After running within the Australian Production Cars (APC) category under the management of Karl Begg and Troy Williams, the driving force behind APC, Monochrome GT4 Australia will run as a stand alone category in 2024 as part of SRO Australia GT4.
This news coincides with the confirmation of the 2024 calendar and race formats for the all-new SRO promoted and operated Monochrome GT4 Australia Series.
The new Series will feature a mix of sprint and endurance racing formats competing as a lead category on the Shannons SpeedSeries bill.
The 2024 Monochrome GT4 Australia Series will kick start its season with a non-points scoring race at Sandown in February – the opening round of the Shannons SpeedSeries. The event will see a three hour enduro run, with two drivers per-car mandated for the race.
The first official round will be at Phillip Island in April coinciding with the opening round of the Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS.
The remaining five series rounds will visit The Bend, Queensland Raceway, Sydney Motorsport Park, Bathurst and one more round mid-year at a venue to be confirmed.
The Monochrome GT4 Australia Series will adopt the FIA driver categorisation system, a silver FiA driver categorisation is the highest permitted to participate in the series.
The category expects up to 20 cars on the grid at the season opener with representation from BMW, Mercedes, McLaren, Ginetta and more expected.
MONOCHROME GT4 AUSTRALIA CALENDAR & FORMATS
Non-series: Sandown 9th-11th Feb – 3hr Enduro
R1: Phillip Island April 12th-14th – 2 x 60mins Sprints
R2: The Bend May 24th-26th – 2 x 60 mins Sprints
R3: QR July 19th-21th – 4 hour Enduro
R4: TBC Aug 30th-Sep 1st – 4 hour Enduro
R5: SMSP Oct 18th-20th – 2 x 60 mins Sprints
R6: Bathurst Nov 8th-10th – 2 x 60 mins Sprints
* Sprint rounds to have 2 practice session & 2 qualifying sessions
* Sprint rounds to have mandatory pit stop
* Enduro rounds to have 2 practice sessions & 1 qualifying session
* QR to be a sunset into night enduro with stream for the entire race
Ben McMellan – CEO, SRO Motorsports Australia
“Being able to deliver a fully aligned GT4 offer in Australia is important for the sport and sponsors,” said McMellan.
“The support from Karl Begg and Troy Williams from APC has underpinned being able to achieve this outcome. As part of maintaining the current momentum, it is great that Troy will now join SRO as the Category Manager for the SRO Monochrome GT4 Australia Series.”
Troy Williams – Category Manager, Monochrome GT4 Australia Series
“It’s exciting to see our new series coming together,” said Williams.
“Alongside SRO Motorsport and Motorsport Australia, we have come up with an exciting calendar with circuits that suit GT4 cars, the broadcasting and most importantly, the competitors.
“One of the things that we wanted was endurance events and suitable race formats. Our competitors want access to some longer races. These cars are built for endurance racing, and we feel that we have struck a great balance, with a mix of 4 Hour races, 3 Hour races and short sprints that will include compulsory pit stops.
“I am pleased that all parties have been able to come to an agreement and that in joining SRO as the GT4 Category Manager, we can now really showcase GT4 racing at its best.”
Jeff Yew – CEO, Monochrome
“At Monochrome, we believe in investing in the best, and the Monochrome GT4 Australia Series has shown a great potential of becoming one of the most premium customer racing series in Australia,” said Yew.
“Throughout the 2023 season, we’ve seen some really diverse racing, including many different car brands and a wide range of drivers. Next year, that only looks like growing, with more cars coming into the country.
“Seeing brands like BMW, Porsche and Mercedes AMG take on the likes of McLaren, it’s a true sports car enthusiast’s paradise. This is the only racing series that has McLarens in it, and it’s really exciting to see all of these premium supercar brands once again dominate Australian race tracks.”
