It’s me, Mark Stone, and in this episode of the Backseat Driver Podcast, I’m joined by motorsport journalist and author Gary Watkins to explore the remarkable rise of GT3 racing and how it became one of the most successful categories in international motorsport.

Gary's latest book charts the first twenty years of GT3, and together we look back at how Stéphane Ratel helped create a formula that transformed sports car racing. By combining production-based machinery, Balance of Performance regulations, and driver grading, GT3 offered manufacturers, private teams, and amateur drivers a chance to compete on a more level playing field.

We explore how GT3 emerged from the lessons of earlier GT1 and GT2 championships, and why allowing specialist tuners to develop and homologate cars opened the door to a remarkable variety of machinery. From the Lamborghini Gallardo and Ferrari to the growing involvement of major manufacturers, GT3 quickly established itself as an attractive alternative to increasingly expensive forms of racing.

Gary explains how the category's flexibility helped it spread around the world, becoming equally successful in sprint racing and major endurance events. We discuss the role of the SRO, the importance of privateer teams and how GT3 has provided opportunities for countless drivers to establish careers in professional motorsport.

But has GT3 become a victim of its own success? With increasingly sophisticated cars, rising costs and manufacturers developing machinery specifically for competition, we ask whether the category risks losing the accessibility and production-car connection that made it so successful.

It's a fascinating look at the evolution of modern sports car racing, the people and decisions that shaped GT3, and the challenges it faces as it enters its third decade.

Gary's book provides a comprehensive account of the category's first twenty years and is essential reading for anyone interested in how GT3 changed the landscape of international motorsport.

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