SRO GT2 explained

SRO GT2 is a class of grand tourer racing cars maintained by the SRO Motorsports Group. Despite the name, this class slots between GT4 and GT3 in terms of performance. The cars have more power than GT3 cars, with the most powerful entries at nearly 700 horsepower. However, they don’t have anywhere nearly as much downforce as a GT3 car. It also shouldn’t be confused with the Group GT2 from the early 2000s, which evolved into the now-defunct LM GTE class. The class uses a balance of performance to allow for close competition between competitors.

History

The new GT2 category was announced by the SRO in 2018. It was created as the GT3 category became more focused on downforce and also harder to drive for amateur drivers.[1] The GT2 cars would mainly focus on having a powerful engine with 640-700hp, which would be more powerful than a 560hp GT3 engine, while having low downforce more similar to the GT4 category.

The first GT2 race was a Porsche single-make event at the 2019 24 Hours of Spa, fielding the 911 GT2 RS Clubsport alongside a few Porsche 935s.[2] A second GT2 car, the Audi R8 LMS GT2, also made its public debut at the same time. The R8 GT2 saw its race debut at the 2019 GT Sports Club finale at Barcelona.[3]

During 2020, both KTM and Lamborghini launched their GT2 models, the KTM X-bow GT2[4] and the Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo GT2.[5]

In 2021 the GT Sportsclub was renamed to the GT2 European Series, and only allowed for SRO GT2 class cars to compete. The GT America Series also added the GT2 category as a class alongside its GT3 and GT4 classes.[6]

Homologated cars

As of January 7 2024, seven cars have been homologated for the SRO GT2 class. A few non-homologated cars have also raced in GT2 competition, such as the second generation Porsche 935, Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo and the Mercedes-AMG GT Track series.

!Homologation!Year!Manufacturer!Model!Developer!Photo!Notes
GT2-0012018Porsche911 GT2 RS ClubsportPorsche AGIncludes Evo[7]
GT2-0022019AudiR8 LMS GT2Audi Sport
GT2-0032020KTMX-Bow GT2Reiter Engineering
GT2-XXX2020LamborghiniHuracán Super Trofeo GT2Lamborghini Squadra CorseGT2 kit for the Lamborghini Huracán Super TrofeoIncludes Super Trofeo Evo and Evo2
GT2-XXX2021BrabhamBT63 GT2Brabham AutomotiveBrabham BT62 developed to GT2 specifications
GT2-XXX2023Mercedes-AMGAMG GT2Mercedes-AMG
GT2-XXX2023MaseratiMC20 GT2Maserati

Series

Since 2020, SRO GT2 cars have been either exclusive to or in a distinct class in each of the following series (bold indicates an active series that currently uses SRO GT2 cars):

Additionally, the following series allow SRO GT2 cars to participate alongside other competitors:

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Stephane Ratel On His New GT2 Class Concept dailysportscar.com . 2022-03-26 . www.dailysportscar.com.
  2. Web site: Porsche’s 911 GT2 RS Clubsport & 935 To Make Race Debuts At Spa dailysportscar.com . 2022-03-26 . www.dailysportscar.com.
  3. Web site: GT2 racing to return with Blancpain GT Sports Club in Barcelona . 2022-03-26 . Fanatec GT2 European Series . en-GB.
  4. Web site: KTM X-BOW GTX & GT2 Set For Autumn Launch dailysportscar.com . 2022-03-26 . www.dailysportscar.com.
  5. Web site: Lloyd . Daniel . Lamborghini to Make Huracan Super Trofeo Eligible for GT2 – Sportscar365 . 2022-03-26 . sportscar365.com . en-US.
  6. Web site: SRO Motorsports Group . 2024-01-07 . SRO Motorsports Group.
  7. Web site: 2023-04-28 . Porsche 911 GT2 evo kit launched at Monza with podium success . 2023-04-28 . Fanatec GT2 European Series . en-GB.