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Edition

Australia

Australian GT to make driver seeding changes

The Australian GT Championship is set to make some adjustments to its driver seeding procedures for the 2017 endurance races.

Start action, #911 Walkinshaw GT3 Porsche 911 GT3-R: John Martin, Duvashen Padayachee

Start action, #911 Walkinshaw GT3 Porsche 911 GT3-R: John Martin, Duvashen Padayachee

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#100 BMW Team SRM BMW M6 GT3: Steve Richards, Max Twigg
#95 Miedecke Motor Group Aston Martin Vantage GT3: George Miedecke, Andrew Miedecke
#100 BMW Team SRM BMW M6 GT3: Steve Richards, Max Twigg
#95 Miedecke Motor Group Aston Martin Vantage GT3: George Miedecke, Andrew Miedecke
#1 JAMEC PEM Audi R8 LMS: Miguel Molina, Tony Bates and #7 Darrell Lea Aston Martin Vantage GT3: Tony Quinn, Hayden Cooper
#8 Maranello Motorsport Ferrari 488 GT3: Adrian Deitz, Cameron McConville
#911 Walkinshaw GT3 Porsche 911 GT3-R: John Martin, Duvashen Padayachee

The series today announced that next year’s long-distance championship will stick to the current Pro/Am and Am/Am system, which doesn’t allow a line-up of purely professional drivers.

However there will be some changes to the seeding process, Australian GT set to switch to a simplified grading system on par with the one used in overseas GT championships.

There is also set to be a change to the parity system when it comes to driver combos. Rather than the current system, which sees time added to the compulsory pitstops, the series will instead look to monitor what driver combos are actually allowed to compete in the series.

A statement from the category only confirms that the new system will be used for the endurance events, not the sprint events. 

The 2017 schedule is also in the works, with plans for at least four sprint rounds, and a four-round Australian Endurance Championship.

Finally, the series will look to help manufacturers better activate their sponsorship through the championship, with a hint that on-track sessions for road car customers could form part of the events.

“We know that the fan base for GT racing is very broad and all car manufacturers who have a link to motorsport need to get a return on investment," Australian GT Championship manager Ken Collier explained.

"The local manufacturers have done very well over decades of association with the various Touring Car championships, and our manufacturers should be using GT racing as part of their marketing programs."

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Edition

Australia