It’s about this time of year when our race reporting workload ramps up another step as the SRO America group of GT series kicks off at their seasonal opener from Sonoma but that’s going to be very different this time around.

We can all recall just how prolific the Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT3 and GT4 platforms have been over recent years within the GT America, GT4 America and GT World Challenge America Series with up to twelve such platforms running at any point last season alone.

 

Last week’s provisional entry lists for these three series for this weekend’s seasonal opener from California have sadly listed precisely zero Aston Martins – not even the Rebel Rock Racing Vantage GT3 that was billed as a full and another expected GT4 entry from the Archangel team.

Now that might just be a glitch within the matrix as we have already seen new entries jump into what appears to be the GT racing preference of the IMSA group of series from last weekend’s second rounds but it is a worrying trend stateside but at least they can't get any worse!

 

Some of last season AMR based entries and drivers have also moved onto different manufacturers and series as we have seen with the Heart of Racing, 89X Motorsport and Skip Barber Racing to name a few and that is of course, an entirely natural process over the closed season but going from twelve to zero – what’s that all about??

Another gap in this weekend’s race programme is also with regards the postponement of the opening round and Prologue test (this week) of the FIA World Endurance Championship thanks to the ‘troubles’ being escalated within the region. Since then, we have also seen the F1 cancel their own rounds within that theatre of racing for the same reason but at least the FIA WEC Qatar 1812km event has been rescheduled for late October with the Prologue test being reassigned to just before the next round at Imola in just three weeks’ time.

 

Then, you add on top of all of that the expectation that the Australian based Volante Rosso team will be confirming a McLaren GT3 entry into this season’s GT World Challenge Australia Series – this weekend could be somewhat quiet - making time for other sporting enjoyments!!

 

 

 

With just over a week to go before Media Day, their first pair of drivers have today been confirmed by the GBR Stratton Aston Martin Racing team ahead of this season’s British GT Championship.

Having announced a potential two car AMR Vantage GT4 entry way back at the turn of the year, the pairing of John Hartsorne and Ronan Pearson is the first driver announcement from the partnership between the Graham Brunton Racing and Stratton Motorsport team and comes some weeks after at least one tested with the team at Donington Park.

 

Whilst Hartshorne will be a very familiar name within the Aston Martin Racing Partner team fraternity after his racing comeback with the TF Sport team within most of the current ACO rules series, this is his first recent adventure within a GT4 platform within current regulations.

Pearson meanwhile, comes from the UK TOCA package of race series including the Renault Clio Cup and British Touring Car Championship but this will be his first adventure into GT racing.

“I am absolutely ecstatic to be making my debut in the British GT Championship with GBR Stratton
Motorsport. This change of career path has me incredibly motivated for success and I feel extremely lucky to be working with some great people who have really been in my corner through every step so far. My first season in rear-wheel-drive machinery is going to be a big learner but one that has been in my sights for some time now and this welcome change couldn’t come at a better time with the opportunity that I now have” he said.

With potentially seven Aston Martin Racing powered crews being entered into this season, this news still leaves the second GBR Stratton Motorsport crew to be declared plus the second Full Send Racing GT4 crew after that of Darren Turner and Dan Lavery.

From what we understand from British GT, all further announcements between now and Media Day (at Silverstone on the 31st March) will be on short notice.

Photo credits – Team

 

 

 

 

 

It was a better finish for the E2P Racing team with their Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT3 after their disaster of last year as they this time completed the opening round of the 24H Series European Series from Mugello, Italy.

Last year saw an inconspicuous off for the #90 car trigger a whole host of technical issues within the car that blighted their racing efforts, not just in that race but for the next two as well.

 

This time around, the GT3 Am classed entry for drivers Pablo Burguiera, Antonio Sainero and Oliver Campus get through the wetter earlier sessions to qualify P11 overall – P4 in class ahead of the split twelve-hour race spread evenly across both Saturday and Sunday but the first the first half didn’t get well for the team as they finished the first six hours P21 overall – P7 in class.

After the overnight break, it was a long haul but up the timing board but being six laps down to the overall leader, moving back onto the lead lap would be an impossibility within this ruleset of racing.

 

Eventually rounding out the final minutes of racing under fading Tuscan sunlight, the #90 E2P Racing AMR would finish P12 overall – P6 in class as they now look forward to their next round from Spa Francorchamps in mid-April.

Photo credits – 24h Series

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Heart of Racing Aston Martin Racing team continued their fine start within the IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Championship after a consecutive podium finish in class at the end of last night’s Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.

Coming off the back of a their class pole position and P3 finish at the end of the opening round to the season at the Rolex 24 at the beginning of February, the Zacharie Robichon, Eduardo Barrichello and Tom Gamble driven #27 GTD car went one better this time after converting the Brazilian pole position into a P2 finish to take an early lead in the GTD Drivers Championship.

