DRIVE to SURVIVE

So you want to go GT3 racing? Dreaming is cheaper

- Braam Peens

The quantum of racing platitudes is as bountiful as days are long, but one truism trumps them all: how do you make a small fortune in racing? Start with a big fortune.

The sun has set on February's Kyalami 9 Hour event and the clock has begun counting down towards possibly the most anticipated gathering on the GT3 calendar, the Nürburgring 24 Hours from 26 to 29 May. For the benefit of new converts, it's prudent to take a closer look at the category, from its roots and reach to the downright devastating potential to impoverish aspiring competitors.

GT3 racing arose in 2005 as a pared-back derivative of GT1 and GT2 categories in the then-FIA GT Championship. Manufacturers sold racecars to customers, but it was rendered unsustainable owing to their sky-high development costs. The spin-off GT3 category sought to combine (comparatively) cheaper cars from one-make series - such as Porsche Supercup and the Ferrari Challenge to compete under a unified global rule set.

Ahead of the 2008 financial recession that profoundly impacted all motorsport categories, this was a positively prescient path to take.

GT1 evolved into a de facto prototype class at the end of the millennium (see the Porsche 911 GT1 and Mercedes CLK LM) - and soon became defunct - and GT2 morphed into the Le Mans GTE category (set to cease at the end of 2023). Through either fate or design, GT3 has been in ascension as the heir apparent of tin-top racing's premier category.

Today, more than 50 different models have been homologated for participation in GT3 racing. Countless global championships and one-off races exist for them to compete in. The league is defined as a customer-racing series for homologated two-door, two-seater grand tourers, with no factory teams allowed. However, as in the case of Porsche and the specialist Nürburgring Manthey Racing outfit, some manufacturers blur the lines through partial ownership of race teams.