SRO Motorsports Group has launched a new prize-fund that will allow a rising star from the FFSA GT French Championship to graduate to GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS in 2026.
All competing drivers who are categorised Silver and aged under 30 on 1 January 2025 will be automatically entered into the GT Academy programme. They will be assessed by a four-person jury comprising two representative from the Fédération Française du Sport Automobile (FFSA) and two from SRO, the latter pair including Stéphane Ratel.
The winning driver will receive a grant of 150 000€ and be put in contact with GT World Challenge Europe teams with the aim of graduating to the Sprint Cup in 2026. They will also receive a wealth of other benefits, including sporting management from the FFSA Academy and supervision from SRO Motorsports Group.
"We are very happy to support the GT Academy launched by SRO Motorsports Group in 2025," said Pierre Gosselin, President of the FFSA. "We have the joint wish to energise the FFSA GT French Championship and to allow talented young drivers to reach the highest levels of our sport. With the support of the FFSA Academy, the winner will have all the tools and support necessary to be able to concentrate on improving their skills and to have everything on their side to be competitive in the 2026 season in the GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS."
Laurent Gaudin, General Manager of the FFSA GT French Championship, provided further details on how the programme will work.
"It is important to note that the GT Academy is only aimed at Silver drivers; their Bronze co-drivers will obviously provide support and encouragement but will not play any part in the final classification," he explained. "This prize fund will depend on the classification of the qualifying sessions, of the pace of each driver during the race, their fighting spirit, their general attitude. Points will be awarded at the end of each weekend by a jury including two FFSA representatives and two from SRO, including Stéphane Ratel.
"The aim is clearly to find an undiscovered gem, and to give them the necessary boost so that he, or she, can make a major step forward in their career in 2026. I would like to thank the FFSA for their collaboration in this beautiful project."
Stéphane Ratel added his enthusiasm for the project: "After a season in the FFSA GT, the winner will find themselves amongst the elite of international GT3 competition, up against factory drivers entered by manufacturer-supported teams. It is an absolute promotion, with the support of the FFSA and the whole SRO group. This is also a reminder of just how important the FFSA GT, which we are organising for the 24th season, is to SRO."
The 2025 FFSA GT season will launch at Nogaro on 18-21 April. This will be the first of five events, with trips to Dijon-Prenois, Spa-Francorchamps, Magny-Cours and Circuit Paul Ricard to follow. Notably, the Magny-Cours round will be staged alongside GT World Challenge Europe, giving GT Academy hopefuls a chance to sample the atmosphere before making the step up in 2026.
FFSA GT TEAM RELATION CONTACT: Romain Morelli – romain.morelli@sro-motorsports.com