Teams representing Audi, BMW, Ferrari, Honda, Lamborghini, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche have secured a stellar line-up of drivers under the race’s new ‘professionals-only’ rules.

The tightened driver categorisation regulations mean that half the field, drawn from throughout the world, will face the starter for the first time under the GT World Cup rules.

Only four drivers remain in the cars or teams with which they contested last year’s World Cup.

Five, including last year’s race winner, have made changes to new machinery.

Professional drivers of 13 nationalities will race for 13 different teams reinforcing the event’s status as a true World Cup to be decided over one 112km (18 lap) sprint.

Twice Macau F3 winner Felix Rosenqvist will be seeking to become the second driver to win F3 and GT races at the 6.2km track.

Runner-up in last year’s FIA F3 World Cup, and winner in both 2014 and 2015, he makes his Macau GT debut in the only Ferrari in the field – a 488 GT3 entered by US-based works-connected team Scuderia Corse.

Edoardo Mortara is the only driver to have already won both categories.

This year driving for Mercedes-AMG GT3 after racing Audi in 2016, he won in F3 in 2009 and 2010 and then claimed three successive GT races – all before the FIA World Cup concept was realised.

Mortara’s 2017 Mercedes-AMG team mate Daniel Juncadella won Macau F3 in 2011 and this year is in strong contention to claim the dual title.

Reigning FIA Formula E Champion, Lucas di Grassi, will pilot a HCB-Rutronik-Racing Audi R8LMS at Macau and is also aiming to become a winner in both F3 and GT having taken victory in the single-seater category in 2005.

Inaugural FIA GT World Cup winner Maro Engel (Mercedes-AMG GT3) is one of the four drivers to stay with the same manufacturer.

He has switched to the Asian-based Gruppe M Racing team which has just claimed both the drivers and team victory in the Blancpain Asia GT championship.

Engel’s team mate will be the highly favoured Raffaele Marciello, former FIA F3 European Champion and multiple podium scorer in the Blancpain GT Sprint and Endurance series for Mercedes-Benz.

Italian Mirko Bortolotti, joint winner of the 2017 Blancpain GT series in Europe, will remain with Italy’s FFF Racing Team driving the only Lamborghini Huracan GT3 in the field.

Blancpain GT Series Sprint champion and former FIA Formula E driver Robin Frijns will make his Macau GT debut replacing winner of last year’s unusual and dramatic encounter – Laurens Vanthoor – as team mate to Nico Muller in the Belgium entered Audi Sport Team WRT R8LMS. Vanthoor will this year represent the Porsche works team Craft Bamboo Racing.

Hong Kong based Canadian Darryl O’Young is the fourth and final driver to remain with his existing marque, partnering Vanthoor in the sister Craft Bamboo Racing 911 GT3R.

Mortara’s switch to Mercedes-AMG and Vanthoor’s to Porsche head up a round of changes including Renger Van der Zande who moves from Mercedes-AMG to Honda – which is running an NSX at Macau for the very first time. Hiroko Yoshimoto also switches from Ferrari to Porsche.

There are two international star newcomers to the 2017 FIA GT World Cup field in the form of the FIST Team AAI BMW M6 teammates. German fans will be cheering twice DTM champion Marco Wittman, Bathurst 1000 winner Chaz Mostert will be drawing plenty of attention from Australia.

Tom Blomqvist, third in the support BMW event at Macau in 2010, adds to the BMW M6 entries in the FIA GT World Cup, and there will be one final special BMW taking to the track in the form of Augusto Farfus and his M6 Art Car – the latest in a long line of iconic-liveried BMW machines.

FIA World Endurance Champion, two-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and Pikes Peak International Hill Climb winner Romain Dumas is another top-level driver to take to the 2017 FIA GT World Cup grid.

Drivers will compete in two races, a qualifying event over 12 laps and the main Cup decider over 18.

In contrast to multi-stint endurance events where compromises are required, Macau’s single driver protocol means cars are tuned precisely to their driver and specified aggressively for the short race distance.

