More fashionable than ever in the international motor racing scene, the GT championships are attracting great interest from drivers, media end sponsors everywhere. And that is also the case in Brazil, where SRO hosted a special media conference on Saturday November 28th. Ran since 1997 in Europe, the FIA GT Championship will introduce significant modifications for 2010 season, and one of them is the first ever GT1 world Championship race in Brazil – more precisely in Interlagos. To be held in four continents, the series has been granted for 2010 on the status of World Championship, gathering 24 cars – or four cars per brand.

The announcement was held in Interlagos, where SRO Latin America held the last double round of its Itaipava GT3 Championship. There, SRO’s chairman Stephane Ratel and its partners in SRO Latin America Antonio Hermann and Walter Derani disclosed their ambitious 2010 plan.

“I am proud to announce we finalized the agreement to stage a round of the FIA World GT1 Championship in Brazil next year”, commented a jubilant Ratel during the warm reception he had from the Brazilian specialized journalists. “And the reason we have chosen Brazil is very obvious: this country is fashionable, it is on a high. It will host the 2014 World Soccer Championship, the 2016 Olympic Games… and we already have Brazilian drivers in the GT1 Series, two very fast fellows indeed (Roberto Streit and Enrique Bernoldi, winners of the Paul Ricard round with a Corvette Z06 from the Sangari Team Brazil squad). And of course Interlagos is a great race track. So we have it all to be successful here, as well as in every other venue we will race from 2010 on”.

The Brazilian GT1 World Championship race will mark in 28th November 2010 the end of the 12-round season. “We will have a renewed championship, but not entirely as it will be the continuation of the series we promoted until 2009. But for drivers and teams fighting for a world title makes all the difference. It is a new status, and it promises to be a spectacular GT series, something that will impress the motor racing world as a whole”, says Ratel. “And I am proud to announce we will bring a round of that great series to Brazil where we already have strong roots through our subsidiary SRO Latin America - the organizer of the GT3 and the new-for-2010 GT4 series”.

Ratel confirmed to the Brazilian media the six brands will be represented in 2010: “We will have Aston Martin, Corvette, Ford, Lamborghini, Maserati and Nissan, with two cars per team, and two teams for each make. That sums up 24 cars but we are already on talks to other makes so we might have up to 10 brands in the future. Those 24 cars will present the same performance on track which will make up for a strong show in any venue one can imagine”.

The SRO chairman also stressed the company plan to have GT1 races in Brazil for many years to come. “We want to impress right away with a great show but also with a great organization and a neat presentation. We are here to stay for many years. SRO has organized the first races in history in China and Dubai, so we know very well how hard it is to promote motor racing in countries with almost no culture or tradition in the sport. Two years ago we had a round of the FIA GT in Argentina and we decided to bring the FIA World GT1 to Brazil in 2010. Those two countries have a strong tradition in motor sports and there is no doubt that local passion will count a lot to the series attractiveness”.

SRO Latin America associate and Ratel’s friend and racetrack pal for many years, Antonio Hermann highlighted to the media his old dream is to become true. “Bringing one round of the FIA GT1 to Brazil and having here, possibly, the title show down is the result of a great deal of persistence and work performed during many years. We in Brazil have shown what we are capable of. Our drivers, teams and championships consistently exceed the best expectations. The Brazilian F1 GP for instance has won many honors for its impeccable organization. Yes, having the GT1 here is a dream, and we are very happy to see it becoming eventually true”.

The third SRO Latin America associate, Walter Derani pointed out the consistent growth of the Brazilian event in a short period. “The world suffered with the recent crisis and we surely did too. But it is clear to everyone who is here at Interlagos the noticeable pace of our growth. Besides GT3 we have many shows for the public, such as the Superbike series, musical shows and so on. Ours is a full day event, for sure, and the fans are discovering it during every race weekend we do. For 2010 we will sustain that growth as shown by the contacts we have been receiving from entrepreneurs interested in the event. And, of course, we will have our first GT4 regular season. Next year should be great for us, that I can tell you”.

Subject to the approval of the FIA World Motor Sport Council on December 11th.