The re-branding of Australian GT as GT World Challenge Australia Powered by AWS has been confirmed.
As first revealed by Motorsport.com, SRO Motorsports Group will take over the commercial rights for the Australian GT Championship and Australian Endurance Championship from next year onwards.
The category will be run as a joint venture with Australian Racing Group, with ARG operations boss Ken Collier set to take the category manager role.
It will be his second stint in the role, Collier having run the series from 2012 to 2019 before joining ARG.
It’s now been confirmed that, as expected, AGT will be re-branded as the GT World Challenge Australia Powered by AWS.
It’s the fourth series to join the GT World Challenge sphere, alongside America, Asia and Europe.
The Australian version will use SRO’s technical and sporting regulations and Balance of Performance system, with brands competing down under able to score points towards the global GT World Challenge manufacturers’ championship.
The 2021 schedule will be revealed soon, with five sprint events and a one-off three or four-hour race to determine the Australian Endurance Champion.
“It is a great pleasure to present GT World Challenge Australia Powered by AWS and add a fourth continent to our global platform,” said SRO boss Stephane Ratel.
“After being given the opportunity by Motorsport Australia to jointly manage the championship alongside ARG, it was a natural decision to align it with our series in Europe, Asia and America.
“By doing so I believe that we can take GT World Challenge Australia Powered by AWS to a global audience and offer a pathway for teams and drivers to compete internationally.
“The close ties between these customer racing series will also provide a great opportunity for manufacturers.
“This is an exciting time for SRO as we take a more active role in Australian GT racing, building upon our existing involvement with the Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour, and expand our global footprint. My thanks once again to ARG and Motorsport Australia for their close collaboration.”
Collier added that the SRO/ARG-led revival will be a big win for local GT competition, after a couple of years of declining entries and interest.
“The announcement of Motorsport Australia to grant SRO and ARG the joint management of GT racing in Australia is an incredible opportunity for the category to grow substantially,” he said.
“The alignment of our local category with the global experience of SRO will definitely see some changes to the way GT racing has been conducted in the past, however I cannot see any down side for the Australian GT teams.
“Having been a part of ARG for the past 18 months has proven to me that it is genuinely committed to the success of the categories and events that it manages. The level of engagement with all of the stakeholders in all of the ARG race categories is at the highest level I have experienced.
“Our determination to have the best events, supported by the absolute best media coverage including the Seven Network broadcasts will not let our customers down.
“If it wasn’t for the obvious challenges of 2020, all of our promises would have been met and the results proven. Everyone who knows me will understand how passionate I am about GT racing and my excitement for the partnership with SRO is difficult to contain!”
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