GTE: The Greatest GT Class of All Time?
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- Опубликовано: 30 дек 2023
- The GTE (Grand Touring Endurance) class had quite a history that came to a close at the end of this season. From its humble beginnings in the late 90s, to the manufacturer-filled empire that it became at its height, the GTE classes provided some of the most thrilling moments in sports car racing history.
Whether you knew it from the American Le Mans Series, IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, FIA WEC, 24 Hours of Le Mans, or somewhere else, anyone who had the privilege of watching this category is sure to have a favorite moment.
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What was your favorite GTE moment of all time?
The ford GT winning the 24h of lemans in 2016.
When Cooper MacNeil won Petit Le Mans in 2021
Hey Andrew…
Without a doubt 2015 Petit Le Mans. Tandy/Pilet winning overall in Porsche 911 RSR. 2nd place goes to the Lime Rock 2019 race between Ford and Porsche both running different pit stop strategies which Ford won on a 3 stop strategy vs Porsche's 2 stop strategy
@@andrewbrodsky1241 Ha Ha very funny. I think that is a joke that one. I must say R.L.L BMW got screwed out of winning a at least 3 GTLM races in 2021 due to late race incidents of some type.
Its funny how when GTE was at its peak in WEC and ALMS/IMSA winning the GT class felt more rewarding and worthwhile compared to winning the race overall in a prototype. Gonna miss this era.
It's pretty much the circle of life in sportscar racing. GT3 racing is reaching the heights of GTE racing. Even in the prototypes, a class will become too expensive and too fast until a new cheaper class comes about with much more popularity (e.g. Hypercar).
and the cycle will repeat itself unfortunately :(
Oh that Flying Lizard Porsche brings back memories. Played lots with that car in Forza Motorsport 3, that game, is probably the biggest reason why I love cars and motorsports. My favourite cars in that game, the Prototypes and the GT's, the two best types of race cars
I have a nice poster of the 2008 one on my wall, its been on my wall for 15 years
@@maur7432 I have a 1:43 model of the same. Kept it pristine ever since my mom gifted it to me for my 9th birthday
the Corvette C7.R from the IMSA GTE class will forever be the most iconic and memorable car for me, i always thought it's the perfect example of what a race car looks and sounds like
M8 big boi my beloved. You will be missed.
Big Boi will return again, but this time with M4
Something interesting, is that GT cars and prototype cars have a very interesting relationship. Because, whenever one is booming, the other one isn't doing so well.
Back in the late 60's to early 70's, what was essentially prototypes of the era like the GT40, 917 and such were all the rage, leaving the GT race cars of the early 60's without much place.
By the late 1970's, prototypes were suffering, with only things like the 936 being around, but GT racing boomed with the 935 and led to the really popular Group 5 of the late 70's and early 80's
By the mid 1980's came around and Group C, which was so popular, that made Group B become pretty much sealed in Rally and not in closed circuits like they were also intended to be run, hence why cars like the 961 barely saw any use and the 288 GTO never even raced. And while GT racing certainly existed, it was pretty much an entirely private affair.
By the 1990's, Group C imploded on itself after the 1991 regulation changes, so GT1 rose and became the dominant force, until it eventually died of and allowed LMP1 to fully take over.
The 2000's and early 2010's were a strange time, but the main programs were mostly focused on GT cars, while Audi was pretty much on their own. Yet, GT1 folded and GT2/GTE became the main thing while LMP1 reached arguably it's golden era from 2014-2016.
After 2016, LMP1 began decaying with Audi leaving and then Porsche, leaving Toyota pretty much on their own, and that was when GTE reached its peak.
However, after the Hypercar/LMDh regulations became a things, everyone jumped ship from GTE into the new prototypes, leaving GT racing solely to GT3, which, much like in the Group C days, will be a pretty much entirely private affair, just with a bit more factory backing.
absolutely well put, yeah the relationship between GT and Prototype sure as hell is dynamic
Wow I never thought of it this way. You're absolutely right! At least in IMSA right now everyone seems to be obsessed with the GTP cars right now going into their second season.
As a BMW man I love the E92 GT2, such a great sounding and cool looking car. It’s a shame the GTE didn’t have a proper world championship all to their own, like imagine a separate series with just GTE and maybe some privateer GT3 cars. Would have been spectacular, I guess that’s why I like GT3 so much though. But they need a proper pro world championship, I mean I know there is the IGTC and stuff but I think it’s just slightly missing something
GT needs to be cheap for manufactures and exciting for fans, the new regulations are aimed for that, hopefully it will just continue to deliver.
