CRS Racing has revealed that it will not return to the Avon Tyres British GT Championship to defend its title during the 2009 season.

Although the team, then running as CR Scuderia, failed to secure the drivers' crown last year, the Ferrari outfit did successfully wrap up the teams' crown in its first year of competition after being founded by Chris Niarchos and Andrew Kirkaldy – both of whom have secured the championship crown in the past.

For the new season however, the sportscar arm of the team will focus once again on the FIA GT Championship – with the same driver line-up of Niarchos, Kirkaldy, Rob Bell and Tim Mullen – while also entering cars into the FIA GT3 European Championship with drivers still to be announced.

The team will continue to have a presence on British shores as it once again enters a multi-car team into the Formula Renault UK Championship.

“Both Andrew and I are huge fans of the British GT Championship,” CRS team principal, Niarchos said. “We're both past champions and it's where I personally really learnt to race.

“Having said that CRS is a commercial racing team and sometimes tough decisions have to be made. In 2009, the FIA GT3 Championship is the right choice for CRS - but that doesn't mean we won't return to the British series in the future.”

The British GT Championship will have its official launch at Silverstone tomorrow [Tuesday].