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August 25, 2021 | General

Structures in place for stronger GT World Challenge Australia for 2022

Momentum is building in the Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia Powered by AWS approaching the final rounds of the year heading into what promises to be a bigger 2022.

Formed out of an alliance between the internationally renowned GT promoter SRO and the Australian Racing Group which launched in November, three events have been run so far this year with grid sizes growing, some current teams signalling intent to update their cars and new competitors entering.

This was headlined by Dutton EMA Motorsport’s recent commitment with Porsche and Cameron Waters.

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Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia Powered by AWS Category Manager Ken Collier detailed the stages of the alliance and the SRO’s involvement so far.

“For us at ARG, developing GT World Challenge Australia happened really quickly in that the relationship with the SRO and the awarding of the category rights from Motorsport Australia only took place late last year,” said Collier.

“Whilst it happened very quickly, I believe it was done very well with the assistance of all the staff at SRO headquarters, particularly Benjamin Franassovici who manages GT World Challenge Asia.

“Being able to use the SRO ruleset from GT World Challenge Asia as a base, and blending these with the Motorsport Australia specific regulations really assisted us with getting the first round at Phillip Island in March up and running.

“We learnt a lot to be honest, I learnt a lot and we could transfer those learnings into Round 2, which then rolled onto Round 3.”

Collier believes the rejuvenation of the category through the new alliance is bringing a new era of growth for GT racing in Australia.

“The confidence of having the ARG-SRO partnership was reflected in the attendance and the enthusiasm of the teams at the events,” Collier explained.

“It gave the competitors confidence that it would be different to what had happened with GT racing in Australia in the past and that reflected in the grid size.  The fact that all teams worked with us at the first round to identify areas to review was evidence of the support we had.

“Australia bats well above its weight in terms of GT teams per head of motorsport population. It’s a real testament to the interest in GT in Australia and the willingness of the – fundamentally – the amateur racers who are interested in motorsport and are able to invest in GT cars.

“We will continue to develop and improve what we offer to the competitors and rebuild GT racing in Australia to the level that their investment deserves. The Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia Powered by AWS is a major part of the global GT World Challenge family and fully supported by the ARG-SRO partnership.”

The next round of the Fanatec GT World Challenge Powered by AWS will be held at The Bend Motorsport Park on October 15-17.