In international rallying, Group R-GT (or sometimes Group RGT), is a formula of rally car defined by the FIA for GT cars introduced in 2011. Between 2014 and 2019 technical passports were issued for individual vehicles built by tuners.[1] Since 2020 R-GT cars are required to be homologated by the manufacturer in common with other rally car formulae.
Internationally, R-GT cars compete in the FIA R-GT Cup, which is contested on tarmac rounds of the ERC and WRC.[2] They are also eligible for the World Rally Championship and all the FIA's regional championships.
Technical regulations
The technical regulations are described in 2019 Appendix J, article 256 of the FIA sporting regulations for cars with technical passports.[3] For homologated cars since 2020 the relevant document is 2021 Appendix J, article 256.[4] In both cases the cars must be series productionGT cars that must be two-wheel driven. A car with four-wheel drive can be used as a basis but must be transformed into a 2WD version. All cars must be fitted with a restrictor with a diameter determined by the FIA in order to achieve a weight/power ratio of 3.4 kg/hp (4.6 kg/kw, 294bhp/tonne).[3][4]
History
Lotus Exige R-GT homologation
Lotus presented an R-GT version of their Exige S at the Frankfurt Motor Show 2011, but it wasn't until July 2012 before they achieved FIA homologation for what was the first car to compete in the R-GT category.[5][6] The competition debut took place at the end of July at Rally Vinho da Madeira, with Portuguese driver Bernardo Sousa driving the car. After posting stage times in the top ten for the first two special stages, the car retired in the third stage because of an accident caused by an electronics glitch.[7] After that, there were no further appearances of the Exige R-GT in international rallies and the homologation period lapsed in 2019.
Technical passports for individual cars
Between 2014 and 2019, the FIA issues technical passports for individual cars that are prepared to comply with the R-GT regulations.[1] The first such appearance was Marc Duez who entered a Porsche 996GT3 for the 2014 Monte Carlo Rally. He achieved some respectable stage times, but was forced to retire on the last day.[8] At the 2014 Rallye Deutschland, Richard Tuthill entered with a modified Porsche 997 and finished as 27th (of 63 classified), thus realising the first finish of a Porsche at a WRC event since 1986.[9]
Since 2019 the Abarth Rally Cup has run as a one-make series on selected rounds of the European Rally Championship.[12] Title winners since its inaugural year have been Andrea Nucita (2019), Andrea Mabellini (2020) and Dariusz Poloński (2021).
Alpine A110 R-GT
The Alpine A110 Rally was announced in May 2019 and officially presented during the Rallye Mont-Blanc Morzine (5-7 September 2019).[13] It was homologated by the FIA to Group R-GT specification in July 2020 and remains the only homologated R-GT car as of March 2024.[14]
Champions
FIA R-GT Cup
The R-GT Cup was first created in 2015 to allow GT cars to compete in rallying. With the FIA streamlining the classes of eligible cars by creating Group R, provisions were made to allow for GT cars to be entered, with the category known as R-GT. While the R-GT Cup was initially run in support of the World Rally Championship at selected events, later editions expanded the R-GT calendar to include rounds of the European Rally Championship.[15][16]