The world’s leading figures in GT Racing descended upon the historic Italian city of Venice this past weekend to honour the standout achievements of 2025 at the SRO Awards. The gathering, held at a magnificent Renaissance venue in the city’s north, showcased the year’s most impressive performances across the motorsport calendar.
The occasion proved particularly successful for two German manufacturers. Mercedes-AMG extended its reign atop the GT World Challenge, securing the international title for the seventh consecutive year, whilst BMW demonstrated its competitive prowess by capturing both the GT4 Manufacturer Ranking and the prestigious Intercontinental GT Challenge title—the latter representing the Bavarian firm’s inaugural success in that category.
The Intercontinental campaign saw BMW dominate throughout the season, though there was one notable exception to their winning streak. Lamborghini achieved a historic milestone by securing victory at the 24 Hours of Spa for the first time. The triumphant Grasser Racing team of Mirko Bortolotti, Jordan Pepper and Luca Engstler was present at the ceremony to celebrate this significant achievement for the Italian manufacturer.
Individual honours recognise spirit and excellence
Beyond the manufacturer accolades, the ceremony celebrated exceptional individual performances. The most recent was that of Ferrari’s Antonio Fuoco, who had just clinched the FIA GT World Cup in Macau mere days before attending the Venice ceremony. His competitive excellence proved emblematic of the broader achievements recognised throughout the evening.
The evening also presented some newly established awards. Ajith Kumar received the Philippe Charriol Award, established six years earlier to commemorate passionate amateur drivers, whilst British driver Kiern Jewiss earned the Allan Simonsen Award following an impressive debut season that culminated in the GT3 championship.
Among the fresh accolades introduced this year was recognition for Zou Sirui, who successfully organised the GT World Challenge Asia finale in Beijing. That street circuit event set a new attendance record for the series, drawing 30,000 spectators to witness competitive motorsport in the Chinese capital.
Nurturing future talent
The SRO GT Academy, launched this year as part of the French GT Championship, awarded its inaugural scholarship to 19-year-old Gaspard Simon. The promising talent will receive mentorship and support as he progresses to either the European GT World Challenge or the GT2 European Series in the coming season.
A packed calendar and what lies ahead
The 2025 season represented a particularly busy campaign for SRO, with approximately 200 races organised globally—ranging from single-day sprints to the prestigious endurance contest at Spa. As the organisation looks forward to 2026, the calendar promises to be equally demanding, with the Bathurst 12 Hour scheduled to launch the new season on 13–15 February.
