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In addition to being a training championship that will allow drivers to get their feet wet before jumping into the ring of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) or the Japanese grand touring championship Super GT, the rewards of the Renault Sport Trophy are enticing for professional drivers and also for gentlemen drivers.

Twenty mixed Pro-Am driver line-ups, composed in compliance with the FIA WEC rankings, will compete during the World Series by Renault weekends, three-day sporting events free to spectators. They will all have the same car, the R.S. 01, whose safety standards respect the LM P1 regulations put in place by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest in early 2014. The R.S. 01's performances should figure between those of a GT3 and a DTM car, the German grand touring championship, and its characteristics will allow drivers to familiarize themselves with driving a GT.

At the end of the season, the winner of the Pro class will be offered a comprehensive program to be brought up to the level of testing at the wheel of a Super GT car, the Japanese equivalent of the DTM (Nissan, Renault partner, is officially entered in this championship), and perhaps more if the happy winner shows the capabilities needed for a career as a driver.

The reward for the Am class winner is just as appealing as it involves a reserved spot in the LM P2 class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans the following year. Remember that Renault is present in LM P2 thanks to Alpine, third in the class in Le Mans this year, but also Nissan, who furnished the engine for the top five prototypes in the class at the 82nd edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Alain Prost, who was F1 World Champion with the French manufacturer and who is the ambassador for Renault in motorsports, sums up the new championship's philosophy: "The Renault Sport R.S. 01 is a spectacular race car, in the pure spirit of a GT. It promises a great driving experience. By its high level capabilities, the Renault Sport R.S. 01 illustrates the depth of Renault Sport's know-how and its ability to develop competition vehicles that will reveal future champions in GT or in endurance."

To train young drivers, Nissan has the GT Academy, Porsche has the national Carrera Cups and international Supercup, Renault now has the Renault Sport Trophy which will commence in 2015.

Cécile Bonardel / ACO - Translation by Nikki Ehrhardt / ACO (quotation from Renault press release)

 

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