The Saudi Motorsport Company (SMC) has today signed an agreement confirming that it will host the closing round of the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS for the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
Moreover, the GT4 European Series Powered by RAFA Racing Club will also join as the main support event. The record-breaking Jeddah Corniche Circuit, located on the shores of the Red Sea, will host both championships on 21st –23rd November next year, with both series set to race on the world’s fastest and longest street track.
The two-year agreement was announced today at the Circuit Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium, during the Crowdstrike 24 Hours of Spa by HRH Prince Khalid Bin Sultan Al Abdullah Al-Faisal, Chairman of the Saudi Motorsport Company (SMC) and Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation (SAMF) and by Stéphane Ratel, Founder and CEO of the SRO Motorsports Group. The announcement was made as part of today’s release of the 2024 series calendar.
Acknowledged as the global benchmark in GT3 racing, Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS will run a 1,000-kilometre contest at the high-speed Formula 1 circuit, placing the event behind only the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa in terms of distance. The fiercely competitive GT4 European Series Powered by RAFA Racing Club will contest its usual pair of one-hour races on the renowned F1 street track.
As a current host of Formula 1, Formula E, Dakar Rally and Extreme E - as well as staging last years’ FIA World Touring Car Cup Final (WTCR) – the agreement further establishes the Kingdom as the new home for global, prestige motorsport events in the Middle East. In doing so, it strengthens SMC’s long-term goal of leveraging the power of motorsports to deliver directly against the Kingdom’s transformative Vision 2030.
HRH Prince Khalid Bin Sultan Al Abdullah Al-Faisal, Chairman of the Saudi Motorsport Company (SMC) and Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation (SAMF), commented: “We are thrilled to confirm the signing of a two-year agreement to host the closing rounds of the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS and the GT4 European Series Powered by RAFA Racing Club at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit. It is a privilege to partner with SRO Motorsports Group and we thank them for their hard work and dedication in making this exciting venture happen.
“The arrival of two more exhilarating racing series of global stature in Saudi Arabia from 2024 onwards further confirms the extent of the Kingdom’s transformation into the new home of motorsport in the region. In doing so, we continue to accelerate the rate of progress we are seeing as a result of hosting such major events. We look forward to working with SRO Motorsports and continuing to provide more opportunities to enrich the lives of all our residents.”
Founder and CEO of the SRO Motorsports Group, Stéphane Ratel, also remarked: “It is with great pleasure that we are able to announce our plans to compete in Saudi Arabia beginning in 2024. GT World Challenge Powered by AWS has already reached four continents, but we were missing something in the Middle East. By taking our two most successful series to Jeddah, we will ensure the strongest possible start to what we anticipate being a long and fruitful partnership.
“I want to offer my personal thanks to HRH Prince Khalid Bin Sultan Al Abdullah Al-Faisal for his commitment to this project and for joining us today at Spa-Francorchamps. Thanks must also go to His Royal Highness Prince Abdulaziz Bin Turki Al-Faisal, the Saudi Minister of Sport, who enjoyed success with us for many years competing in the Blancpain GT Series.”
