Ratel proposes new GT3 World Cup

A World Cup for GT3 cars organized along national lines has been put forward by the architect of the category, Stephane Ratel.

Ratel, boss of the Blancpain Endurance and Sprint Series, has made the proposal to the FIA in reaction to an idea from the governing body for a World Cup announced late last year. It floated plans for an FIA label that could be taken by national championships and then these series would come together for an end-of-season event.

No series have taken up the proposal, so Ratel has come up with his own idea to create a one-off GT3 spectacular at the end of each season.

"It is not about taking the best cars from particular series, but getting as many brands on the grid, with each car raced by two drivers of the same nationality, to reflect the international flavour of GT3," he explained. "We could have a Brazilian BMW, for example, and a French McLaren."

Ratel explained that his idea would involve fully professional driver lineups, pro-am pairings and teams of all amateurs "to reflect the spirit of GT3."

The race would take place some time between December and February and would run to a sprint format of two one-hour races. No timescale has been set, but it is unlikely to come about until 2015-'16.

Ratel is not suggesting that he and his eponymous organization promote the World Cup: he wants the FIA to put the event out to tender to race tracks and promoters.

The idea has met with tentative approval from potential entrants.

Vincent Vosse, boss of the Spa 24 Hours-winning WRT Audi team, said: "It could work, but the big question is what tires we would run on.

"If we are on Pirellis, everyone will say that the Blancpain teams have an advantage. If we are on Yokohama, everyone will say that the ADAC GT Masters teams have an advantage.

"The best idea is if we had a tire that no one normally runs on. Then it could be a really good idea."