Drivers face one of the longest and fastest straight in street racing and 19 corners including the incredibly tight Melco hairpin. The circuit is regarded as one of the most challenging in the world.

FIA GT Commission President Christian Schacht said: “This year’s FIA GT World Cup has a hugely impressive line-up of top-level manufacturers and drivers, which shows how well established this event has become in global GT racing. The changes we have made in the last year to raise the level of competitors has undoubtedly been successful, and there is fantastic anticipation from everyone involved to see how the world’s headline GT race will play out.”

Two weeks before the start of the third round of the Intercontinental GT Challenge, the entry list for the inaugural Mazda Raceway California 8 Hours is finalised.

No fewer than eight manufacturers are represented in the first-ever American round of the only global GT3 and GT4 championship.

Among the cars entered are two of the long-awaited Acura NSX GT3 cars, entered by RealTime Racing. One of their drivers is French youngster Jules Gounon, winner of the Total 24 Hours of Spa and second in the Intercontinental GT Challenge drivers’ standings.

Gounon’s fellow Spa victors Markus Winkelhock and Christopher Haase remain in the Audi camp, although they no longer share the same car. Winkelhock is one of the drivers of the Audi Sport Team Magnus, while Haase will be sharing the Audi R8 LMS of Audi Sport Team Land. Audi, leading the Intercontinental GT Challenge manufacturer standings, have two more representatives with Belgian Audi Club Team WRT and M1GT Racing.

Other manufacturers with a GT3 entrant include McLaren (represented by K-PAX Racing), Nissan (RJN Motorsport) and Porsche (Black Swan Racing, Calvert Dynamics, GMG and Wright Motorsport).

With the Total 24 Hours of Spa not counting towards the GT4 title, the Mazda Raceway California 8 Hours is the second round of the 2017 Intercontinental GT Challenge for GT4 manufacturers. Porsche (represented by GMG and Rearden Racing) and Ginetta (Ian Lacy Racing) will try to repeat their excellent season-opening results of the Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour, but they will have fierce competition from Aston Martin squads Automatic Racing and TRG.

MARC Cars Australia has two MARC Mazda 3 V8 cars competing in the invitational class, adding more colour to an already varied starting grid of the Mazda Raceway California 8 Hours. A full entry list, with the complete driver line-ups, will be issued in due course.

Stephane Ratel (Founder & CEO SRO Motorsports Group): "The California 8 Hours at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca is an essential element of the Intercontinental GT Challenge, of which the success is likely to grow next season with the Suzuka 10 hours joining the already iconic Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour and Total 24 Hours of Spa events. This year's edition being a stepping stone in building up the GT-only endurance race America deserves, it was important to start it from the right foot, with a solid grid bringing diversity and a high level of competition. We are thankful to the manufacturers, teams and drivers who are supporting this inaugural event."

Greg Gill (President & CEO Pirelli World Challenge Championships): “We are very pleased to see the growth in the inaugural Intercontinental GT Challenge California 8 Hours race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. With over 20 cars and a balanced amount of U.S. and global teams this event is going to be excellent.”

Christopher Haase (#29 Audi Sport Team Land R8) confirmed the speed of his car by taking pole position for the inaugural Mazda Raceway California 8 Hours, by lapping the Laguna Seca Circuit in 1’23.961.

He beat Markus Winkelhock (#44 Audi Sport Team Magnus R8) by less than two tenths of a second. The top eight cars were separated by less than a second.

For most of the Pole Shootout session it looked like Markus Winkelhock would take pole position for the tomorrow’s Mazda Raceway California 8 Hours, but a couple of minutes before the end of the session the lap time of the Audi Sport Team Magnus driver was beaten by Christopher Haase, current leader in the Intercontinental GT Challenge driver standings.

At the wheel of the #29 Audi Sport Team Land R8, a car that has been among the frontrunners for the whole weekend, Haase was the only driver to break the 1’24 barrier with a lap of 1’23.961.

