<< Prev Page 2 of 2 Along with Jürgen Barth and Patrick Peter, Ratel then created the BPR Championship for GT cars in 1994. This allowed the Venturi LMs to race at more venues than just Le Mans. One new 600 LM was built and four of the five remaining 500 LMs were also updated to the latest specifications. Initially, the BPR featured mainly Porsches and Venturis, but the field quickly grew in diversity with the Ferrari F40 usually the car to beat. Venturi 600 LMs nevertheless won the races at Dijon, Montlhéry and Spa-Francorchamps. A 600 LM also won a round of the British GT Championship. At Le Mans, reliability issues saw all three 600 LMs retire.
A further evolution was in the works for the 1995 season. Dubbed the 600 SLM, it featured subtle changes and an increase in power to around 650 bhp. One new car was built while one of the existing chassis received the upgrades. The competition had increased substantially, particularly with the arrival of the McLaren F1 GTR. This was six times the price of a Venturi 600 LM but the results on the track warranted that extra investment. The day of the gentleman racer, as correctly identified by Ratel just a few years earlier, was over after just two brief seasons.
By 1996, Venturi hit financial issues and the company folded. Ratel carried on and today is still the driving force behind the FIA GT championships held around the world. Between 1993 and 1995, Venturi built just nine LM chassis of which seven started as a 500 LM, and then one each of the 600 LM and 600 SLM were built from scratch. With the arrival of the Global Endurance Legends events, these rare Venturis have started to re-emerge in recent years. << Prev Page 2 of 2
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Along with Jürgen Barth and Patrick Peter, Ratel then created the BPR Championship for GT cars in 1994. This allowed the Venturi LMs to race at more venues than just Le Mans. One new 600 LM was built and four of the five remaining 500 LMs were also updated to the latest specifications. Initially, the BPR featured mainly Porsches and Venturis, but the field quickly grew in diversity with the Ferrari F40 usually the car to beat. Venturi 600 LMs nevertheless won the races at Dijon, Montlhéry and Spa-Francorchamps. A 600 LM also won a round of the British GT Championship. At Le Mans, reliability issues saw all three 600 LMs retire.