While the 2025 season in GT World Challenge America had some stability in terms of grid numbers, but it was hard to ignore that the series hit a wall that hard to pass, with few occasions where it had above 15 cars racing. Apparently, the risk of revamping the race format to a thing close to the old SCCA World Challenge and focus on endurance races paid off in two ways, as not only the entry list for the 2026 season has a bigger grid and also new players coming.
With 22 cars for the whole season, this will be the biggest GTWC America grid since the change from SCCA centered management to SRO, with nine manufacturers being represented, just one less from what appears in GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup.
The Pro Cup will feature six cars for the season, with only JMF Motorsports keeping their program in the class from last season, while Turner Motorsports and AF Corse USA take a leap from the Pro-Am Cup to the top class and Dollahite Racing brings their Ford Mustang GT3 from the Am Cup. The rest of the grid comes from other avenues, like McCann Racing and Chicago Performance and Tuning.
The majority of the grid is still in the Pro-Am Cup, even though the new format with a single three-hour race don’t favor the class as much as the old double sprint format in terms of possibilities for overall victories. 14 cars will be in the class, with RS1 and Random Vandals Racing taking a step back from the Pro Cup, JMF appears with a second Mercedes AMG GT3 Evo, Wright Motorsports focus their two Porsche program entirely in the new class and a bunch of new teams join in or return to the series, like Kelymoss Racing, Rebel Rock Racing, Riley Technologies and so on.
The Am Cup remains a two car affair, but while the No. 163 AF Corse USA Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo stays there, their competition changes as Lone Star Racing brings a Mercedes AMG GT3 Evo after making a single Pro Cup appearance last season. The Texas based team essentially takes the place that Dollahite Racing occupied in 2025.
The 2026 schedule starts at Sonoma on 29 March.
PHOTO: SRO/Fabian Lagunas
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