Ratel Not Concerned About Latest GT3 “Evolution”
Sportscar365 • • technology
Key Points:
- Stephane Ratel expressed confidence that the new development approach for GT3 cars, where race cars are designed before production models, will not negatively impact the GT3 category despite concerns about road relevance and cost increases.
- The upcoming Mercedes-AMG GT3 and Toyota GR GT3 models have adopted this reverse development strategy, prompting worries about escalating costs and reduced customer racing accessibility.
- Ratel emphasized that the key factor will be the pricing of these new GT3 cars, stressing that affordability is crucial to maintaining the customer racing spirit central to GT3.
- He noted that unlike GTE, which ended due to costly manufacturer competition and marketing budget dependencies, GT3’s foundation in customer racing helps safeguard its longevity.
- Ratel acknowledged challenges from the trend of production GT cars becoming bigger and heavier, which complicates their suitability for racing, but views this as a market-driven evolution rather than a fundamental threat.