Motor Racing: Sportscars are history

THE WORLD sportscar championship is to disappear from the calendar after 40 years, to be replaced in 1993 by a series of GT races.

Max Mosley, the president of Fisa, the governing body of motor sport, is expected to confirm the end of the championship - which has seen low entries and cancelled races this season - at Fisa's annual conference in Paris next week.

'We'll have to forget about a Group C championship,' Mosley said. 'The cars won't be around next year. Our priorities are to get our GT regulations sorted out and get a good calendar. The first races will be at Daytona and Sebring, and we'll have to see where we go from there.'

At its peak in 1989, seven manufacturers fought for the world title, but the change to prohibitively costly regulations and a lack of promotion meant that, of this year's races, only Le Mans attracted more than 11 cars. The 1992 championship, already won by Peugeot, is due to end at Magny Cours, France, on 18 October.