Comprising sprint-format series in Europe, Asia and America, each regional category will award its own titles while also allowing manufacturers to contest a global customer racing championship played out over 18 exciting events.
The World Challenge concept will unite the three series under a global banner. This will be instantly evident to TV viewers, with every race enjoying the same industry-leading coverage throughout 2019.
This has been facilitated by a major investment in production standards, with specialist suppliers in each region, centrally managed by SRO TV, ensuring that every event lives up to the World Challenge name.
What’s more, a new graphics package will be used to ensure a common identity for the European, American and Asian series. The American championship will also have access to on-board cameras for the first time, further enhancing the viewing experience for fans watching at home.
In turn, this global approach will see each championship expand its audience into new territories. Existing deals have been enhanced and new agreements put in place heading into 2019, ensuring that the Blancpain GT World Challenge enjoys a truly worldwide level of coverage.
In Europe, both Eurosport and Fox Sports Europe will broadcast highlights of all 18 Blancpain GT World Challenge rounds, bringining the American and Asian championships to television screens across the European continent for the first time.
America will also enjoy significantly improved coverage this year, with CBS Sports Network expanding its commitment by airing live action from all Blancpain GT World Challenge America events. There will also be as-live broadcasts from the European races and extended highlights from the Asian category, ensuring that every race is available to watch in American homes.
Fox Latin America will take its coverage to a new level in 2019. Broadcasting to viewers in Mexico, Central America, South America and the Caribbean, the network will show extended highlights from all 18 races, representing a significant increase on its previous commitment.
On the Asian continent, Fox Asia will continue to show live action from its regional Blancpain GT World Challenge category. The network will also add live coverage from Europe this season, as well as extended highlights from races in the American championship.
Indeed, viewers across Europe, Asia and America will have the chance to enjoy all 18 races during the 2019 season. This approach is at the heart of the Blancpain GT World Challenge concept. Not only will it provide manufacturers with an arena in which to prove the success of their customer racing efforts, it will lead to a considerable increase in exposure for each regional series.
In addition to the extensive TV coverage on offer throughout the upcoming season, fans will have even more opportunities to watch thanks to online broadcasting. All Blancpain GT World Challenge events will be streamed live or as-live on their respective websites, as well as other online platforms across different territories.
Following its great success last year, live digital streaming will once again take the series to China, with all 18 rounds of the Blancpain GT World Challenge shown online in the country. Streamed live on multiple China-based digital platforms such as Youku, Panda TV, and Huya, the digital audience is forecast to exceed 1.5 million viewers, with several million more expected to see race highlights on China’s Travel Channel TV news and sports bulletins, as well as via non-live online viewing.
In-depth information regarding each individual series will be announced in the coming weeks. With major broadcasting agreements in place for the season ahead, fans can expect to enjoy a wealth of action as the Blancpain GT World Challenge goes global.
___
Blancpain – Innovation is our Tradition
Since 1735, Blancpain has been contributing to the development of mechanical watchmaking, while conserving the traditional skills of its founder
Blancpain is currently engaged to the renewal of mechanical watchmaking and to passing on exceptional expertise from one generation to the next through constant investment in human resources, production facilities and research. This approach is its strength and the expression of our long-term vision, even though it goes against the tide of a certain tendency to seek immediate profit.
From the creation of components through to watch design, Blancpain is distinguished by its ability to develop exceptional movements. Through its various models, Blancpain preserves its heritage of precision and elegance, while also displaying an innovative and occasionally provocative spirit. Its range encompasses the sportive Levolution line, the legendary Fifty Fathoms diver’s watch, as well as the classic Villeret collection, the high complication from Le Brassus collection and the Women models.
_____
Pirelli – Official Tyre Supplier
Pirelli is a tyre manufacturer and world leader in the automotive industry. It has an exclusive relationship with over 50 racing series worldwide, including Formula One.
Pirelli has a long and illustrious history in endurance racing, and has also claimed a huge variety of class wins in GT racing all over the world. The design of the new Pirelli GT tyres meets the needs of GT racing while maintaining the performance characteristics that endurance drivers have appreciated in the past.The slick tyres used for GT racing are branded Zero: just like the slicks that have become a central feature of Formula One. The name P Zero is used in the highest categories of motorsport such as GT racing.
___
Blancpain GT World Challenge
The 2019 season will see SRO Motorsports Group unite the sprint-format championships formerly known as the Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup, Blancpain GT Series Asia and Pirelli World Challenge GT to form a new global initiative: the Blancpain GT World Challenge.
This exciting international endeavour will present GT3 manufacturers, partners and teams with the chance to compete in worldwide customer racing and measure the success of their achievements on a truly global scale.
Each series will retain its present status as an individual championship and will be known as Blancpain GT World Challenge Europe, Blancpain GT World Challenge Asia and Blancpain GT World Challenge America.
Drawing inspiration from the concept successfully pioneered in the Intercontinental GT Challenge, where manufacturers compete through local teams, each GT3 manufacturer will be able to establish a line-up of 12 drivers who will score points for their brand in the overall Blancpain GT World Challenge.
They will be split across the three continental sprint series, with four competing in the GT World Challenge Europe, four in the GT World Challenge America and four in the GT World Challenge Asia.
To fully integrate all classes of driver, each group must include a star (classified as Platinum); a good professional (classified Gold); an up-and-coming driver or a very experienced non-professional (classified Silver); and a Gentleman driver or former star (classified Bronze).
With major manufacturers striving to demonstrate their excellence in the competitive arena of international customer racing, the new Blancpain GT World Challenge will take on-track competition to a new level in 2019 and beyond.