What I’m getting from this is Corvette sends people running
Gt E is stil is the best division to ever see do to the fact that they left a pinical moment in IMSA sports car history
I didn't watch when GTE was at its peak, and I honestly thought the ACO were being ridiculously stubborn sticking to it as long as they did and not switching to GT3. then I watched the 8hrs of Bahrain, where the Iron Dames won. such a good race throughout, and all the tributes. I've since gone and added a few IMSA and WEC races to a playlist from the time when the class was at its strongest, so I'll properly appreciate it
GTE really defined an era of sports car racing. So much exciting races in the class, it's basically one of my favorite classes. Will definitely miss the category, but hope that the GT3 can do as well as the GTE class.
GT3 has been around for so long and it has proven that it is as good as GTE in my opinion.
as long as they limit the power of the engines it will suck
Excellent video mate. As a new sportscar fan coming from 11 years of F1, only watching seriously since Daytona last year, I feel a little sad that I missed so much of the GTE era. But I think that with IMSA GTD Pro that there is a competitive and varied top level pro field of "pure" GT racing, so GT has some legs on it yet. With the shifting environment and focus moving away from internal combustion slowly but surely, it's inevitable. But GTD Pro will remain as a benchmark for what GT racing can be. And that's pretty cool.
If Porsche can defeat Greta maybe there’s hope.
GT3 racing in WEC and IMSA is growing with new cars and entries. I think the next few years will be great.
Im glad I started watching IMSA and WEC in 2018 to see these amazing cars race. 2019 was the absolute peak and will miss them a lot
Note: GT1 of the 90s didn't even require a road going car in the case of the Sintura S99 GT1
I thought everyone was required to build at least 1 "street" version?
@@takumifujiwara13954 They had a box of spare parts they put a tarp over and called it the "Street" version because they were broke.
@@takumifujiwara13954 Many manufacturers did infact do that, but only Porsche and Mercedes sold there's. Lister and Toyota never sold their single road cars and neither did Nissan, who even went so far as to pull this trick two years in a row with the same road car. How? Simple: Build One car and show it off to the fans at the race in 1997. Then just change the rear of the car, paint it a new color and suddenly, its a 1998 model. Sintura didn't even do that (Because they didn't have the budget the other guys did) so they likely just took the one car they built (In bare carbon fiber), slapped a plate on it and presented it as the Road car. GT1 was rife with some cheeky tactics.
@@RACECAR I know that. What I'm saying is, I thought everyone was required to BUILD at least 1 unit of the street version. Dexter saying GT1 doesn't require a road car to be build seems wrong. But is that true or false? That's my question.
Great video as always! Looking forward to see how the story that GT3 cars will write in this new era!
I kinda wish there was a GT3 Pro class in WEC, it would be cool that one of the two spots allocated to each manufacturer was a pro entry. GT Pro racing just hits different
I was thinking all the GT teams for 2024 all had pro drivers lol, considering that there's no proper GT3 AM class.
@@r0b3rt_959 unfortunately the LMGT3 class has the same driver regulations as the GTE-Am had
I like to think that no one wants to deal with Corvette Racing anymore, so manufacturers and teams jump ship when they get an opportunity to.
Such a sad story losing such good racing in a few years time. But i would call Corvette Racing the True GTE Champion all combined. they stood up every season and were the only brand to remain when the rest were falling down.
The FIA and IMSA should have collaborated on a GTE world championship, an all endurance world championship, we could of had even more manufacturers if the class had its own solo world championship, it could have survived this downfall, maybe they should so that with GT3 before that class dies too
Why would GT3 die? We have so many manufacturers now and there a being raced in so many series / countries I can't see that happening. You can basically race in every major endurance race with a GT3 car now.
I'm not sure if there is an interest for a World Championship in GT racing. It's just too expensive to do.
@@Maenfy GT3 will die out some day, rising costs because of new evolutions will do that.
With a nice bonus that the final ever GTE-Am win went to the all female Iron Dames team
GTE wasn't just peak GT in the real world, it was peak GT in sim racing as well. Some of the best racing, and most fun, I ever had in iRacing was when the GTE cars were prominent in a bunch of series. Just magnificent machines, real and virtual.
