- CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa moves to 1-2 July due to Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix taking over its traditional dates
- Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS calendar altered in line with marquee event
- Further changes to other SRO calendars confirmed for 2023
SRO Motorsports Group has reorganised its European calendars for the 2023 season following the decision to stage next year's Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps on 29-30 July, the date most commonly used by the 24 Hours of Spa since 1953.
The changes principally concern Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS and its blue riband event, the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa, which was originally scheduled for the same end-of-July weekend. With the race shifting to a new date for its 75th edition, further alterations have been necessary to the calendars that were announced during Stephane Ratel's annual press conference at Spa-Francorchamps.
The traditional pre-season test days will take place as planned at Circuit Paul Ricard on 7-8 March, while the competitive action begins with a three-hour Fanatec GT Endurance race at Monza. The Italian event will run one week later than previously announced, moving to 21-23 April. The Fanatec GT Sprint season also launches at an unchanged venue on a later date, with the annual trip to Brands Hatch moving back by two weeks to 13-14 May. Both have been amended so as not to clash with FIA World Endurance Championship events, with drivers committed to both series.
The official CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa test days are now scheduled for 23-24 May, while the Circuit Paul Ricard 1000 kms is set to run on its original date of 2-4 June. The most significant change to the calendar concerns the marquee event. The 75th running of the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa is now scheduled to run over the weekend of 1-2 July, with track activity beginning on Tuesday 27 June and continuing throughout the week.
The new date for the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa means that the yearly visit to Misano moves back two weeks to 14-16 July. Next, Fanatec GT Endurance will make a welcome return to the Nürburgring (28-30 July), after which the series will pause for its traditional August break.
Racing will resume at Hockenheim on 2-4 September. Having successfully debuted this term as an Endurance round, the event will become part of the Fanatec GT Sprint calendar in 2023. Valencia retains its Sprint date on 15-17 September, followed by the Fanatec GT Endurance finale at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on 29 September-1 October.
The 2023 Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS campaign will conclude with a Fanatec GT Sprint round at Zandvoort on 13-15 October. The Dutch venue previously staged the finale in 2015, while this will the first instance of a Sprint event closing the season since Barcelona did so in 2016.
Further changes have been made to other SRO championships. The GT4 European Series, which stages all of its events alongside Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS, will now compete at the Nürburgring and not, as originally announced, at Misano. The Fanatec GT2 European Series also features a number of revised dates, with a slot for the Red Bull Ring round set to be confirmed in due course.
The FFSA GT French Championship and FFSA French Touring Car Championship will move their Magny-Cours round to avoid a clash with Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS, running at the Nièvre venue on 5-7 May. The events at Dijon (16-18 June), Val de Vienne (7-9 July) and Circuit Paul Ricard (6-8 October) will all take place one week earlier than originally announced, while the full calendar remains subject to approval from the FFSA. Across the Channel, the Intelligent Money British GT Championship has revised dates for Snetterton (17-18 June), Portimao (22-23 July) and Donington Park (21-22 October), all of which move by one week.
The Eternal Endurance Race, a six-hour GT4 event centred around Rome, is set to run as planned at Vallelunga on 28-29 October 2023.
These revised schedules are intended to ensure the best possible experience for the competitors and fans who invest their energy in SRO’s racing programmes across the globe. Full information regarding 2023 calendars will be communicated by each relevant championship in due course.
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