FIA Gold Categorisation
Gold Categorisation is a category within the FIA Drivers' Categorisation. The FIA Drivers' Categorisation is a system created by Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile that lists drivers on the basis of their achievements and performances. This categorization is used in sports car racing championships as FIA World Endurance Championship, WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, European Le Mans Series, etc. It was merged from the FIA WEC and FIA GT3 lists. The initial categorisation is based on the driver's age and their career record.[1]
Requirements for Gold Categorisation
Driver rankings are revised annually and issued in December.
(Only the 2022 series names are listed in this summary; the historical equivalent series also count in most cases.)[2]
General definition
- Main professional activity based around driving in motor sport
- Participation in high-level karting for three or more seasons
- Participation in significant single-seater competitions for more than two seasons with at least one podium
- The driver's motor sport career (karting or cars) began before the age of 20 with at least five full seasons of results
Career
- Top 5 finisher in the general classification of a Tier 2 Series (Porsche Supercup, NASCAR Cup Series, FIA Formula 3 Championship, Formula Renault V6, Indy NXT, an international Formula 4 series, any FIA World Cup [with the exception of the FIA Nations Cup and the FIA Motorsport Games], DTM, Super Formula, Super GT)
- Winner of a Tier 3 Series (overall or category in multi-class racing). Tier 3 championships include Regional and National Touring Car Championships, Regional or National Porsche Carrera Cup, Regional or National LMP3 series, Regional or National GT4 Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR Truck Series, FIA European Hill Climb Championship, International and European Karting Championships
- Comparable level of performance to Gold drivers
- Any additional criteria deemed worthy of consideration by the committee
The following career achievements of categorised drivers in monitored series would result in an upgrade to Gold;
- Finishing in the top three in the Silver Cup in a GT World Challenge series
- Achieving relevant race results in LMP2, LMP3, LMGTE Am (including ELMS) and GT3 (in the Asian Le Mans Series and Le Mans Cup)
Age
- Drivers over 50 will be reduced by 1 grade for the season following their 50th birthday (starting in 2023, age downgrades will start after the age of 55)
- Drivers over 55 will be reduced by an additional grade for the season following their 55th birthday, thus no driver over 55 can be above Silver Categorisation
Discretionary
Drivers whose performances and achievements, despite not being covered by one of the definitions above, may be considered as Gold by the FIA.
Current drivers
This is the list as published on the FIA website at the beginning of the 2023 season, and includes 447 drivers, who hold the Gold license.[3][4][5]
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References
- "FIA DRIVER CATEGORISATIONS REGULATIONS". Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 30 September 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- https://www.fia.com/sites/default/files/marked-up_wmsc_29_june._driver_categorisation_regulations_2023_2.pdf
- "FIA Drivers' Categorization List". Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 3 July 2023. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
- "2022-2023 FIA driver ranking changes". Daily Sportscar. 27 September 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
- "2022-23 Provisional Updates to driver rankings". Daily Sportscar. 7 October 2022. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
- "NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 2023 standings". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
- "Super GT Japan — GT300 2023 standings". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
- "Electric atmosphere in the north". ADAC GT Masters. ADAC. 20 April 2015. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
- "Emil Bernstorff's career as at 2023". Emil Bernstorff. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
- "French GT Championship 2019 standings". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
- "British GT Championship 2023 standings". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
- "British GT Championship 2019 standings". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
- "2015 EUROPEAN LE MANS SERIES — PROVISIONAL SILVERSTONE ENTRY LIST" (PDF). European Le Mans Series. Peter Auto. 1 April 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
- "Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe — Pro-Am 2014 standings". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
- Bartholomaeus, Stefan (23 September 2014). "Wall, Volvo among key silly season players". Speedcafe. Retrieved 23 September 2014.
Nissan has three of its drivers locked in, with co-owner Todd Kelly's continued career as a driver still pending ongoing sponsorship talks.
- "Entry List Portugal". Acceleration14.com. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
- "Italian GT Championship - GT3 2023 standings". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
- "21 cars to line-up in 2013 Auto GP". autogp.org. Auto GP. 13 March 2013. Retrieved 13 March 2013.
- "Super GT Japan — GT500 2023 standings". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Retrieved 21 June 2015.