The stars of international GT racing gathered in Paris last night for the annual SRO Motorsports Group Awards, celebrating the champions of 2024.
The traditional end-of-year celebration was staged across two venues: first, in the afternoon, at the Pavillon Vendôme, and then later amid the marble columns of the historic Pavillon Cambon Capucines, which was completed in 1914 as the headquarters of Crédit Foncier de France and has since been reborn as an events space.
It welcomed some of the biggest names in world motorsport. Among the prize-winners, Mercedes-AMG retained the global GT World Challenge title for a sixth year in succession, Porsche collected the Intercontinental GT Challenge manufacturers’ crown, and BMW claimed the inaugural GT4 Manufacturer Ranking title.
The champions of GT Europe (following late confirmation of the final standings), GT Asia and the IGTC were presented with their trophies too, while representatives from GT America and GT Australia were in Paris to join the festivities after staging their own awards ceremonies on home soil.
Following a truly unforgettable victory at the centenary running of the 24 Hours of Spa, two-thirds of Comtoyou Racing’s winning crew – Marco Sørensen and Mattia Drudi – were on hand to collect their commemorative jackets and lifetime passes covering all global SRO events.
Spain as a nation was also honoured for its table-topping medal haul during the third edition of the FIA Motorsport Games, which was held in Valencia this year.
There was recognition for the GT2 European Series and GT4 European Series champions, as well as those from the FFSA French GT Championship, FFSA TC France, and the British GT Championship.
In the latter series, Sandy Mitchell received the Allan Simonsen Award, which is presented to a driver who embodies the same speed and spirit as the much-missed Danish racer.
Meanwhile, Philippe Charriol Award – which celebrates an outstanding amateur driver – was won by two-time British GT champion and Beechdean AMR owner Andrew Howard. There were trophies for this year’s SRO Esports stars, while Team WRT and L’Espace Bienvenue were recognised for their sustainability efforts in GT3 and GT4 respectively.
The event rounded off a packed year of SRO racing across the world. Attention now shifts to the 2025 campaign, which will begin with the IGTC-opening Bathurst 12 Hour at Mount Panorama in February.
A word on Watson
With the SRO’s 2024 racing activities now in the books, this feels like the right time for DSC to also recognise John Watson’s service to the sport as he steps away from GT World Challenge commentary duties.
The former F1 racer has been a mainstay of SRO GT3 racing broadcasting for the past 15 years and alongside longtime co-commentator David Addison (above, left), added true depth and colour to what has been an undeniably spectacular era of SRO GT racing in Europe.
A legend of the sport both on track and in the booth, Watson deserves full praise and respect for his efforts. He will be sorely missed by SRO paddock members and fans going forward.
Best of luck for the next chapter Wattie!
Images courtesy of SRO
