SRO, ARG to Co-Manage Australian GT Championship

SRO Motorsports Group and the Australian Racing Group have announced a partnership that will see the organizations co-manage the Australian GT Championship from 2021.

SRO, which runs the Intercontinental GT Challenge powered by Pirelli and GT World Challenge powered by AWS, will have a hand in the running of both Australian GT and the affiliated Motorsport Australia Endurance Championship.

The stated aim of the co-management structure with ARG is to take “both series to new heights in Australia and beyond”.

ARG’s role in Australian motorsport includes the running of the TCR Australia Series, VHT S5000 Australian Drivers’ Championship, Touring Car Masters, Kumho V8 Touring Car Series, the National Trans-Am Series and the Bathurst 6 Hour.

Australian GT had been managed by Trofeo Motorsport since 2018, but national federation Motorsport Australia had recently been on the search for a new organizer.

SRO’s involvement in Australia’s top domestic GT series was reported two weeks ago.

Full details of its partnership with ARG have yet to be disclosed, but Australian GT will retain the SRO Balance of Performance system that it currently uses.

“The Australian Racing Group is thrilled to welcome the Australian GT and Endurance Championships into our suite of racing categories,” said ARG CEO Matt Baird.

“We are pleased to be continuing our partnership with Motorsport Australia and also excited to be working closely with Stephane and his team at SRO Motorsports Group.

“The success of GT racing worldwide is a testament to SRO’s amazing vision and execution, and we already have some bold plans to reinvigorate the domestic scene.

“Australia has an incredible array of eligible GT race cars in the country as well as a passionate competitor base, and we feel with SRO’s stable rule set and high-quality events, including live and free broadcasting on the Seven Network, the recipe for success is right.”

SRO already has a notable presence in Australia through its adoption of the Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour as the traditional starting point of the Intercontinental GT Challenge.

Stephane Ratel, the founder and CEO of SRO Motorsports Group, commented that the partnership will “strengthen the strong ties” his company has to the Australian market. 

“We are honored that Motorsport Australia has given us the opportunity to bring our experience of GT racing to its shores in 2021,” he said.

“This will strengthen the strong ties that SRO already has to the Australian GT scene through our partnership with the Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour, which has been part of the Intercontinental GT Challenge Powered by Pirelli since its formation. 

“Looking to the future, we are excited to join forces with Matt Braid and the Australian Racing Group to grow the Motorsport Australia GT Championship further, providing the same global audience and BOP management as the series directly managed by SRO.

“The 2021 season promises to be very exciting indeed and we will release more news concerning our plans shortly.”