 

 

There was also an improvement in racing fortunes (albeit just) compared to last season efforts for the #19 Van Der Steur Racing Vantage GTD entry for Rory Van Der Steur, Valentin Hasse-Clot and (this time) Sebastian Baud after they converted their P8 qualifying position into a P13 class finish. Their finishing position upon the timing and scoring board was however, despite the #19 coming to a halt upon track with apparent gearbox failure just before the ten hour mark with the #19 car being placed 79 laps down to the GTD class winner.

For the #23 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Valkyrie GTP entry of Ross Gunn, Roman De Angelis and Alex Riberas, however, there were further trackside issues for the V12 normally aspirated powerhouse that again (like Daytona) that took the car behind the wall for repairs.

 

Determination both on and off track eventually aw them again take the flag ninth in class but an overall twelve laps down to the eventual winners which co-incidentally equals their debut event into the series with the all-new platform last season.

 

 

The next round for the ISMA Series for the GTP and GTD’s at least will be around the streets of Long Beach California in just over three weeks’ time – a venue where both Heart of Racing entries have struggled before.

Photo credits – Teams / AMR / social media

 

 

 

 

 

Whilst the racing headlines may have been all about a certain young Dutchman and his Mercedes AMG GT3 team mates at first winning and then later losing the race upon a technicality, the second Nurburgring Langstrecken Serie race of the season was at least productive for the three Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT3 powered crews.

With race one of the year cancelled because of unsafe racing conditions around the Nordschleife, todays four-hour affair at least had the benefit of gently warming sunny and dry track conditions as over one hundred and thirty cars took to the track again.

 

 

Whilst that Verstappen car did take overall pole position by some margin, the #34 Walkenhorst Motorsport AMR Vantage SP9 Pro classed entry of Christian Krognes and Matia Drudi were still upon the second row of the rolling grid in fourth. Their sister #35 Pro-Am entered car would start P25 overall with the single Prosport Racing SP9 Am classed car two slot further back for this midday’s start.

Their persistence would be rewarded at the end as the #34 car would improve to a P4 overall after the post-race disqualification of the Verstappen car but the other two would better than with a podium position each within their respective classes.

 

 

There was disappointment all round as far as the four Aston Martin Racing powered contingent were concerned as an opening lap multi-car crash took two of those cars out of the running before later pit lane penalties thwarted the efforts of the remaining two at the second round of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Series from Sebring earlier today.

With thirty-three GS (GT4) cars taking the start, an incident within the midfield of that group saw nine cars end up in a crumpled heap, still short of the start line that saw the race go immediately into a prolonged Full Course Yellow period.

The #26 Heart of Racing will lead the charge for the Aston Martin Racing powered entries in today’s two hour second round of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge from the Sebring International Raceway after their earlier qualifying efforts.

The omission of #8 89X Motorsport AMR Vantage GT4 from the thirty-three GS (GT4) classed entries means that there are now ‘just’ four such entries from the likes of the Heart of Racing, Van Der Steur, Rebel Rock Racing and Circle H Racing teams.

 

Just two Free Practice sessions lead the combined GS and TCR classed entries into yesterday’s Qualifying where the #26 car of Hannah Grisham and Hannah Greenemeir finished eight fastest with a best lap time 1.6 seconds off the pole setting pace from new Toyota GR Supra Evo 2 entry.

The new #66 Van Der Steur entry for drivers Trenton Estep and Allen Patten ended their first IMSA Qualifying session together just outside of the top ten in P13 with the #71 Rebel Rock Racing Vantage of Frank DePew and Robin Liddell next up in P24. The Circle H Racing pairing of David Hampton and Thomas Merrill will be frustrated with their P28 starting position for this afternoons race, but they and the #71 crew of course headed the class podium at the opening round from Daytona in early February.

It’s second time lucky for the Nurburgring Langstrecken Serie this weekend as the German circuit hosts the second four-hour round of the NLS series with the ADAC Barbarossapreis and an expected entry list of over one hundred and thirty cars.

 

 

Last weekend’s season opener was sadly thwarted by the unwelcome arrival of snow, ice and freezing fog of the Eiffel mountain circuit that quickly put paid to any chances of racing. Testing on the Friday was run through thoroughly wet and miserable conditions before the weather got suddenly colder overnight and although cars did eventually hit the track in Qualifying on Saturday, race officials eventually deemed conditions too dangerous to continue.

Like last weekend, we welcome the same three Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT3 runners and riders again from both the Walkenhorst Motorsport and Prosport Racing teams although the #37 Prosport entry does now include a third driver within their father and son crew.

 

 

Team favourite Marek Bockmann joins Maxime and Guido Dumarey within their SP9 Am classed entry whilst the two Walkenhorst entries remain the same with Christian Krognes and Mattia Drudi pairing within their #34 Pro classed entry with Matteo Villagomez, Dennis Fetzer and Felipe Fernandez Laser sharing their #35 Pro-Am entry.

All being well, testing will continue today with Qualifying then held early on Saturday morning before the start of this four-hour race from midday.