Quite incredible how it just died within the space of 2-3 years post 2018
Thanks! Very nicely produced and informative video!
The first GT1 racing car was a Dauer 962 in 1994. They litteraly made road legal a Group C Porsche to homologate it in the GT1 regulation.
One of my favorite stories from Le Mans. Maybe some day I'll give that its own video.
Great video! We’re looking forward to shooting a ton of the GT3 class in the coming seasons 🍾. The stories out there are plentiful.
Great video. Good timing too, been working on making some grids in assetto corsa and this video helps clear some things up for me gt2 vs GT1 over the years 👍
Excellent video man, very informative for someone who is trying to better understand and become involved it sports car racing. You have earned yourself a subscriber! Also the C6.R is my favorite, I distinctly remember them racing on the Speed channel when I was a kid
having got into sports cars only in 2019 i never really got GTE/GTLM, i always assumed that since the name was newer that the ACO had just taken GT3 and wanted to feel special about it. this video has made me realise how wrong i was about that, and now knowing a little more about the history of it and having watched the bahrain 8h last year, it makes me sad that we're losing a small piece of sportscar history.
that being said, bring on LMGT3 and i hope it can go strong for plenty more years into the future
Thanks you I never knew any of this, I am bummed that I missed it. I am into slot cars though. Hopefully I can watch a race at Laguna Seca this year.
Great video!!!!!!
And also we win the incredible Lmh and Lmdh regulations that are getting sportscar racing to another level and possible to a new Endurance golden era like Group C, and gt3 cars are not that bad tbh
Porsche 911 RSR GTE: Best sounding GT car EVER.
Right when the GTE was some of the best racing on the planet. They get rid of it. Those GTE cars will be be missed in 2024.
I love watching alms with my dad as a kid. Still have a flying lizard shirt somewhere
All im getting from this is that I got into motorsports at the worst time
Wouldn't say so. Yeah, the GT classe is talking a hit, but the prototype class is mad interesting now. And that's just endurance.
Chevy dominated this era I'm so glad I was around to witness it all.
On another note the problem is the FIA, the FIA is a euro based entity and they want European manufacturers to succeed but with non-euro namesakes winning, the FIA finds ways to change the rules, classes and formula that works. They messed up Formula One now they want to do the same to Endurance racing.
I mean not really. The death of GTE has been coming for a few years now. BMW and Ford leaving completely and Aston Martin pulling their Pro car sealed it's death.
Hi there!
Could you please explain the rules and regulations of GT3? Such as aero, engine, chassis?
Formula 1 might get more hype...but sportscar racing just hits different for me
Tragic how GTE disappeared so soon, it truly was the greatest GT class of all time, and that's coming from a historic racing fan.
Enjoyed watching the Ford GT win Le Mans
Back when the commentary had more enerngy IIRC !
Nowadays when I watch WEC, it's like I'm watching golf or tennis.
Yes the answer is yes
how many people rembemer the four car battle for lead in le mans 2023 gte am . corvette v tf sport vs iron dames vs rexy
GT300 is underrated
I'd say GT1 was way cooler but the GT part was basically a name. GTE is definetly the best "true GT" class pretty much ever
Greatest ever for me: GT1.
I'll leave it up to you what GT1 category I mean with this, out of all that exist :D
What's about Group 5?
Well... tbf, GTE was a nice class, but nothing will beat the good old GT1 class of 1997-1998 where these cars were able to match or even beat the pace of the open top prototypes.
GT1 was the best
the only difference with Corvette racing was they already had GTP car through Cadilac anyway as both are under GM
i love GTE but GT1 well forever rain supreme
After Super GT's GT500 class, maybe.
Nice
and GT1
not even close, ut's still the GT-1 era for me
Nope, group 5 was the greatest era..... GT1 consisted of mostly reskinned prototypes...... Doesn't even count.
GTE was in a weird territory. It was extremely close to the widely popular GT3, but an order of magnitude more expensive. The fact that LMP1 was replaced with Hypercars, which are a bit closer in terms of performance and shape to GT cars, made the gap between GTE and its class above shrink, too.
This means that by now there's just not enough space between Hypercars and GT3s to have a class between them, much less when that class is bound to be extremely expensive and look like GT3 cars to the average fan.
