The Grand Prix Tour (GPT) is an innovative sim racing league designed to provide members with an ideal competitive sim racing experience by meticulously seeking out drivers who can be both fast and safe.

In addition to its stable of talented drivers, the GPT differentiates itself from other leagues by having a lighthearted culture, creating a unique blend of elite competition but laid-back fun.

League Summary

OUR MISSION

The Grand Prix Tour (GPT) strives to be an innovative sim racing league that provides members with the ideal competitive sim racing experience.

THE TEAM

Founder: Derek Cyphers is the founder of the Grand Prix Tour. Derek has spent eight years as a board member for Checkered Flag Racing Association, an HPDE club in Northern California. Derek has been sim racing since 2012, and is an active member of the Porsche Club of America sim racing league (PCA SR), racing in the Pro class since 2021.

Board of Directors: Derek Cyphers, Logan Grado

GPT Advisors: The league uses a larger group of volunteer members to advise on key decisions and topics as they come up.

WHAT MAKES THE GPT DIFFERENT?

  • One Car. For series that offer multiple makes, drivers select a car and stick with it for the season, as they would in real life; no changing depending on the BoP of the week!

  • Schedule Flexibility. Thanks to the league’s unique ELO-MMR rating system, drivers can be competitive without needing to make every race.

  • High Expectations. Drivers are held to a strict standard of racecraft and courtesy. Both are required to be successful here.

  • Dynamic Events. The GPT schedule offers different event formats, including special Major events, challenging the drivers’ ability to strategize and adapt in order to be successful.

LEAGUE CHARACTERISTICS

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Because the GPT is a league for highly skilled drivers, most members have an iRating of over 3,000 and are used to top split pace. The GPT requires drivers to have a minimum iRating of 2,000 and a safety rating of B-3.0, demonstrating they possess sufficient experience to be likely to enjoy the competition the GPT offers. Drivers who are referred to the league by an existing member can be exempted from this requirement.

CAR SELECTION

The official GPT seasons feature sports car racing with open setups. For seasons with multiple car choices, drivers must choose their car and cannot change during the season without penalty.

LEAGUE SCHEDULE

The GPT’s 2024 Schedule offered 13-events, plus 1 exhibition event. There were 3 major championships and 1 season championship. The season ran from January to October, with the exhibition event in December prior to the season start. Events were held on Monday nights with qualifying starting around 8 PM Eastern.

The 2025 schedule is in progress and may feature two seasons per calendar year.

Events will have a variety of formats and durations throughout the season, offering a dynamic experience for drivers.

Drivers may be asked to register in advance for each event. Pre-registration ensures a spot on the grid and enables drivers to know the Strength of Field, based on the league’s unique GPT Rating system, before the event start date.

The GPT also offers an Arrive and Drive program that challenges drivers with surprise combinations of cars and tracks.

League Rating System

The GPT uses an innovative ELO-style ranking system developed by data scientists at Stanford. Similar to iRating, the system evaluates each driver according to their actual results and strength of field in previous events to rank drivers based on probability of success, with a bias towards more recent performances. 

Overall Ranking, according to GPT Rating, is the measure by which drivers can qualify for the major events each year, and is the primary way of evaluating who the best drivers in the league are. The system is perpetual (it persists across seasons), just like iRating.

This system allows flexibility in participation while still ensuring a fair and competitive experience. 

Season Points Championship

In May 2024, The Grand Prix Tour decided to also track a more traditional points-based championship for each calendar season, which rewards those drivers who consistently attend GPT events. 

The total points pool is dynamic to the type of event, with three main Event Types:

  1. Regular Events (20 or fewer cars)

  2. Large Events (More than 20 cars)

  3. Major Championships

Regular events award points to every car in the field. The Large events have 20% more points than the Regular events and award points as low as P25.  Major Championships have 50% more points and award points as low as P30. The Points tables can be found at the bottom of this document.

In addition, a bonus point will go to the driver(s) who finish on the lead lap and set the fastest lap and/or the lowest incident total.

Drivers will have one drop race per season.

Jackie Stewart Award

Each season, the GPT gives out the Jackie Stewart Award to a driver who demonstrated safe driving in the highly competitive environment the GPT offers. Starting in 2025, the award will be given based on a vote by members. Any driver who competes in at least 4 events and is not found to be at fault in an IRR in that season is eligible.