Pirelli will be the sole tyre supplier to the five manufacturers contesting the inaugural FIA GT World Cup, which takes place on November 22 through the streets of Macau.
The event has attracted a 24-car line-up of GT3 machines, which will contest a 12-lap qualification race on Saturday November 21, before an 18-lap (91.8-kilometre) race around the 6.2km Guia Circuit in Macau the next day.
Notable entries for the race include Le Mans 24 Hours winner Earl Bamber, in a Porsche 997 GT3R for the LKM Racing team. LKM has won the Macau GT Cup twice. Other entries of note include two-time Macau Grand Prix winner Edoardo Mortarain the Audi Sport Team Phoenix R8 LMS and Andre Couto, who won the Macau Grand Prix in 2000, in a McLaren 650S GT3.
Other entries include Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3, Aston Martin Vantage GT3 and Bentley’s Continental GT3. The top two cars from each manufacturer will accrue points and the marque with the most will win the inaugural FIA GT World Cup.
Some teams are not eligible for manufacturer points, and that includes the two Ferrari 458 Italias entered by GT stalwarts AF Corse and another 458 Italia from Asian Clearwater Racing.
“Pirelli is very excited to be a part of this new event and we are particularly thrilled to see such a strong entry list. There is a long list of impressive cars from some of the world’s top car manufacturers,” explained Matteo Braga, Pirelli’s senior tyre engineer. “We will supply them all with our P Zero DHC slick tyre, with a single compound for the whole grid. The circuit is unique in that it has long straights and some very tight corners. So the tyres will be tested under braking and they will withstand some large loads as the cars reach maximum speed at the end of the straights, although wear and degradation is generally low. The track is particularly narrow too, so the drivers will aim to be precise as they negotiate the corners. A rapid warm-up is required on a track that’s always going to be very slippery. We don’t often see GT racing on street circuits, so this is sure to be a fantastic spectacle.”
