#SRO and ARG confirm key details for new-look GT World Challenge Australia Powered by AWS

A fourth continent will be added to the global GT World Challenge Powered by AWS platform in 2021 when Australia joins the international manufacturers’ championship.

This follows the announcement that SRO Motorsports Group will work alongside Australian Racing Group (ARG) to jointly manage the Motorsport Australia GT Championship and Motorsport Australia Endurance Championship, which will form part of the GT World Challenge Australia Powered by AWS.

This aligns the series with SRO’s established continental categories in Europe, America and Asia, ensuring an expanded global audience and providing a clear pathway for international teams to compete in Australia and vice versa.

GT World Challenge Australia Powered by AWS will adopt SRO’s technical and sporting regulations, while also making use of the industry-leading Balance of Performance (BOP) system that has proven highly successful in a wide variety of markets. What’s more, brands competing in Australia will be able to score points towards the global GT World Challenge Powered by AWS manufacturers’ championship.

ARG’s General Manager of Operations, Ken Collier, has been instated as the category manager for both the Motorsport Australia GT Championship and the Motorsport Australia Endurance Championship. He will need little introduction to the existing Australian GT competitor base, having served the same role for the championship from 2012-2019 under its previous ownership. He also has a long-standing connection to SRO and was the Australian representative on the FIA GT Commission.

GT World Challenge Australia Powered by AWS will join ARG’s suite of impressive racing categories and events, all of which will feature as part of the Seven Network’s live and free television coverage. The calendar for the newly branded category will be revealed soon, with five sprint events expected to make up the 2021 schedule, while a one-off race lasting three or four hours will award the 2021 Motorsport Australia Endurance Championship.

The popular GT Trophy Series for older specification GT3 cars and GT4 Series for SRO specification GT4 cars will continue as a part of GT World Challenge Australia Powered by AWS rounds, while the MA Manufacturers title and the Tourist Trophy for GT competitors will also be reintroduced.

Ken Collier, Category Manager GT World Challenge Australia Powered by AWS: “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.

“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!”

Stephane Ratel, Founder and CEO SRO Motorsports Group: “It is a great pleasure to present GT World Challenge Australia Powered by AWS and add a fourth continent to our global platform.

“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.”