Abu Dhabi: The man behind Friday's inaugural FIA GT1 World Championship at Yas Marina Circuit says Abu Dhabi was a natural choice for what he feels is the rebirth of GT racing.
"Abu Dhabi's Yas Marina Circuit was almost a natural choice. It's a spectacular circuit and fits very much with the glamour of GT racing," said former driver Stephane Ratel, who is the Founder and CEO of Stephane Ratel Organisation, the motorsports organisation which will run FIA's latest world championship after the Formula One and the World Rally.
"When they build a facility like this for F1 they looked at all categories. Many people like GTs here and we have been contacting Yas Marina very early," the Frenchman told Gulf News as the teams began testing yesterday.
"This inaugural champion is both an achievement and a beginning. GT racing was there 15 years ago so it is a sort of resurrection. It is a new start since we have been awarded the FIA World Championship title which is very important," he said.
"Another important fact is that we have changed the format. The new two one-hour racing format will make it much more interesting and exciting. Two one-hour races with a driver change in the middle are more spectator-friendly," Ratel said.
"There is more clarity now in this championship. Earlier some teams used to come with one car, some with three, some do three races, and some do more. Now we have taken a leaf from the Formula One and we have only two cars per team, two teams per brand so a total of 24 cars and a total of 48 drivers. Now you will know the teams and drivers and this clarity was not there in our sport before," he said.
"We have a very controlled structure and teams cannot over spend. We are very structured. While Formula One is a technological competition, GT1 is a sporting competition. We freeze the technique. The technical abilities of all cars will be the same and frozen. The FIA controls everything electronically so you cannot spend money and it makes it a level field," said Ratel.
"It will also be fun to watch. In F1, because it is technological the best is in front; if you have the best car then you are the best. Here all cars are equal. The cars are very much level and it will be a very close contest. Excitement wise we have a very good show," he promised.
