SRO Motorsports Group has revealed a raft of details about its newly-established Australian arm which will control local GT racing next season.
SRO, led by Stephane Ratel, will take a more hands-on approach to running GT3 and GT4 racing in Australia after reclaiming the promotional rights from Australian Racing Group.
The Australian GT3 and GT4 championships will now be run by the new SRO Motorsports Australia, the details of which are now becoming clear.
As reported by Speedcafe, the local SRO arm will be led by outgoing TCR Australia category manager Ben McMellan, who steps into the CEO role.
Abi Hay will relocate from Europe to take on the Head of Sporting & Business Development role, while Charise Bristow will continue in the category manager role.
Grant Rowley’s Network R business will manage communications and content.
“We are delighted to announce the appointment of Ben to lead our dedicated Australian business,” said Ratel.
“Ben is well known to both our SRO global team and Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia customers. He has been instrumental in assisting with the establishment of our Australian business.
“He has demonstrated his commitment and capability and built strong relationships with the broader team. We look forward to seeing GT racing continuing to grow in Australia under his leadership.”
McMellan added: “I thank Stephane for the opportunity, and I look forward to working with the team both here in Australia and SRO more broadly to deliver a quality platform for our teams, drivers, and sponsors.
“We have some very exciting new additions as part of the 2024 Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia Championship to be announced.”
The 2024 GT World Challenge Australia season kicks off with the Bathurst 12 Hour next February.