The SRO Motorsports Group has confirmed that it will not continue as promoter for the FIA GT1 World Championship and FIA GT3 European Championship next season, effectively ending both series at the end of the year.
The SRO informed the FIA's GT Commission in a Paris meeting, but both the FIA and SRO Group will support both series to the end of the season.
The GT1 World Championship was introduced for the 2010 season as a stand alone race splitting from the FIA GT Championship. However, since then the series has struggled to attract full grids, the latest round of the championship at Portimao being run with just 14 cars on the grid.
For 2012 the GT1 World Championship switched to using cars based on GT3-spec machinery, but the decision damaged the GT3 European Championship, grids more than halving for this season with just 11 cars at the most recent event.
A statement for the SRO maintained that a partnership with the FIA may continue; “Ratel has been clear that he hopes that this will not mean the end of a long and fruitful collaboration with the FIA, with various possibilities being studied at the current time.”
The SRO Motorsports Group also promotes the Blancpain Endurance Series and several national series including both the Avon Tyres British GT Championship and Cooper Tires British Formula Three International Series.
The SRO will hold its traditional press conference at next weekend's Total 24 Hours of Spa, promising announcements about the future structure of it GT and F3 series as well a provisional timetables.
