Teams reportedly dropping out of FIA GT1 World Championship after first season

[wickedstangs]

<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/motorsports/" rel="tag">Motorsports</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/ford/" rel="tag">Ford</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/maserati/" rel="tag">Maserati</a></p><a href="http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/88633"><img hspace="0" vspace="4" border="1" alt="FIA GT1 World Championship" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/12/matech-mc12-gt1.jpg" /></a><br />
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The inaugural season of the <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/tag/FIA+GT1+World+Championship">FIA GT1 World Championship</a> is in the history books. But after just one season, reports are already cropping up of teams looking to withdraw.<br />
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Twelve teams participated in the opening series campaigning six different cars between them: GT1-spec versions of the <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/make/maserati">Maserati</a> MC12, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/make/aston-martin/">Ford</a> GT, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/make/aston-martin/">Aston Martin</a> DBR9, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/model/gtr">Nissan GT-R</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/model/corvette">Chevrolet Corvette</a> and <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/model/murcielago">Lamborghini Murci&eacute;lago LP670</a>. And while all the cars look set to carry on for next season, not all of them will necessarily have two teams representing.<br />
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Reports indicate that Matech - one of the teams racing the Ford GT, having carried out much of the development work itself - and Hegersport - the second team fielding the Maserati MC12 behind <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/12/08/maserati-claims-the-title-in-inaugural-fia-gt1-world-championshi/">series champions</a> Vitaphone - may be gone from the grid next season, dropping the field from twelve teams to ten. <br />
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The report cites sponsorship difficulties as the reason for their potential withdrawal, but with rumors potentially placing a <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/06/13/aurora-racing-preparing-gt1-spec-alpina-b6/">BMW Alpina B6</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/05/02/veritas-rs-iii-to-join-fia-gt1-world-championship/">Veritas RS III</a> and the <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/08/11/rumormill-lexus-to-build-gt-racing-version-of-lfa-gt1-or-gt2/">Lexus LFA</a> on the GT1 grid for next season, it may be just as likely that the organizers will be able to line up two or more new teams before the series returns in the new year.<br />
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[Source: <a href="http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/88633">Autosport</a>]<p style="padding:5px;background:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/12/10/teams-reportedly-dropping-out-of-fia-gt1-world-championship-afte/">Teams reportedly dropping out of FIA GT1 World Championship after first season</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.autoblog.com">Autoblog</a> on Fri, 10 Dec 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/88633>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/12/10/teams-reportedly-dropping-out-of-fia-gt1-world-championship-afte/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/forward/19753386/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/12/10/teams-reportedly-dropping-out-of-fia-gt1-world-championship-afte/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>


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