The second row of the grid will be shared by the #58 Porsche Motorsport North America by Wright Motorsport 911 and the #11 Belgian Audi Club Team WRT R8, driven in the Pole Shootout by Patrick Long and Robin Frijns respectively.

Fastest of the Pro-Am cars was the #54 Black Swan Racing Porsche, with Jeroen Bleekemolen at the wheel. The Dutchman drove the car to seventh overall.

In GT4 the #07 TRG Aston Martin of Brandon Davis was the only car to compete in the Pole Shootout. The TRG crew managed to repair the car just in time, after a suspension problem in the qualifying session this morning. The fraternal duel between the MARC Cars Mazdas in the Invitational Class was won by Australian Jake Camilleri in the #193 car.

Tomorrow’s Mazda Raceway California 8 Hours starts at 9.15 local time and will be streamed live on the website and Facebook-page of the Intercontinental GT Challenge.

Christopher Haase (#29 Audi Sport Team Land R8): “My car was spot on for one lap. We expected the track to bit a little more slippery because of the heat and adapted the car accordingly. I expect a very fast race tomorrow. I don’t think there will be many cautions, which means that every driver will have to do very fast stints.”

Jeroen Bleekemolen (#54 Black Swan Racing Porsche): “We hoped to be a little bit further up overall in the Pole Shootout, but we had some little issues. But generally speaking things are going very well.

This car has not run since exactly one year, at this track as well. We are getting there with the set-up, we are not that far behind the Porsche of Long and Bergmeister. For the race, it’s not the aim to beat them, for we have a Pro-Am driver combination. But you will never know, racing in the States always brings up a surprise or two.”

Brandon Davis (#07 TRG Aston Martin): “We were already fastest in qualifying this morning, but were very disappointed to have an issue with one of the uprights. The crew did a really great job to get the car back on track, so we were able to roll out mid-session. It’s a nice way to end the Saturday, but now we will focus on the race.”

Jake Camilleri (#193 MARC Cars Mazda): “It’s been a bit tough for us to set our car up, but now we are pretty happy with the way it behaves. It will be pretty close in the race, the strategy will be crucial. It should be a good day.”

Mirko Bortolotti and Christian Engelhart started the final race of the season with a healthy lead in the overall driver rankings, but in the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup they were trailing Bentley trio Andy Soucek, Maxime Soulet and Vincent Abril.

In order to have a clean sweep of titles the Lamborghini duo, again sharing the #63 Grasser Racing Team Lamborghini with Andrea Caldarelli, needed to make up eight points.

A less than perfect qualifying for the Bentley trio set them on the back foot, even though Vincent Abril managed to gain a dozen positions in the opening stint.

Andy Soucek edged the #8 Bentley Team M-Sport Continental into the top-10 but an intense three-way fight with a BMW and a Jaguar would cause heartbreak for the Spaniard. Halfway through the race the gearbox of the Bentley was damaged and Soucek had to park the car.

The Bentley’s retirement meant that Bortolotti and Engelhart were certain of the overall drivers’ title, and by finishing third in the final round of the season the drivers of the #63 Grasser Racing Team Lamborghini put the cherry on the cake by claiming the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup for drivers. Bentley Team M-Sport found some consolation in winning the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup for teams.

Far in front of the title contenders two cars were at it hammer and tongs in the fight for the race win.

Dani Juncadella had taken the #88 AKKA ASP Mercedes-AMG up to first position by the end of the opening stint, Puerto Rican driver Felix Serralles consolidated that position, and just like in last year’s sprint race in Barcelona Tristan Vautier brought the car home.

That may sound easy, but it certainly wasn’t. In the #17 Team WRT Audi Stuart Leonard, Jake Dennis and Robin Frijns were chasing the red Mercedes-AMG all the way, Frijns even coming alongside in the final chicane of the final lap. However, the Dutchman slid wide, and had to settle for second.

