Preview: Intercontinental GT Challenge California 8H

The SRO Intercontinental GT Challenge California 8 Hour is an international race built from Pirelli World Challenge roots

This weekend's California 8 Hours at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca marks the first time an international GT-only series has visited the U.S. since the old FIA GT series raced at the same track nearly two decades ago. It will be the Intercontinental GT Challenge's first visit to the U.S., and also mark the longest endurance race yet held at the venerable California circuit.

The SRO California 8 Hours joins the Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour in Australia, the Total 24 Hours of Spa in Belgium and the Suzuka 10 Hours in Japan on the Intercontinental GT Challenge calendar. But while the series itself is international in scope, the resources are local.

It's kind of the racing version of Think Globally, Act Locally.

The majority of drivers, cars and teams that will campaign the race come from Pirelli World Challenge, SRO's partner in the U.S. The manufacturers typically provide resources and often drivers to local teams to compete in Intercontinental GT Challenge events, but ultimately it's the national (or continental) series teams that are doing the heavy lifting. It's a way to have an international series without moving the whole circus around the planet like Formula 1 does.

"The concept of the Intercontinental GT Challenge is that manufacturers compete in the global challenge – which is not a championship, it is a challenge," explains SRO Motorsports Group's founder and CEO, Stephane Ratel. "You have only one winner, you don't have one-two-three at the end. You have one big beautiful trophy for the winner of the challenge – a bit like the America's Cup. What we want to see, essentially, – and it doesn't mean that we won't have a couple of European or Australian cars coming – but the concept is that the U.S. teams are there, and hopefully supported by manufacturers."

Eight manufacturers will be represented in the event, including Porsche, McLaren, Audi and Acura, which is making its first appearance in the Intercontinental GT Challenge. Each of those is represented by one or more of its World Challenge teams, but also, in the case of Audi, by Audi Sport Team Land and California driver Connor de Phillippi, who won the ADAC Masters GT Championship in Germany. There are also GT4 entries to accompany those GT3 teams, with Porsche, Ginetta and Aston Martin represented. Finally, two V8 Mazda3s from Australia will be joining a special invitational class. There are 20 cars entered for the inaugural event.

"It's a first edition. With the first year I have no doubt that it will grow, simply because the challenge is growing. The 12 Hours [Bathurst] is an event that went from 17 GT3 cars to more than 35 in a couple of years. The manufacturers are more and more behind it. You have three major spectator events with large TV distribution, so we have very good potential with this event. It will come over time. I think [Laguna Seca] is the perfect place because you know in the collection of spectacular circuits, they are all very special places. They fit well together. Bathurst, Spa, Suzuka and Laguna are four of the most iconic racetracks on the planet," says Ratel.

He's quick to point out that it was never his intention for the Intercontinental GT Challenge to be part of the Blancpain GT Series, or even an extension of it, although he hopes more of the teams that run that European championship will come to the U.S. to compete in the California 8 Hours in the future. He says he also hopes that some of the IMSA GTD teams will join in as well. If that happens, as well as more PWC teams joining in, he expects the California 8 Hours to bloom.

"You look at the progress of the Nurburgring 24 Hours, Spa, even Dubai ... all the big GT-only endurance races are successful. I think there is really a market for that, and it doesn't exist in America. We hope we will make it."