FIA GT1 – New frontiers feature on 2012 calendar

The global expansion of the FIA GT1 World Championship continues with the addition of new venues on the 2012 calendar announced by the FIA. GT1 World will have rounds in Europe, supported by the FIA GT3 European Championship, visiting Nogaro and Zandvoort for the first time. There will further rounds outside of Europe, with standalone events in Ordos, Beijing, Argentina and Russia.

The 2012 season will start at Circuit Paul Armagnac near Nogaro on April 8th at the traditional season opener at the circuit situated in south-west France.

Three weeks later the next joint event will take place at Zolder, with the GT1 World Championship returning to the Belgian circuit after a successful event last season.

Navarra in Northern Spain will once again play host to both series at the end of May. The drivers and team return to the Iberian Peninsula in July, racing at the Algarve circuit near Portimao in Portugal which has become firmly established on the calendar.

The first of the non-European rounds will be held in August with GT1 returning to China for back-to-back weekends, first in Beijing then onto Ordos. The cars will return west and head to Moscow where the venue is the 2.5mile/4km Moscow Raceway located 75km from the Russian capital.

Then it’s back to Europe for GT1 World’s first visit to Zandvoort and then the championship finale in Argentina in November.

The FIA GT3 European Championship will support GT1. Nogaro and Moscow are two new venues and GT3 returns to Zolder for the first time since the 2009 season finale. GT3 will return to Navarra, Algarve and Zandvoort following highly successful events in 2011.

“The 2012 calendar is very exciting and, with six dates being joint GT1 and GT3 events, it will provide everyone – teams, drivers, sponsors and race fans – with a great weekend of GT racing,” said Stephane Ratel. “The mix of European and overseas events is the right balance and I’m very pleased that we will be going to Moscow next year, which, like China, is a very important market. It will mark another first for SRO and the FIA GT Championships.”

“In these tough economic times we have to plan each event carefully and all the GT3 European races will be held on the same weekend as GT1,” Ratel continued. “One of the advantages of this means we will give the race fans even more to see on each of these weekends. GT3 will also travel to Moscow, which promises to be one of the highlights of the season.

“The two races in China were very successful in 2011 and the events in Ordos and Beijing in 2012 promise to be even bigger and better. GT1 World will be seen at Olympic Park next year and we are working hard to get permission to stage a street race after the success of the demonstration night race held at the venue in September.

“This calendar, and the move to harmonized GT3 technical regulations, offers both the FIA GT1 World and FIA GT3 European Championships stability in 2012 and beyond.”

2012 FIA GT1 World Championship Calendar

8th April FRA Nogaro

22nd April BEL Zolder***

27th May ESP Navarra

8th July PRT Algarve

26th August CHN Beijing **

2nd September CHN Ordos **

16th September RUS Moscow *

7th October NLD Zandvoort

25th November ARG San Luis *

2nd December IND New Delhi

2012 FIA GT3 European Championship Calendar