LAT Images photo
Guess we can all admit that the GT Le Mans class isn’t long for this world: IMSA just announced its replacement for next year, GTD PRO.
Here's the full 411:
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Solidifying a bright future for factory-supported, professional GT endurance racing in North America, International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) officials today announced the introduction …
And cannot say that I'm surprised. Do we really need two classes for basically the same cars? See also: Why not bring back GTU (GT4) and GTO (GT3) one day?
Bring back tubeframe racecars. 
The writing was on the wall. I wonder if Corvette will make a GT3-spec version of the C8 or just pull out after this year. They're the only GTLM manufacturer left that doesn't have a GT3 car ready to go, if I'm not mistaken.
In reply to slowbird :
A GT3 Corvette/GT4 Camaro program would be way cool.
I have to think this is a bit of a direct shot at GM to get with the program. There hasn't been a US customer-available Corvette race car since the C5.R, and even the previously GT3 homolgated GM race cars like the Cadillacs were pulled from competition as soon as the grace period expired, before they would have to make them available for sale. I get that GM wants to tightly control both the marketing and competition aspects of their race cars, but I think this is IMSA finally saying that they want to level that playing field as well.
I also think they should absolutely allow Platinum drivers to compete in the lower class. Maybe the dividing line is an average team rating of Gold or better for the Pro class, while average rating below that goes in Am. If three Bronze drivers want to hire a Platinum driver to be their team rabbit, I am totally here for that action.
Ah, here we are.
Chevrolet’s director of motorsports competition engineering Mark Stielow, responded to the news: "The introduction of a GTD Pro category in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is a positive move forward for the future of professional GT racing in North America.
“We appreciate the leadership and openness from IMSA during this on-going process. Now that the class structure has been established, Corvette Racing and Chevrolet will continue to work with IMSA to determine how Corvette could fit into this new future of GT competition.”
A non-answer, but sounds more like "we're open to building a car for this new class" than "we're bailing out after 2021" to me.
David S. Wallens said:And cannot say that I'm surprised. Do we really need two classes for basically the same cars? See also: Why not bring back GTU (GT4) and GTO (GT3) one day?
Side quest: How many cars can we think of that had both GTO and GTU variants? RX-7, 911 and Fiero come instantly to mind. Any others?
In reply to JG Pasterjak :
Good point about the lack of a customer Corvette race program in years. Meanwhile, look at all of the offerings from their competition: Porsche, Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren, Audi, Acura, etc., etc. Chevy's the big hole in that puzzle.
JG Pasterjak said:David S. Wallens said:And cannot say that I'm surprised. Do we really need two classes for basically the same cars? See also: Why not bring back GTU (GT4) and GTO (GT3) one day?
Side quest: How many cars can we think of that had both GTO and GTU variants? RX-7, 911 and Fiero come instantly to mind. Any others?
BMW 320i.
And how about early Z-car? Can we stretch 240Z-280ZX to fit?
David S. Wallens said:And how about early Z-car? Can we stretch 240Z-280ZX to fit?
Looks like there were 280Zs built for GTU, GTO and GTX(!!!!)
Merkur XR4Ti ran GTO and GTU.
Toyota Celica, but I'll let JG rule on that one.
Looks like Ferrari 308 makes the cut in GTU and GTO, although they were all privateer cars.
For Celica, I'll give it an asterisk. Celicas of different generations ran GTU, GTO and GTX, but I don't think the same body ever ran multiple classes.
Mazda MX-6 and Chevy Beretta.
In reply to David S. Wallens :
I was going to mention the Merkur if nobody else did. 
Also, the Dodge Daytona raced in GTU and Trans-Am, and one of those Trans-Am cars later crossed over to race in what was called GT-S1 by that point.
This has been expected for a while. The one thing they don't mention is if they will use the same SRO BOP as used in GTD, or go their own. DTM has stated that (in a bid to save the series from total collapse) they will be switching to GT3 cars (like GTD/DTD Pro) but with their own BOP. That could increase the differentiation between the Pro and the Pro/Am cars.
In reply to slowbird :
Yeah, JG and I were trying to remember if a Daytona ran actual GTO. Maybe we were thinking of the T/A car.
As long as the sweet music of the Corvette's flat plane crank sticks around for a few more years, I'm cool with it. That and the RSR are the only two GT cars with any real volume or drama about them. Most of the GTD cars are quieter than their street versions.
The cover photo made me think Team Mach from Super GT is racing at Daytona.
JG Pasterjak said:I have to think this is a bit of a direct shot at GM to get with the program. There hasn't been a US customer-available Corvette race car since the C5.R, and even the previously GT3 homolgated GM race cars like the Cadillacs were pulled from competition as soon as the grace period expired, before they would have to make them available for sale.
JG - Would you expand on this? Are you saying there is a rule stating manufacturers HAVE to sell race cars to privateers, after a certain period of time?
dyintorace (Forum Supporter) said:JG Pasterjak said:I have to think this is a bit of a direct shot at GM to get with the program. There hasn't been a US customer-available Corvette race car since the C5.R, and even the previously GT3 homolgated GM race cars like the Cadillacs were pulled from competition as soon as the grace period expired, before they would have to make them available for sale.
JG - Would you expand on this? Are you saying there is a rule stating manufacturers HAVE to sell race cars to privateers, after a certain period of time?
Not sure if the rule still exists as it originally did, but when IMSA adopted FIA GT3 regulatins for the class they called GT Daytona, the cars had to be homologated FIA GT3 cars (with some IMSA-specific mods), and they also had to be be available to any teams that wanted to buy them. There was a grace period, like maybe a year or two, but after that the cars had to be available to anyone with a checkbook. Pretty sure that's why the Cadillacs disappeared pretty quick. Acua did their first year as a fartory-supported effort, now there's privateer teas out there fielding them. Lexus is a weird case, though. I think technically a privateer team *could* buy one of those if they wonted, but they haven't dols any for reasons I'm not privvy to. But they've managed to find some loophole that allows them to run a de-facto factory team in a division that's supposed to be focused more around independent efforts.
The model IMSA seems to be looking for is the model that's in place in most of the rest of the world. Teams buy a race car from a manufacturer, then that manufacturer takes support for that car to every race that's available to every team. The additional factory support comes in the form of a team of in-house drivers on each manufacturer's roster that can be assigned to various independent teams based on who needs a favor at the moment.
I think the ATS-V GT3's went away when the 2 door ATS went out of production.
Will be interesting to see what engine a GT3 Corvette would use as an LT engine might be more customer friendly than the current flat plane crank engine.
bruceman said:I think the ATS-V GT3's went away when the 2 door ATS went out of production.
Will be interesting to see what engine a GT3 Corvette would use as an LT engine might be more customer friendly than the current flat plane crank engine.
I wonder if GM has the same issue with their engine as Ford did with the GT engine.... Which was- to make that kind of power for that long, the crank was made from unobtanium. So while the car is easy to homologate to GT3, there's not a realistic engine for it.
BTW, the reason for that is the engine has to be used for other, real, vehicles. Which put's major packaging constraints on the block and head design.
My guess is that if they build a corvette gt3 they will keep the flat crank dohc v8 for the race car. My understanding is that that this engine gets better bop then they small block so that alone is worth staying with it. Plus this is the engine that will be in the new z06. This engine will probably be more customer friendly then the turbo v8 engines used by bmw,mclaren,and Ferrari.
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