In a historic announcement on the eve of final 12 months’s Le Mans, the ACO and the FIA revealed plans to bring GT3 cars to WEC for the primary time for the reason that platform debuted almost 20 years in the past.
This can open up the championship to greater than a dozen producers, most of which don’t have any vehicles constructed to outgoing GTE laws and have been turned off by excessive value of entry within the Professional division.
A bumper GT3 discipline is now anticipated at Le Mans in 2024, with numerous groups and producers more likely to vie for restricted seats on the planet’s largest sportscar race.
Manufacturing facility Aston Martin driver Thiim has been racing in WEC’s GTE lessons since 2013 and in addition has loads of expertise within the British marque’s Vantage GT3, placing him in a great place to check the 2 vehicles.
Whereas naturally unhappy to see GTE vehicles being phased out utterly after subsequent season, Thiim stated the brand new GT3 class might play a key function in serving to sportscar racing scale new heights within the coming years.
“It is the path the whole lot goes, like anyplace you see,” Thiim, who received the 2019/20 GTE Professional title, informed Autosport. “The automobile market is doing a shift in the direction of cleaner stuff.
“To begin with, I simply hope to return again and benefit from the final 12 months in a correct GT automobile like GTE. It is a proud and honour to have been a part of the final storyline earlier than it goes to GT3, which is far more customer-based.
“As LMDh, GT3 goes to be so spectacular to observe, particularly round Le Mans. It may be insane.
“And GT3 appears to be a lot nearer additionally since you even have a lot extra help from ABS and all that stuff makes it approach simpler to drive.
“From the spectators’ viewpoint, it should be in all probability the very best period wanting like 20 years forward with all of the LMDh coming in, these lovely producers and the GT3 in addition to it. It will be an eventual Le Mans and no matter [event] you will come to.”
#98 Northwest AMR Aston Martin Vantage AMR: Paul Dalla Lana, TBA, Nicki Thiim
Photograph by: JEP / Motorsport Images
New Porsche LMDh signing Tandy is one other driver with huge quantity of expertise in each GTE and GT3 equipment and is a part of an unique membership of drivers to have received the unofficial sextuple crown of endurance racing.
Tandy admits GT3 vehicles aren’t as subtle as GTE, however feels any draw back is outweighed by the anticipated improve in competitors in what shall be a single Professional-Am class for grand touring vehicles from 2024.
The feedback comply with Tandy having to compete in a dwindled IMSA discipline in 2021, when Corvette was left as the one full-season producer within the all-pro GTLM class for GTE vehicles.
“There are two methods to take a look at it,” the British driver informed Autosport. “Primary, we now have to recollect firstly that this sport is a sport and it wants competitors.
“So the truth that GT3 coming in, with all of the producer vehicles which can be obtainable, the way in which the category is managed from a technical stage, the BoP stage, the provision of vehicles, groups, drivers, finance behind this to get vehicles on the grid and race competitively with one another, I feel it is unbelievable. It is precisely what’s wanted as a result of I am positive it will likely be nice racing.
“The one unhappy factor a little bit bit for me is that it goes away from extra of the technical freedom that we now have presently with GTE-spec vehicles. GT3 is a little more homologated and there is much less stuff that the groups can do as soon as the automobile has been homologated.
“You’ve got acquired your product and then you definately’re going racing, in order that I can see is the one draw back. And in comparison with the sporting facet it is a very small draw back.
“I hope it is nice for the game, I actually do. With LMDh, LMH and GT3 for the years to return in each prime collection on the planet, I feel we are able to all hope that it will likely be a magical time for the subsequent 5-10 years of sportscar racing.”
