Other Divisions

In North America, the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series maintains its own interpretation of sports car racing, dividing its races into two classes. Grand-Am GT cars are similar to, but less powerful than, ACO-specification GT machines, while the Daytona Prototype is an entirely new creation. DPs, as they are often called, are closed-cockpit, purpose-built racing machines. Compared to Le Mans Prototypes, DPs are sharply limited in terms of approved technology and power - for instance, they are required to be constructed of steel tube frames rather than carbon-fibre monocoques.

Amateur sports car racing throughout the United States is sanctioned by clubs such as the Sports Car Club of America. The SCCA's sports-racing classes include C and D Sports Racing, Sports 2000 and Spec Racer Ford, in descending order of speed and sophistication.

The FIA GT Championship is the official sports car category. Three-hour, 500 km races in Europe and also Turkey, Zhuhai, Dubai and Bahrain feature GT1 and GT2 class cars.

In Japan, the All-Japan GT Championship (JGTC) divides cars into two classes, called GT500 and GT300. These cars follow an entirely different concept of sports-car racing from that in Europe or North America, featuring partial-tube frame chassis, widely divergent engine layouts, and so on. The numbers in the classifications refer to the maximum power available to each class; this is achieved through the use of engine restrictors. Proponents of the series claim that the JGTC cars are the fastest sports cars in the world, while critics deride the series as being a 'look-alike' and not 'real' GT racing.