GT World Challenge Australia is considering adding a Silver-Am class to its roster, aiming to attract young drivers who are not yet ready to compete against the top-tier Gold and Platinum racers. The move could reshape the competitive landscape of Australian GT racing.
The proposed Silver-Am class would pair FIA Silver-rated drivers with amateur Bronze co-drivers, giving young talents a platform to fight for titles without being immediately thrown into the deep end. Among the current Silver-rated drivers in the field are Oscar Targett, Josh Buchan, Garnet Patterson, and Valentino Astuti.
"It’s something that we’ve discussed with teams at length," Ben McMellan, boss of SRO Motorsports Australia, told Speedcafe. "We haven’t made any formal decision as of yet, but we have looked at a couple of options and discussed it at length with the teams."
McMellan pointed to the launch of the SRO GT Academy this year, which offers a lucrative prize drive for Silver drivers in British GT, GT World Challenge Australia, Asia, and America. "For us it makes sense to have a class available that entices Silver drivers to come in and not necessarily be compared to Platinum or Gold drivers straight away," he explained. "At the same time, it gives them that opportunity to compete with Silvers in their class, but then also be on the track at the same time as the Gold and Platinum drivers and show a like-for-like comparison there as well."
However, McMellan cautioned that there is no entry threshold to meet before deciding on the class. "You don’t really know until you open entries," he said. "Everyone can say that their best intentions are to enter and everything, but you never really know until you physically receive the entry form."
SRO Motorsports has a variety of class structures at its disposal, including a Silver-Cup for all-Silver line-ups. But that is unlikely to be introduced soon as the series relies heavily on Am entries. "We’ve got a Silver class that has run in Europe and in Asia," said McMellan. "I think it will have a place in the Australian market, but I don’t necessarily think we’re ready for it, so I think Silver-Am is most likely the logical next step for us."
McMellan added that the intention is to introduce the class, but no formal decision has been made. "We’re still conducting our review meetings with teams throughout [Darwin] and we’ll do some more in Sydney to gather all that information so that we can make an informed decision, but that is the likely outcome, yes."
GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS continues with the Liqui-Moly GT Festival Sydney at Sydney Motorsport Park on September 18-20, featuring night racing.
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