GTSPRINT is ready to be back on-track for its fifth season with a new name, EUROGTSPRINT. In addition to the name change, the series will sport many innovations starting from the return to its early format featuring two, 40-minute sprint races per weekend. Teams and drivers will also line-up for two 45-minute practice sessions followed by two individual, 15-minute qualifying segments.
With no pit-stops, drivers will be running the whole race providing some additional excitement. In case of teams with two drivers, the team-mates will be splitting duties during the official sessions and the races.
The FIA Authorized Series will be consisting of seven rounds starting from the 2014 opener scheduled for April 6th at Monza. The second round will be held on the 4th of May at the Hungaroring circuit, followed by Mugello on May 18th. Brno will be visited on June 22nd before moving to Portimão on the 20th of July. EUROGTSPRINT will then visit Magny-Cours for the first time in its history on September 7th. The 2014 grand finale will be held on the 12th of October at Imola.
The new GTSPRINT series will be partnering top-notch racing championships like the WTCC, Ferrari Challenge, GT Tour (French GT Championship) and the Italian Gran Turismo Championship.
The EUROGTSPRINT season will once again benefit from the outstanding TV coverage provided by _WIGE MEDIA, the same company that made the championship a benchmark in terms of TV coverage in the international GT panorama.
The organization will rely on a new structure which will be exclusively dedicated to the series, ADM Organization, with Dino Aldo Lodola and Massimo Gambucci overviewing the sporting aspects of the series’ promotion with headquarters in Vallelunga. Marketing and Communication will be managed directly by FG GROUP, in a partnership with _WIGE MEDIA for the TV coverage and with Garage Group for the PR and Press department management.
The 2014 season is set for new and spectacular racers to provide the same show that always highlighted the premium Grand Touring championship since its inception in 2010. Since then, 56 race have been run and many competitive drivers established their names in the series’ roll of honour. The Mediani-Bonetti duo won the first edition on a Ferrari while Cirò-Ardagna Perez kept the Maranello banner high in 2011. A new Ferrari, the 458 Italia GT2, made a winning debut in 2012 with Andrea Palma while German youngster Thomas Schöffler drove his Audi R8 LMS to title last season. Many other stars helped turning EUROGTSPRINT into a growing success, like 2012 GTS3 class Champion Mario Cordoni, 2013 runner-up Glauco Solieri on his Porsche 997 and top-caliber international racers like Laurens Vanthoor, Andrii Kruglyk, Johan Kristoffersson and Oliver Jarvis.
“Driving in GTSPRINT has been an unforgettable experience – said 2013 Champion Thomas Schöffler - I grew up as a racer and I learned a lot from my opponents. I also enjoyed to race in front of all the fans that supported me in every round, as they really made the difference in my run for the title. I’m finalizing the latest details for the upcoming season and it would be nice to return to GTSPRINT. I recommend it to all my fellow friends and colleagues”.