Following the demise of the
World Sportscar Championship in
1992, Europe was left without a major sportscar series. In the
United States however, attempts were underway to recreate the glory of the World Sportscar Championship with the
IMSA GTP series returning to cheaper, open-cockpit sportscars to replace their highly technological and expensive closed-cockpit sportscars that were similar to those used in the World Sportscar Championship at its end. Following on this successful formula, in 1997 John Mangoletsi developed the
International Sports Racing Series, a European-based series for open-cockpit sportscars. It would be supported by major teams like Rafanelli,
Riley & Scott, Kremer Racing,
Joest Racing and Konrad Motorsport and by manufacturers such as
Ferrari, which was having success with its new
333 SP sports racer. The International Sports Racing Series was open to Sportscars complying with either FIA SR1 or FIA SR2 regulations. The SR1 class was for cars with engines limited to a maximum capacity of 6000cc if naturally aspirated or 4000cc if supercharged. The SR2 class was for cars with production based engines limited to a maximum of six cylinders and a maximum capacity of 3000cc. The SR1 cars were similar to those contesting the LMP Class in the
24 Hours of Le Mans while the SR2 cars were similar to cars in the CN class as used in
hillclimb events. In 1999, the series was officially recognized by the FIA and renamed the
Sports Racing World Cup. Ferrari's success with the 333SP was proven with a large number of entrants making it the chassis of choice in SR1, while
Riley & Scott,
Lola, and other manufacturers attempted to overcome the dominant marque, Ferrari. In 2001, the series was officially taken over by the FIA and renamed as the FIA Sportscar Championship and it continued to expand into new markets, including a partnership with
Grand-Am Road Racing in the United States. This partnership involved sharing races and eventually, common regulations. With the creation of the
American Le Mans Series in 1999 and the
European Le Mans Series in 2001, the FIA Sportscar Championship found it increasingly difficult to attract top teams and manufacturers. Grand-Am Road Racing changed to adapt to this shift in sportscar design by dropping the SRP1 class and phasing out the SRP2 class (eliminated in 2004) in 2003 in favor of adopting its own rulebook for prototype closed-top race cars built on inexpensive tube-frame chassis known as
Daytona Prototype, named for the former sanctioning body's base close to Daytona International Speedway. By that time, the FIA Sportscar Championship was suffering from a decline in entries, leading to its demise at the end of the 2003 season. The FIA chose instead to back the new
Le Mans Endurance Series that debuted in
2004, ensuring the continuation of Sportscar racing in Europe. ==Champions==