hours of Spa, a single 24-hour race that awards the most points of the year.^[7] Each race is usually shared by three or four drivers. The strategy for these events emphasizes consistency, effective driver management, and careful pit stop planning. The Sprint Cup also features five rounds, with each event weekend comprising two one-hour races. In these races, cars are shared by two drivers. The races are fast-paced and intense, requiring a mandatory pit stop for a driver change within a designated time window.

Points from both the Sprint and Endurance Cups are combined to determine the overall champions for the GT World Challenge Europe for drivers and teams. Additionally, the series holds separate championships within each event for different classes based on driver ratings (Gold, Silver, Bronze), following an FIA driver categorisation system. Cars entered in the Pro "class" do not compete for a separate title; instead, they aim solely for the overall championship.^[8]

• Bold denotes a circuit will be used in the 2026 season.

• GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup
• GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup
• Intercontinental GT Challenge
• GT World Challenge America
• GT World Challenge Asia
• GT World Challenge Australia

• Official website