Tl;dr GTE had to go. GT3 cars already cover the "road silhouette car" niche, and Hypercars already cover the "peak of endurance racing" niche.
factory teams come and go and that means the category it relies on does the same, GT3 was customer focused from the start and thats why its been around since 2005 almost unchanged and has taken over almost every GT championship on earth from club level up to world championship level. The american OEMS never really "got" customer racing so they have been dragged into it kicking and screaming once they are left with nowhere else to race.
What a great fuckin video
#95 Dane Train 🇩🇰
Seeing how this ruleset has fallen off in recent years, I can only say that I'm very glad that GTE is now gone 🙏
Ugh RIP speed channel!
B I G M8
Nah, it was pre 2009 GT1 yo
Maybe in terms of supercarishness, but definitely not in terms of competitiveness.
pre 2009 gt1 was just aston vs corvette in endurance racing, and the mc12 dominating fia gt in europe
not sure you guys were watching the same racing I was
@@speedymouse2859 I was 6
@@houseking9211 I've been watching sportscars since 95, the late 90s proto-GT1s were flashy but the racing was only great during the mid 90s, it turned into a parade with the Mercs in 98 and LM got a bit dull around then. GTS and it's follow on GT1 brought back the entertainment and Spa24 really was where it was at for GT racing during that period
Even DTM cars are GT3 cars now. So boring looking at the same cars across all these series. Sure performance may not be exactly the same but close enough to feel like I’m watching the same race. I want full blown factory GT works cars.
I miss GTE, GT3 cars are boring.
They are almost the same. Gt3 cars are a bit slower and have ABS and thats it.
GTE having so few manufacturers, except for 2018-2019, made it more boring to me than GT3 which was always more diverse.
Err, JSGT/ Super GT.
ABS kills GT3 racing for me
BMW Zee4 🥴
😂
Nah its class one (supergr/ dtm)
I say remove the abs on the gt3 cars, give them some soul. The pcup cars put on a great race in its 40 minutes. The gt3 is almost as fast as the gte was just remove the ads. Oh wait the dentist wouldn’t couldn’t drive them then wow😮
Can't exactly do that, I'm afraid.
GT500 anyone?
Nigh on prototypes disguised as GT/TC
any time Ferrari lost was good for me 👍🏻 gona miss GTE and LMP2 the 2 best classes in the WEC
GTE best ever Gt class ??? nope
GT3 😑
to answer the video title, No
GT1 (GT ex GT2) was as exciting and GT3 is the most lasting GT class we ever had basically, GTE had very exciting Races, especially in America, but overall i wouldnt call it the Greatest
Like always, they killed of one of the greatest and most interesting classes for the super boring GT3 stuff.
Hell, GT4 is much better than GT3!
It ruined DTM, it ruined GTE, it will ruin so much more in the future, it’s a shame.
Of course it will never be as great as GT1, but that’s how the world is..
I would love a new GT1 class with 1000 mandatory cars.
This will lead to a new wave of super sick streetlegal race cars and bring a new great GT racing series!
Not sure where they hate for GT3 comes from. The cars look good, sound good, provide good racing and there are many different brands.
How did it ruin DTM? Last year was really exciting and the spectator numbers look healthier again, not sure why that is supposed to be a bad thing.
GTE ruined itself by high costs and therefore lack of manufacturers.
Whats exactly so bad about gt3 cars? The only major difference between gt3 and gte is that gt3 cars are a bit slower and they have abs thats it. Why are you now hating it so much?
Manufacturers don’t want to build GT1-style cars anymore. GT3 works for them, which is why it keeps growing.
@rolux3853 - I need to be honest.
Complaining that GT3 "ruined" DTM and GTE is not only very stupid, but also misses a lot of context for their demise (some of which already mentioned in the video). Your ideal GT1? It's gonna more likely bankrupt the manufacturers and/or the teams running it.
Dude, both DTM and GTE ruined themselves with the same problem that killed GT1 in the 90s: They became too expensive and it was an arms race that became completely unsustainable. You cannot expect a class that becomes a massive spending war to sustain itself for long (Just look at how the FIA GT Championship basically died after the crushing domination of Mercedes in 1998 and no one was able to spend enough to catch up with them).
Nope, GT1 is the greatest of all time
Its sad because copy paste fake prototypes are ugly and boring to watch. The GT classes are the only reason I am interested.
That’s great boomer, but it’s 2024. My cousin said Doriane is gonna be in a @ironlynx Hurcan at Sebring. That true?
in my opinion it was the GT1 and the GT2 - from the late 90s - the gratest of all time