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The tradition of sports cars dates back to the year 1923 when the first 24h race in LeMans took place. After World War II the teams Ferrari (1949), Jaguar (1951), Mercedes (1952) and Porsche (16 wins) were back on the road to success. In 1970 the INTERSERIE was founded. As a link between the Sportwagen Würth Supercup and the then sports cars world cup, it offered an opportunity for private teams to bring their vehicles into action on an international level, outside of these championships. A glance at the hall of fame of the INTERSERIE reveals well-known participants such as Emmerson Fittipaldi/BR (1972), Jochen Maas/D (1983 & 1985), Hans-Joachim Stuck/D (1988) and Klaus Ludwig/D (1988 & 1989). After the lean period in the 90s, the GT- and GTP-class sports cars got more attention in Europe |
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thanks to the triple of the Audi R8 in the 24h of LeMans from the years 2000 to 2002. The FIA-GT championship and the endurance classics drew stronger interest not only from car brands like Ferrari, Chrysler, Cadillac, Corvette, Bentley, MG, Toyota, Nissan, Audi, BMW, Mercedes and Porsche but also from the audience. The INTERSERIE also got a lift. Since 2004 its roster has been strengthened by prototypes from the Sports Car Challenge which have been very successful since 1996. The Super-sprint Challenge promoted by INTERSERIE and SCC will consist of 16 races at eight events. These events are supposed to work as a link between LMES-endurance races and the 24h races in Spa and LeMans, which gives private teams further opportunities to let their vehicles experience other distances as well. |