Photo credits – Teams / social media

 

 

 

 

 

Belgian based Comtoyou Racing announced earlier this week their participation within what will be their fourth race series of this forthcoming season as two familiar names pair up for the first time within the ADAC GT Masters Series.

Having already thrown ad-hoc entries into the GT Winter Series and having already confirmed multi-car entries within the GT World Challenge Europe (Sprint and Endurance Cup) Series as well as the German based DTM Series, this week’s news saw both Jamie Day and Baudoin Detout confirmed within this (also) German series within one of their many Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT3’s.

 

 

Already an accomplished GT3 racer with the Vantage GT3, Day will be taking on GT3 racing graduate Detout as the Luxembourger steps up from the Vantage GT4 that he has now raced over the last couple of seasons within the GT4 European Series, FFSA GT4 and GT4 Winter Series.

The team have also now embarked upon a “Road to DTM” pathway for their now increasing younger driver roster across this six round season that starts at the Red Bull Ring in late April before continuing top the final round at Hockenheim in late October – partly in line with the 2026 DTM calendar.

The team have already confirmed a two car AMR Vantage GT3 entry into this years DTM with drivers Nicki Thiim and Nicolas Baert.

Photo credits – Team / DTM / social media

 

 

The second round of the IMSA Weather Sportscar Championship will be soon upon us next weekend as the whole grid swap the Daytona International Speedway for that of the Sebring International Raceway for another elongated endurance race.

With a twenty-four-hour race already under their belts, the combined class entries of forty-five cars will compete at the 12 Hours of Sebring around the infamous bumps of the former wartime airfield-based circuit.

 

Unlike the opening round to the season at the Rolex 24, this around we will not be seeing the #44 Magnus Racing Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT3 but will be having back the two full season entries from the Heart of Racing team plus the Van Der Steur AMR as contestants within the Endurance Cup.

The #23 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Valkyrie of Ross Gunn, Roman de Angelis and Alex Riberas will certainly be hoping for better fortune this time around after technical issues during the Rolex 24 put them many laps down to their peers but for Sebring, the Valkyrie does benefit from the greatest advances from IMSA’s latest round of balance of performance changes.

 

 

Whilst the #19 Van Der Steur AMR GTD of Rory Van Der Steur, Valentin Hasse-Clot and Sebastian Baud (with Carl Bennett) suffered at the end of the Rolex with a lowly track position at the end despite their encouraging run through the middle of the fog affected race (P11 in class), the #27 HoRT AMR GTD of Mattia Drudi, Eduardo Barchello, Zacharie Robichon (with Tom Gamble) completed the Daytona GTD podium behind that of the Magnus Racing team as they completed the opening round to the season P2 and P3 in class.

Obviously, all will be looking to either improve or replicate those class finishes at Sebring as the ultra-competitive nature of the topflight GTP class (for the #23) and the GTD class for all the AMR Vantage runners do not allow to too much of a points deficit before championship aspirations are soon compromised.

 

 

Track action will begin on Thursday morning with the first Free Practice session before moving onto Qualifying on Friday with the start to the 12-Hours of Sebring starting at 10:10 hrs local on Saturday morning.

Photo credits – Teams / Series / social media

 

 

 

The opening round to the 2026 24H Series European Series highlights another healthy thirty strong mixed class grid ahead of next weekend’s twelve-hour opener from Mugello, Italy.

Running again as part of another five-event series, this season will again take us through Italy to Belgium, to France, then Germany before rounding off their year in Spain in mid-September.

 

 

Like last year, it appears that the Spanish based E2P Racing team will again be the sole Aston Martin Racing powered runner (for the season at least) as they look to take their race programme forward with their Vantage GT3 Evo had had something of a problematic start to their AMR powered partnership last year.

Drivers Pablo Burguera, Antonio Sainero and Oliver Campus return to the fold with the addition of fourth man Javier Morcillo at selected rounds as they again compete within the GT3 class having already encountered racing this year together at the GT Winter Series arranged 6Hours of Portimao.

 

It appears that misfortune may have befallen the #247 Comtoyou Racing Aston Martin Racing entry at this weekend’s final round of the GT Winter Series as the car failed to take the start to yesterday’s race.

Looking at the timing results, the Jan Jaap Von Roon and Tom Coronel driven car completed all the preceding’s track sessions up until Qualifying on Saturday where the race commentary team said that the car then aquaplaned off the circuit and sustained damage.

 

 

The extent of that damage is unknown and whether or not we actually get to see the race today is also yet to be confirmed which is always a great shame for all those invested into the project.

Photo credits – GT Winter Series

 

 

Sharing the IMSA visit to Sebring next weekend is again the Michelin Pilot Challenge Series which this time around, sees a number of changes within the ranks of Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT4 powered runners since the season opening from Daytona in January.

Whilst the opening round at Daytona saw a healthy five AMR car representation amongst the fifty-one-car entry, the provisional entry list for Sebring still shows five similar cars although there are a few changes to last time.