Indianapolis Motor Speedway will stage North America’s round of the Intercontinental GT Challenge in 2020 when the world-famous Brickyard plays host to the inaugural Indianapolis 8 Hours on October 2-4.

The world’s only global GT3 championship features iconic circuits and races on five different continents. And they don’t come any more iconic than IMS, which has hosted one-third of world motorsport’s triple crown – the Indy 500 – since 1911.

Intercontinental GT Challenge entries will compete against their GT World Challenge America counterparts for the first time after the latter also confirmed the Indianapolis 8 Hours amongst its 2020 dates. As such, full-season #IntGTC manufacturers can nominate their US partner teams to score points towards Intercontinental’s championship.

Next year’s penultimate #IntGTC round will also mark the first time that an SRO Motorsports Group championship has visited Indianapolis. The event replaces the California 8 Hours, which first hosted Intercontinental’s North American leg in 2017.

The rest of next season’s Intercontinental GT Challenge calendar remains unchanged with all four existing rounds scheduled for the same weekends as in 2019. 

The campaign begins, as ever, in Australia at the Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour before moving on to Europe and the Total 24 Hours of Spa. That’s followed one month later by the Suzuka 10 Hours in Japan, which precedes #IntGTC’s first visit to Indianapolis. Africa’s round, the Kyalami 9 Hour, closes out the campaign in late November.

Stephane Ratel, SRO Motorsports Group Founder and CEO: “I am thrilled to reveal the inaugural Indianapolis 8 Hours will become North America’s sole Intercontinental GT Challenge Powered by Pirelli round in 2020. The championship is known for visiting historical events and iconic circuits, and with Indianapolis we are undoubtedly dealing with the latter. IMS is one of the world’s most famous motorsport venues but also one defined by a particular event. Given time, I am confident the Indianapolis 8 Hours will become an iconic race in its own right.

“It was also of utmost importance to align Intercontinental’s US round with GT World Challenge America’s schedule. Both championships have enjoyed significant growth this year and we are confident their collaboration at Indianapolis next October will see this trend continue. America deserves a standalone long-distance GT race and I strongly believe the Indianapolis 8 Hours has the right ingredients to achieve this.

“Finally, I would like to thank our friends and partners at Laguna Seca for their hard work and commitment to the California 8 Hours over the last three years. The race has made a significant contribution to establishing Intercontinental GT Challenge as the world’s only global GT3 championship.”

J. Douglas Boles, IMS President: “Our loyal fans will love the ultra-competitive action of the Intercontinental GT Challenge and GT World Challenge America when it comes to IMS in October 2020. The global endurance format featuring the world’s best GT drivers and teams guarantees fast and furious action from the start all the way to the chequered flag. Plus, there’s an incredible array of machinery on track from so many prestige manufacturers – it’s a car enthusiast’s dream weekend.”

2019’s Intercontinental GT Challenge campaign reaches its halfway mark this weekend at the Total 24 Hours of Spa. 

2020 INTERCONTINENTAL GT CHALLENGE CALENDAR

Jan 31-Feb 2: Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour (AUS)
Jul 23-26: Total 24 Hours of Spa (BEL)
Aug 21-23: Suzuka 10 Hours (JPN)
Oct 2-4: Indianapolis 8 Hours (USA)
Nov 20-22: Kyalami 9 Hour (RSA)