Initially, the Endurance Brasil regulations split the “GT” models into the GT1 and GT2 classes. We put GT in quotation marks, because in addition to true GT models, touring cars with higher performance and even Brazilian Stock Car cars were allowed within this set of regulations. From 2018 onwards, the category nomenclature was aligned with the FIA’s international nomenclature, and with some technical changes gave rise to the GT3 and GT4 classes still in force today. In today’s list, we will remember all the cars classified as GT2 between the 2015 and 2017 seasons.
BMW E36 M3 Chevrolet V8
A frequent sight in the initial seasons of Endurance Brasil was the BMW M3 E36 owned by Rui Machado and Jorge Alberto Machado, equipped with a Chevrolet V8 engine, a legitimate “carretera” from the third millennium, and which achieved second place as the best final position in the opening round of the 2017 championship.
BMW E36 3 Series
Another E36 generation 3 Series to take part in Endurance Brasil was the white car driven by Ésio Vichiese and Reinaldo Rossati in the 2017 3 Hours of Tarumã, the final round of the championship. They started in the last position on the grid and completed just 13 laps in the race before retiring.
BMW E92 M3 GTS V8
One of the most iconic models of the first phase of Endurance Brasil was the Eurobike’s BMW M3 GTS, always with Henry Visconde at the wheel. Built from one of the 138 units built of the BMW M3 GTS, the model was prepared by MC Tubarão, retaining the BMW S65 4.4 V8 engine and initially with a lighter preparation, being classified in the GT2 class, achieving 3 victories in its class: one at the sixth round of the 2015 season (Tarumã) and two more ath sixth and seventh rounds of the 2016 season (Guaporé and Tarumã, respectively). In 2017 the model received an upgrade and began competing in the GT1 class.
Chevrolet Astra Stock Car
Reinaldo Rena and Roberto Rossatti’s Chevrolet Astra Stock Car participated in 3 rounds of the 2015 Endurance Brasil season, without significant results until it was replaced in 2015’s final round by another Stock Car, with the Peugeot 307 Sedan bodywork.
Chevrolet Montana Stock Car
Another Stock Car car in the GT2 class was the Chevrolet Montana, which qualified in 30th position for the 500 km of Interlagos in 2017, and would be driven by Ésio Vichiese and Giulio Borlenghi, but did not start after breaking during the Warm-up. .
Fiat Linea Trofeo
The Linea Trofeo was created for the extinct Trofeo Linea and Copa Fiat, a single-make championship sponsored by Fiat that hosted several top Brazilian drivers such as Cacá Bueno, Christian Fittipaldi, Marcos Gomes and several others. Starting from the Fiat Lineat T-JET, the race car received a FIRE 1.4 T-JET engine prepared by FPT, with a 6-speed Sadev sequential transmission and had the chassis prepared by Metalmoro, which carried out the final assembly of the car. When the championship folded in 2012, several cars found shelter in Endurance racing, in the Gáucho de Endurance and later in Endurance Brasil. In the GT2 class, Fiat models achieved two victories, in the 3 Hours of Santa Cruz do Sul (2015) and the 500 km of São Paulo (2017).
Ford Maverick
Two units of the classic Ford Maverick participated in the final round of the 2015 season, held in Tarumã. Cars #164 of Marcos Philippi and Márcio Philippi and #302 of Thadeu Enzweiler achieved fourth and fifth positions in the GT2 class, respectively.
Maserati Trofeo
The first modern category of GTs to compete in Brazil, the Trofeo Maserati was born in 2004 and continued to compete until 2010, when the remaining models were integrated into the GT4 class of the extinct GT Brasil. With the end of GT Brasil in 2011, some models went to the southern region of Brazil, joining the Gaúcho Endurance grid and later Endurance Brasil, dominating the GT2 class between the 2015 and 2017 seasons, with 10 victories in 18 races during this period, with a highlinght on race drivers Luis Augusto and Luis Fernando Bassani, Telmo Tecchio, Roberto Lacombe and Arthur Caleffi.
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X
Another car from single-make championships to make it’s way in Endurance Racing, was the Lancer Evolution X Cup R by Marco Scalamandré, Rodrigo Garcia and Ricardo Landi. With the end of the Lancer Cup, Mitsubishi sold the category’s cars to the drivers. This car, built to the Cup R configuration, is basically a Lancer Evolution X, keeping the roadcar powertrain with some minor modifications such as rollcage, suspension tunning, full slicks and weight reduction. After seeing the good performance of the Linea Trofeo in the GT2 class, Rodrigo Garcia read the championship regulations and came to the conclusion that the Lancer would be competitive, which actually happened as the trio got the second place finish in GT2 at the 2017 500 km of Interlagos, after receiveing a penalty of 1 lap + 2 seconds (without the punishment, they would have won the race).
Peugeot 307 Stock Car
Another Stock Car on our list, the Peugeot 307 Silhouette was also present at Endurance Brasil, debuting in the closing stage of the 2015 season with Reinaldo Rena and Roberto Rossatti, who participated in several races between the 2015 and 2017 seasons in the GT2 class.
Peugeot 408 Stock Car
The other Peugeot Stock Car Silhouette, based on the 408, was also present at Endurance Brasil, competing in the 2017 Curitiba 500 km with Giulio Borlenghi and Rafael Reis, achieving pole position and victory in its class in this stage.
Volkswagen Golf
The fourth generation Golf is another one of those rare cars to see on Brazilian tracks, despite the fame obtained locally by the GTI version as one of the fastest Brazilian made cars of its time, alongside the Fiat Marea Turbo and Audi A3 1.8 Turbo. Perhaps due to the lack of championships focused on this range of vehicles, it was rare to see them on the track, however a big exception was the Golf prepared by Kratina Racing, which was entered in Endurance Brasil between the 2015 and 2016 seasons in the TS class, driven by names like Gustavo Dal Bosco, Airton Diehl, Cristina Rosito and Arthur Caleffi. In the 2017 season, the car “moved up” in class, and began competing in the GT2 class, where it obtained a victory in the final round at Tarumã, with Arthur Caleffi and Gustavo dal Bosco. This car remains active in Rio Grande do Sul motorsport, having participated in the 2023 Superturismo season.
Volvo C30
Another mid-siza hatch that raced between the 2015 and 2016 seasons in the TS class, the Volvo C30 prepared by MC Tubarão continued in use for the 2017 season, moving up to the GT2 class and winning its class in the 3 Hours of Santa Cruz do Sul, driven by Arthur Caleffi and Cleyton Krause. The model remains active on the tracks to this day, as a car for the MC Tubarão driving clinic and also in the Campeonato Gaúcho Endurance.
I would like to take this opportunity to leave a note of thanks to the work of Niltão Amaral from the Blog do Passatão, which kept records of the results of the initial seasons of Endurance Brasil, and the page Racecarpress whose records of the stories and launches of prototypes in the initial years were of inestimable value for gathering statistics for this publication. Also to Rodrigo Garcia, for the information provided about the Lancer Evolution X Cup R, which he drove.
All the champions
All the winners
Also take the opportunity to discover the other parts already published in this series:
Part 2: Endurance Brasil: every make and model of P4 prototypes
Part 1: Endurance Brasil: Every make and model of touring car
