A very encouraging day today from Le Mans
Unlike what was previously reported from yesterday evening’s Qualifying session where we though that the #009 Valkyrie of Marco Sorensen (Alex Riberas and Roman De Angelis) had missed out on progressing through to at least Hyperpole 1 thanks to them being baulked upon one flying lap to be pipped at the post at the end of his final flying lap – a post session disqualification for the #6 Penske Porsche for being underweight suddenly threw the #009 Aston Martin back into the equation.
At least having the full length of Free Practice 3 to consider their action plan within their first ever Hyperpole experience with the new hypercar, it was just a case of strapping the Dane Train into the car with a new set of tyres to see just what could be achieved by the end of that thirty-minute session.
That was a lap time with a decreasing gap between him and the rest of the field as Sorensen finally came home fifteenth at the tail end of the fifteen strong Hyperpole running with a best lap time just over two seconds off the lead pace but still a motivationally quicker than one of the Toyotas and both Peugeots that didn’t make it through last night.
That was a lap time with a decreasing gap between him and the rest of the field as Sorensen finally came home fifteenth at the tail end of the fifteen strong Hyperpole running with a best lap time just over two seconds off the lead pace but still a motivationally quicker than one of the Toyotas and both Peugeots that didn’t make it through last night.
That means that the #009 will start the race on Saturday from P15 whilst the #007 sister car of Harry Tincknell/Tom Gamble and Ross Gunn start from P20 with that disqualified Porsche bringing up the rear of the Hypercar class.
If that was good (which is was for the still new race car programme), the results from the combined LMP2/LMGT3 Hyperpole 1 and 2 session were even better as both Zacharie Robichon and later Mattia Drudi thrust their Heart of Racing AMR Vantage up to class pole position at the end.
It was all plain sailing though as Hyperpole 1 was interrupted with a midway point red flag for a Ferrari beached in the gravel at the Porsche Curves and by then, the #27 car of Robichon hadn’t posted a notable lap time. Quickly out of pit lane at the restart saw the #27 place a better P3 placed ‘banker’ lap – position which elevated down to P6 before going back up to P4 by the end of the first session.
Drudi was out next in Hyperpole 2 for what would be a fifteen-minute top eight shoot out where the Italian didn’t leave things to chance starting off with a lap time worthy of P2 before improving to a P1 placed lap time next time around. That proved itself to be more than enough for him, Robichon and Ian James to start from pole position on Saturday whilst the #10 Racing Spirit of Leman AMR Vantage LMGT3 of Derek DeBoer, Valentin Hasse-Clot and Edurado Barrichello will start from P17 in class.
Before that, however, they have just one more Free Practice session to run tonight before a track free day tomorrow. Congratulations to all so far – and we still have a 24-hour race still to go!
Before that, however, they have just one more Free Practice session to run tonight before a track free day tomorrow. Congratulations to all so far – and we still have a 24-hour race still to go!
Photo Credits – Kelvin Pope (Red Firecracker)
Thursday, June 12, 2025 |
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Valkyrie Hypercar Qualifying torment today from Le Mans
After Sunday’s two pre-event test sessions, this afternoon saw the first Free Practice session run for the full sixty-two car entry, something that gave the teams a final three hours of track time before they were launched into the first of the Qualifying sessions later in the day and tomorrow.
Early indications appeared to be favourable for both Aston Martin Valkyrie Hypercars from the Heart of Racing team as well as their and the Racing Spirit of Leman Aston Martin Racing Vantage LMGT3’s.
Having been bolstered with a favourable power to weight ratio (amongst other power related parameters), both Valkyries finished that session off the bottom of the Hypercar class as the #007 outgunned the #009 sister with its British driver line up of Harry Tincknell, Tom Gamble and Ross Gunn with a best lap time of just 1.920 seconds off that of the frontrunning cars.
Within the LMGT3, it was the #10 Racing Spirit of Leman car that stole the stable honours from the #23 Heart of Racing entry as Valentin Hasse-Clot, Derek DeBoer and Eduardo Barichello finished third in the timing screen nearly three tenths faster than that of Ian James, Zacharie Robichon and Mattia Drudi.
That lead the proceedings into Qualifying Practice with the LMGT3’s sharing the track with the guesting LMP2 classes for what was supposed to be a thirty-minute session, however, with a car stopping on track near the Dunlop Bridge saw the session red flagged. That thrust strategy for most into a two fifteen-minute dashes and allowed everyone to take fresh tyres for the restart. Whilst James was already comfortably placed to make his way through to tomorrows Hyperpole again, DeBoer was on the cusp to start the second bout of hot laps that sadly saw the American drop to P18 in class at the end.
