Motorsport: Big prize money for Australian GT Championship

Teams competing in the 2017 CAMS Australian GT Championship and CAMS Australian Endurance Championship will vie for $200,000 worth of prize money, category manager Ken Collier has announced.

The new initiative will see Australian GT award $100,000 to the winner of the newly created Australian GT Overall Competitor Award, with the balance of the prize money distributed down to fifth place.

"This new award is an enhancement of the CAMS Australian GT Championship and CAMS Australian Endurance Championship," Mr Collier announced.

"When we were given the opportunity to conduct both championships in 2016 we were unsure how many teams would enter either one or both championships.

"The registration process was priced so that competitors who supported both championships received a reasonable incentive," Mr Collier continued.

"The outcome was that, with only a few exceptions, all of the competitors registered for both championships - even if they did not intend to be at every round.

"For 2017 we will continue with the combined championship entry incentive but also add this enormous Australian GT Overall Competitor Award for all eligible combined championship competitors.

"The $200,000 cash prize pool is in addition to the increased investment in media and activation opportunities for manufacturer and team sponsors in hospitality and event interaction.

"Having Australian GT as the premier category at most of our 2017 events allows us the flexibility to manage the events so we have the best outcome for Australian GT teams."

The announcement also follows a string of other initiatives for 2017, which will see the introduction of GT4 spec cars in the CAMS Australian GT Trophy Series and an exciting new event at Symmons Plains in what will be Australian GT's first ever visit to Tasmania.