The 2014 season came to a festive end in London last Friday, when the SRO Motorsports Group Award Ceremony, held at The Brewery celebrated the champions of all the Series promoted by the SRO Motorsports Group.
Attended by more than 400 people from all series and championships organised by the SRO Motorsports Group, the annual Award Ceremony was the perfect occasion to put this year’s excellent performances in the spotlight.
The champions of the Blancpain GT Series were of course present to collect their well-earned trophies. Maximilian Götz (Blancpain Sprint Series) and Laurens Vanthoor (Blancpain Endurance Series Pro Cup and the overall Blancpain GT Series) took the most coveted drivers’ trophies, while the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT received three trophies for the team’s victory in Sprint, Endurance as well as the overall Blancpain GT Series. They even added the team trophy in the Silver Cup of the Sprint Series. Götz, Vanthoor and Belgian Audi Club Team WRT team principal Vincent Vosse each received a magnificent timepiece from the representative of Series title sponsor Blancpain. The top-three teams of the overall Blancpain GT Series – Belgian Audi Club Team WRT, HTP Motorsport and Grasser Racing Team – were awarded with trophies and prizes from Pirelli, the official tyre supplier of the Series. The winning team receives 42 sets of tyres to be used in the 2015 Blancpain GT Series, with 28 sets for the second-placed team and 14 for the third.
In the Endurance Series the Scuderia Villorba Corse and its drivers Stefano Gai and Andrea Rizzoli were honoured as winners of the Pro-Am Cup, while Francesco Guedes, David Mann and AF Corse received the Gentlemen Trophy’s cups. Further Blancpain Sprint Series trophies were handed over to Alessandro Latif, Marc Basseng and Phoenix Racing (Pro-Am Trophy) and the duo Vincent Abril-Mateusz Lisowski for winning the Silver Cup.
SRO Motorsports Group also introduced the Sean Edwards Trophy, which from 2015 onwards will be awarded to the best under-25 GT-driver in the Pro-Am category of the Blancpain Sprint Series. The 100.000 euros cheque that comes with the trophy should help the youngster to make the step to the Silver Cup the following season.
Now that the entertaining 2014 season has come to a close, the SRO Motorsports Group turns its attention to 2015, for the second season of the Blancpain GT Series and the inaugural editions of the GT Sports Club and Ultracar Sports Club. Action starts with the official test days of the Blancpain Endurance Series at Paul Ricard Circuit, on March 11-12th. We wish everybody a well-deserved and happy winter break and see you all in 2015!
_____
2015 Blancpain GT Series Calendar
11th-12th March: Official Blancpain Endurance Series Test Days Paul Ricard
18th -19th March: Official Blancpain Sprint Series Test Days Misano
4th -6th April: Nogaro (FRA) – Sprint
11th -12th April: Monza (ITA) – Endurance 3 hours
9th -10th May: Brands Hatch (GBR) – Sprint
23rd -24th May: Silverstone (GBR) – Endurance 3 hours
5th -7th June: Zolder (BEL) - Sprint
19th -20th June: Paul Ricard 1000 (FRA) – Endurance 1000 kms.
24th June: Official Test Day Total 24 Hours of Spa (BEL) – Endurance
3rd -5th July: Moscow City (RUS)* - Sprint
23rd -26th July: Total 24 Hours of Spa (BEL) – Endurance 24h hours
4th -6th September: Algarve (PRT) – Sprint
19th -20th September: Nürburgring (DEU) – Endurance 3 hours
2nd -4th October: Misano (ITA) – Sprint
24th – 25th October: Baku World Challenge (AZE) - Sprint
* Pending event promoter agreement
_____
Blancpain - Innovation is our Tradition
Founded in 1735 by Jehan-Jacques Blancpain, the watch brand bearing his name is the oldest in the world. Blancpain is currently engaged to the renewal of mechanical watchmaking and to passing on exceptional expertise from one generation to the next through constant investment in human resources, production facilities and research. This approach is its strength and the expression of our long-term vision, even though it goes against the tide of a certain tendency to seek immediate profit. From the creation of components through to watch design, Blancpain is distinguished by its ability to develop exceptional movements. Over the past nine years, the Manufacture has indeed developed no less than 33 new calibres.
Through its various models, Blancpain preserves its heritage of precision and elegance, while also displaying an innovative and occasionally provocative spirit. Its range encompasses the sportive L-evolution line, the legendary Fifty Fathoms diver’s watch, as well as the classic Villeret collection, the high complication from Le Brassus collection and the Women models.
--
Pirelli – Official Tyre Supplier
Pirelli is a tyre manufacturer and world leader in the automotive industry. It has an exclusive relationship with over 50 racing series worldwide, including Formula One.
Pirelli has a long and illustrious history in endurance racing, and has also claimed a huge variety of class wins in GT racing all over the world. The design of the new Pirelli GT tyres meets the needs of GT racing while maintaining the performance characteristics that endurance drivers have appreciated in the past.The slick tyres used for GT racing are branded Zero: just like the slicks that have become a central feature of Formula One. The name P Zero is used in the highest categories of motorsport such as GT racing.
____
SRO Motorsports Group
SRO Motorsports Group was founded by Stephane Ratel and has specialised in the promotion, support and organisation of many national and international motorsport series since 1995.
In 2014, SRO promotes several championships and series, such as the Blancpain GT Series with the Blancpain Sprint Series and the Blancpain Endurance Series, including the iconic Total 24 hours of Spa, the Cooper Tires British F3 Championship, the Avon Tyres British GT Championship and has various franchise agreements including the GT4 European Series.
SRO has offices in London, Paris and Liège.
_____
credits Jakob Ebrey Photography