In the Pro-Am Cup the crew of the #77 Barwell Motorsport Lamborghini took a third win of the season. With Hunter Abbott standing in for the injured Adrian Amstutz, Martin Kodric and Patrick Kujala drove another perfect race, just like in Silverstone and Le Castellet.

They eventually finished in 16th overall, some 25 seconds clear of the #333 Rinaldi Racing Ferrari of Rinat Salikhov, Daniel Keilwitz and Alexander Mattschull.

Even before the start the latter was sure of becoming Blancpain GT Series Pro-Am Cup winner, and by claiming second in Barcelona Rinaldi Racing takes the teams’ title as well. After the #15 Black Falcon Mercedes-AMG slid into the gravel trap some four minutes from the end of the race, the final Pro-Am Cup podium position went to the #89 AKKA ASP Mercedes-AMG.

In the Am Cup the Barcelona race was all about the duel for the endurance title. The crew of the #888 Kessel Racing Ferrari only had to finish to take both the driver and team crowns, but when the car ended up in the gravel trap, that suddenly looked very difficult.

However, Jacques Duyver managed to free the car, and Marco Zanuttini and David Perel brought it home. For the Italian driver it was the second endurance Am Cup win, with Perel adding the title to the 2017 overall Am Cup win.

Rino Mastronardi and Pierre Ehret, the only drivers who, before the start could keep the Kessel Racing trio from the endurance Am Cup title, found consolation in taking the Am Cup win in the final round of the season, at the wheel of their #488 Rinaldi Racing Ferrari.

Before enjoying a well-deserved winter break, all champions will be honoured during an exceptional SRO Prize Giving Ceremony, taking place within the context of the 25th Anniversary celebrations of the company, on November 24th in Paris.

Drivers' quotes

Mirko Bortolotti (2017 Blancpain GT Series champion): “In one way or another you are always thoughtful at the beginning of a race and today was the one of two titles. When I went in the car, the Bentley retired and we already won the overall title but there was still the Endurance title. I wanted us to race the best as we could and this is what happened.”

Christian Engelhart (2017 Blancpain GT Series champion): “The beginning of the race did not happen as planned. I lost a lot of positions during the first lap, because of the lack of grip. This is something that we should be working on for the next race. But now, I just want to focus on the fact that we achieved everything that we wanted to and I am really thankful for this.”

Andrea Caldarelli (2017 Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup winner): “A bit before I entered the car, I thought about the points of the championship and I knew that I had a small chance to overtake and to attack at that moment. When the team told me I was P3 and that the two first positions were quite far, I just tried to keep my position.”

Alexander Mattschull (Blancpain GT Series Pro-Am Cup winner): “It was important to me to win the team title as well, as it is a great achievement. On the other hand, it is a pity that Daniel is not next to me as he had an injury and missed out on one race this season, but we had some great times over the season.”

David Perel (Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup Am Cup winner): “I am not sure about what is going to happen next year, but I think that staying a Bronze driver will be complicated for me. Competing in Pro-Am will completely change the game, but I am not worried about that now. My team did a fantastic job and I had the chance to have good team-mates in both Sprint and Endurance Cup. I just have a smile on my face when looking back at this achievement.”

Felix Serralles (Race winner overall): “This year was my first season in GT3 racing. Sometimes we were close to the podium this year, but then some mistakes were made in the pitstops, as I am not used to driver changes. What was different today from the other races is that everything went smoothly. It is a special weekend for me, especially with what happened back home. I am sure happy to see a Puerto Rican Flag on the podium.”

Patrick Kujala (Race winner Pro-Am Cup): “This win is completely dedicated to Adrian Amstutz, after what happened in Spa. As soon as I crossed the finish line, I shouted on the radio: “Adrian, this is for you!”.

Rino Mastronardi (Race winner Am Cup): “Everything went perfect, from the set up of the car to the pit stop. It was always going to be difficult to win the championship’s title, even if we still had some hopes. But we are still here to celebrate.”