WC to extend life of GTS category

SCCA has outlined the direction of the GTS category in the World Challenge series, hoping to encourage cars such as the Ford Mustang & Chevrolet Camaro to be entered.

The GTS class was created as an interim class for 2010, to allow the older World Challenge Touring Class cars such as the Acura TSX, Mazda3, Mazda6 and the BMW 328i to compete, whilst introducing a newer low cost touring category this season.

The category has generally been unsuccessful, as Mazda weren’t interested in competing with the new limited profile, and so switched it’s focus to the to the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge (CTSCC), with their new ‘GTS’ class Mazda3 only ever racing twice.

BMW similarly departed World Challenge, with the Bimmerworld team building new M3’s and switching to CTSCC too, leaving Acura/HPD to fight alone in GTS, with occasional guests in the category.

As a result, Acura lead the category comfortably, with Peter Cunningham on 834 points to team mate Nick Esayian’s 715, though HPD has also developed a new Touring Class Honda Civic, which has already taken it’s first victory against that category’s dominant Scion tC.

WC Vision hope the new direction for the category will favour more competition, rather than officially phasing the category fully out.

The Acura TSX and BMW 328i will be grandfathered in to the category, and they will be the only cars allowed to continue with sequential-shift gearboxes, though ballast will continue to be used to balance out any advantage.

“When GTS was announced for 2010, we knew this would be a transitional year, providing a place for the more radical 2009 Touring Cars while building a platform to build upon for years to come,” said WC Vision Director of Operations Scott Bove.

“As GTS moves forward, it will fill the clear void between the Touring Car and GT classes, offering great racing by some of the marketplace’s hottest and most popular cars.”.

The series is targeting the new category at the premium performance road car, that sits between typical touring car and GT style cars, such as the Ford Mustang, Dodge Challenger, Chevrolet Camaro, Audi S4, BMW 335, BMW M3, Cadillac CTS-V, Mercedes CLK V8, Infiniti G37, Nissan 370, Lexus IS-F, Mitsubishi EVO, and Subaru WRX STi.

Artists impression of a GTS Ford Mustang