Insight: Old vs. New: Why You Should Keep an Eye on LMGT3

Sportscar365 explores how familiar faces and exciting newcomers converge in WEC’s new GT category…

It’s going to feel a bit like the first day of school this weekend when the LMGT3 category makes its official FIA World Endurance Championship debut in the Qatar 1812km.

The highly anticipated class, which replaces the outgoing GTE-Am category, brings a host of new teams, manufacturers and drivers to the championship.

Much has been said and written about LMGT3’s somewhat bumpy road to debut in Qatar, with the ACO’s stance on the class proving controversial on more than one occasion through the announcement and then eventual dropping of a ‘GT3 Premium’ aero kit for Le Mans to its decision to turn away some big names like Audi and Mercedes-AMG from the class.

Despite all that, looking at the entry list, it’s easy to see that the introduction of LMGT3 has served as an immediate boost for WEC’s GT racing scene, which had shrunk to just four manufacturers at the end of last year.

BMW and Ford, which both left after the conclusion of the 2018-19 Super Season, have returned, while the series welcomes the likes of McLaren, Lamborghini and Lexus into its ranks for the first time. With series stalwarts Aston Martin, Ferrari, Chevrolet and Porsche all remaining on the grid, it brings the total number of GT manufacturers to nine. That’s a record for the championship.