The Stephane Ratel Organisation is to continue with the development and growth of both the British F3 and British GT championships after confirmation that it will be will remain in charge of both series' for the 2010 season and beyond.

The British Racing and Sports Car Club (BRSCC) announced earlier this weekend that SRO has been retained a promoters of the British GT championship – extending a deal which started back in 2004.

That deal came despite James Tucker's Britcar group putting together its own proposal to take over the series, with the BRSCC opting for continuity.

“We have an excellent working relationship with both SRO and Britcar so it was a difficult choice,” BRSCC chairman Bernard Cottrell said. “However, on this occasion we felt that the interests of the GT Championship would be best served by continuity.

"As the permit-holding club for the Avon Tyres British GT Championship, we are mindful that this is the premier championship in the UK for GT racing. Certainly the grid numbers have declined during the 2009 season and we were obliged to discuss the future of the championship with not only SRO, but also with other interested parties. Having now made the decision to retain SRO as the promoters of the championship, we believe that we now have in place a detailed plan of how we intend to rekindle interest in the championship."

With the deal confirmed, SRO chairman Stephane Ratel said he was hopeful that the British GT series will recover from a tough 2009 campaign, when low grid numbers were a common theme throughout the season.

"I would like to thank the BRSCC for its confidence in SRO Motorsports Group as the commercial rights holder of the British GT Championship and look forward to working alongside the BRSCC again for the 2010 season," he said. "The Avon Tyres British GT Championship is the UK's most prestigious GT racing series and SRO will continue to develop the championship as a professional environment for the UK's leading amateur and professional GT drivers."