Pre-Qualifying for the IVRA GT Sprint Series powered by Heusinkveld is set to get underway this Sunday, as one of the biggest entry lists in IVRA history will be whittled down to just 55 teams. Among those 55 full season entries will be some invited teams too, those who won a championship last season or competed in all of the races. We’re going to take a look at the teams expected to impress in 2022/23.
One of the teams with an invitation and won’t be pre-qualifying is Maniti Racing. The German team won both the Fall and Spring seasons in 2021/22, so the reigning Pro champions will be the team to beat again. So far their driver lineup is unconfirmed, but they have plenty of talent to choose from and will be difficult to beat this season.
Leipert Esports will be hoping to qualify for two championships for the first time, with this series alongside Clubsport in the Porsche Cup category. The GT Sprint Series team will be spearheaded by Danilo Hopfmann, a driver who has already proved himself in GT3 machinery and IVRA competition, as he drove their TCR in Clubsport last season. This will mark the team’s GT Series debut.
TCR Champions in the Clubsport championship last season, Team Heusinkveld, are also aiming to qualify. The team, formed in 2014, will also look to replicate the success of their 2020/21 season, where they won the GT Sprint Series. An unconfirmed driver lineup will be taking on this season in a Porsche.
Team Fordzilla will be the only Pro team attempting to qualify using a Ferrari this season. They have taken part in some of the biggest competitions in simracing, like Le Mans Virtual, but now try their hand at IVRA in the GT Sprint Series. Like many others, they are yet to confirm any drivers. Similarly, the most numerous team in Pre-Qualifying for Pro teams, Absolute Motorsport, also have some gaps in the entry list but will have plenty of talent behind the wheel. They will be taking to the track this weekend with four cars.
Invited teams, like RSR by Buttkicker, will also be hoping to boost their team representation this weekend. Two Pro cars and one Am entry will be hoping to join the team already on the confirmed list as they participated in every round of the 2021/22 season. 5Star Motorsport will be in a similar situation, with Rune Janssens and Yuanxi Lin Pre-Qualfying a second car.
It’s set to be one of the most competitive IVRA GT Sprint Series we’ve ever seen. Though, it will have a different feel to previous seasons, with a single race of just under two hours replacing last season’s double race format, but the points structure remains the same.
The season will begin at the Nurburgring for eight rounds of action, a change to the split season format of 2021/22. Some things remain the same though – a season finale at Bathurst in May will crown the champions. A lot more will be known after this weekend as Pre-Qualifying commences at Canadian Tyre Motorsports Park.