| Group R-GT | |
|---|---|
| Motor racing formula | |
| Category | Rally cars |
| Country/Region | International |
| Championships | WRC, R-GT Cup, Regional |
| Inaugural | 2011 |
| Status | Active |
| Drivetrain | Two Wheel Drive |
| Power to weight | 3.4kg/hp |
| Aptitude | Performance |
In internationalrallying,Group R-GT (or sometimesGroup RGT), is a formula of rally car defined by theFIA forGT cars introduced in 2011. Between 2014 and 2019 technical passports were issued for individual vehicles built by tuners.[1] Since 2020 R-GT cars are required to be homologated by the manufacturer in common with other rally car formulae.
Internationally, R-GT cars compete in the FIA R-GT Cup, which is contested on tarmac rounds of the ERC and WRC.[2] They are also eligible for the World Rally Championship and all the FIA's regional championships.
The technical regulations are described in 2019 Appendix J, article 256 of the FIA sporting regulations for cars with technical passports.[3] For homologated cars since 2020 the relevant document is 2021 Appendix J, article 256.[4] In both cases the cars must beseries productionGT cars that must betwo-wheel driven. A car withfour-wheel drive can be used as a basis but must be transformed into a 2WD version. All cars must be fitted with a restrictor with a diameter determined by the FIA in order to achieve a weight/power ratio of 3.4 kg/hp (4.6 kg/kw, 294bhp/tonne).[3][4]
Lotus presented an R-GT version of theirExige S at theFrankfurt Motor Show 2011, but it wasn't until July 2012 before they achieved FIA homologation for what was the first car to compete in the R-GT category.[5][6] The competition debut took place at the end of July atRally Vinho da Madeira, with Portuguese driverBernardo Sousa driving the car. After posting stage times in the top ten for the first two special stages, the car retired in the third stage because of an accident caused by an electronics glitch.[7] After that, there were no further appearances of the Exige R-GT in international rallies and the homologation period lapsed in 2019.
Between 2014 and 2019, the FIA issues technical passports for individual cars that are prepared to comply with the R-GT regulations.[1] The first such appearance wasMarc Duez who entered aPorsche 996GT3 for the2014 Monte Carlo Rally. He achieved some respectable stage times, but was forced to retire on the last day.[8] At the2014 Rallye Deutschland, Richard Tuthill entered with a modifiedPorsche 997 and finished as 27th (of 63 classified), thus realising the first finish of aPorsche at aWRC event since 1986.[9]
In 2015 the FIA organised the first international cup for R-GT cars. The first season was competed on five tarmac events of the WRC and ERC:Rallye Monte-Carlo,Ypres Rally,Rallye Deutschland,Rallye International du Valais andTour de Corse.[2] The championship was won byFrançois Delecour in a Tuthill-preparedPorsche 997.[10] In 2016 the R-GT cup was not contested due to a lack of participants but interest rose again in 2017 with the introduction of theAbarth 124 R-GT. The first event of the2017 FIA R-GT Cup, the2017 Monte Carlo Rally, saw 4 participants in the R-GT category.[11]
At the 2016Geneva Motor Show theAbarth 124 Spider R-GT car was presented, and later made its debut at the2017 Monte Carlo Rally. The entrants wereFrançois Delecour, Fabio Andolfi and Gabriele Noberasco. Two of the Abarths had to retire, but Noberasco classified second in the R-GT class.
Since 2019 the Abarth Rally Cup has run as a one-make series on selected rounds of theEuropean Rally Championship.[12] Title winners since its inaugural year have been Andrea Nucita (2019), Andrea Mabellini (2020) and Dariusz Poloński (2021).
TheAlpine A110 Rally was announced in May 2019 and officially presented during theRallye Mont-Blanc Morzine (5-7 September 2019).[13] It was homologated by the FIA to Group R-GT specification in July 2020 and remains the only homologated R-GT car as of March 2024.[14]
The R-GT Cup was first created in 2015 to allowGT cars to compete in rallying. With the FIA streamlining the classes of eligible cars by creatingGroup R, provisions were made to allow for GT cars to be entered, with the category known as R-GT. While the R-GT Cup was initially run in support of the World Rally Championship at selected events, later editions expanded the R-GT calendar to include rounds of theEuropean Rally Championship.[15][16]
| Season | Events | Participants | Winning driver | Winning car |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 5 | 4 |  François Delecour | Porsche 997 GT3 |
| 2016 | 5 | 1 | Marc Valliccioni | Porsche 997 GT3 |
| 2017 | 5 | 7 | Romain Dumas | Porsche 997 GT3 |
| 2018 | 5 | 11 | Raphaël Astier | Abarth 124 R-GT |
| 2019 | 8 | 6 |  Enrico Brazzoli | Abarth 124 R-GT |
| 2020 | 3 | 8 | Andrea Mabellini | Abarth 124 R-GT |
| 2021 | 5 | 11 | Pierre Ragues | Alpine A110 Rally R-GT |
| 2022 | 5 | Raphaël Astier | Alpine A110 Rally R-GT |
Starts in R-GT Cup events are covered by the corresponding R-GT Cup season article and not listed below.
| Season | Event | Series | Car model | Driver | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 |  Rally Vinho da Madeira | ERC | Lotus Exige R-GT | Bernardo Sousa | retired (accident)[17] |
| 2014 |  Monte Carlo Rally | WRC | Porsche 996 GT3 |  Marc Duez | retired (mechanical)[18] |
| 2014 |  Rally Finland | WRC | Porsche 997 GT3 | Jani Ylipahkala | retired (mechanical)[19] |
| 2014 |  Rallye Deutschland | WRC | Porsche 997 GT3 |  Richard Tuthill | 27th[20] |
| 2014 | Rallye de France—Alsace | WRC | Porsche 997 GT3 RS 4.0 | Romain Dumas | 19th[21] |
| Porsche 997 GT3 | François Delecour | 37th[22] | |||
| 2014 | Tour de Corse | ERC | Porsche 997 GT3 RS 4.0 | Romain Dumas | 5th[23] |
| 2015 | Circuit of Ireland | ERC | Porsche 997 GT3 | Robert Woodside | retired[24] |
| 2016 |  Rallye International du Valais | TER | Porsche 997 GT3 | Marc Valliccioni | 9th[25] |
| 2017 |  Rally Islas Canarias | ERC | Abarth 124 R-GT | Álvaro Muñiz | retired[26] |
Media related toGroup R-GT at Wikimedia Commons