FERRARI will feature in Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS this year, with Arise Racing entering a pair of brand-new 296 GT3s.
The famous marque will appear as part of a partnership between Arise Racing and the Lance East group which will extend beyond the track, with the joint venture to “facilitate the sale of Ferrari GT race cars to customers Australia-wide”.
Drivers are yet to be announced.
“Having admired GT racing from afar, it’s a real thrill and unique opportunity to be launching a new team out of my home base of Perth racing Ferraris,” said Lance East owner Laurence Escalante.
“Just like in business, motor racing – and all elite sports for that matter – is highly competitive, performance-driven and requires teamwork, which is a super exciting challenge to be a part of with this team.
“I can’t wait to see what the team and our partners can achieve.”
Arise Racing GT team manager Jordan Oon added: “We’re very excited at Arise Racing GT for this year and beyond. There’s a lot of unknowns, but we are in the process of putting the drivers and teams together ahead of what will be a great season.
“With SRO coming back into the category, including new management, we are pumped to be part of seeing the Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS grow in 2024.
“We were invited to see the new Ferrari 296 GT3 being shaken down in Fiorano, so we got a crash course to see what they are and what the cars are about.
“They are very impressive, and from what we’ve seen, their design and systems are a match for any GT3 car in the world.
“It’s nice that we have been able to add a new flavour to the category. Ferrari has a huge following globally, and the release of the new car has been huge. They won the Nürburgring 24 Hour, Laurence’s relationship with Ferrari through F1 is very strong, so it was a no-brainer to go down this route.
“Obviously we want to be at the pointy end, but until we get through the first round, we aren’t going to know.”
It’s a new era for GT World Challenge Australia under SRO management, having shifted away from the Australian Racing Group umbrella – and Oon is keen to see the category grow.
“We want to see more internationals and see the Australian championship be recognised globally,” he continued.
“The class has had its ups and downs over the years, but it’s clearly on the way up.
“We are gearing up for the future. We don’t want to be here for one or two years. We see this as a long-term program and we want to make it sustainable.”
The 2024 season will kick off at the Bathurst 12 Hour on February 16-18.