The real excitement, however, was within the Hypercar class as Marco Sorensen pushed his #009 (that he shares with Alex Riberas and Roman De Angelis) to its first passage through Qualifying and into Hyperpole for the first time this season.
His initial charge was badly hampered with at least two or three other Hypercars dawdling for track position up to and within the final chicane onto the start straight. The presence of those cars effectively lost the Dane his best lap and in F1 would he seen one or more of those cars handed a penalty for impeding.
His initial charge was badly hampered with at least two or three other Hypercars dawdling for track position up to and within the final chicane onto the start straight. The presence of those cars effectively lost the Dane his best lap and in F1 would he seen one or more of those cars handed a penalty for impeding.
Thinking that the Valkyries turn was already over, a lap last lap dash from the #009 saw it leap-frog those above and into the final Hyperpole position only for the last struggling Porsche to come through to spoil the fairytale. The results from that session would mean that the #009 would start the 24 hour from P16 with the sister #007 from P21.
That does not complete the track action for the day, and the drivers now look forward to their first nighttime running around the circuit with the two-hour Free Practice 2 session before Free Practice 3 tomorrow alongside the new Hyperpole 1 and 2 sessions.
Photo credits – Teams / DPPI / ACO / social media / Kelvin Pope (Red Firecracker Media)
Wednesday, June 11, 2025 |
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Tough times for the Aston Martin Racing powered contingent at Mid-Ohio
Within the earlier two VP Racing Sportscar Challenge races, there was only the #72 Rebel Rock Racing AMR of Frank DePew within that twenty strong LPM3/GT3 and GT4 based cars but perhaps the less said about that the better as DePew had earlier contact within Race 1 and was forced to retire after only three laps before lasting only slightly longer in the second forty-five-minute race to retire after twelve laps.
That left four AMR powered crews competing within the four-hour Michelin Pilot Challenge race as its fourth round of the season.
Hopes from the Team TGM team were again elevated in qualifying as Paul Holton again stuck his #46 car onto the front row of the grid in P2 whilst the other three Astons from the Van Der Steur, Team TGM and Rebel Rock stables all struggled towards the rear of the GS class.
Unfortunately, the sun had all but gone ahead of Sunday’s start and it wasn’t long before the GS leaders were lapping the GS class tail enders (including the #15 VDS car of Christine Sloss just after the fifteen-minute mark. Dropping down to fifth at the half hour mark, Holton soon had more cars around them to what he would have preferred before the first full course yellow of the race.
Two more quick FCY’s then followed before eventually going back to green which unfortunately saw the #15 VDS car of Ben Sloss edged off the track and into the tyre wall. By the end of the second hour both Team TGM cars and the #71 Rebel Rock Racing AMR of DePew, Andrew Davis and Robin Liddell found themselves behind some of the faster TCR based cars on track.
With the order of DePew handing onto Davis and then onto Liddell sparked something of a wonder recovery drive from the Scotsman who gradually elevated his position from its lower third position on track into more palatable by the end. Going into the final hour, by taking service Matt Plumb in his #46 car dropped out of the top ten with Liddell just a few more places back as the Aston was clearly struggling for pace compared to its Porsche and BMW rivals.
With the sun finally trying to make an appearance, it was a mad dash to the flag before a late FCY for a spun car on the infield heightened the tensions. Getting back to green and with all the pack line astern to one another, it was Liddell’s final opportunity to make up ground as he was now within the top ten although eventually, he and his #71 crew would finish P8 overall and in class.
With the #46 Team TGM car finishing P11 overall and in class, their sister #64 car of Ted Giovanis, Hugh Plumb and Kris Wilson did earn themselves another Bronze Cup podium finish by finishing P17 in class and second within the Bronze Cup sub-class. The #15 Van Der Steur car of Christine and Ben Sloss were sidelined after that restart incident and failed to finish for the first time this season.
The next round of the series will be from Watkins Glenn in two weeks’ time.
Photo credits – Teams / Series / social media
Monday, June 09, 2025 |
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Aston Martins latest Le Mans Hypercar based play thing!!
Surely just a strange coincidence that Aston Martin today release news of their most exclusive car package yet in the Valkyrie LM!!
Further cementing the link between this new model and the Aston Martin Valkyrie that the Heart of Racing team will be racing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the first time since its inception this week, today’s news sees a more than exclusive road going version of that Valkyrie Hypercar in it’s Le Mans version.
Not as powerful as the Valkyrie AMR Pro and (again) coincidentally limited to the FIA WEC limiting 697bhp from the 1000bhp plus of the Pro variant, this run of cars will of course be limited with just ten such models being made available globally.
Aston Martin CEO, Adrian Hallmark said: “In all its forms, there is nothing on Earth that compares to Valkyrie. The Le Mans contender is unique amongst its peers, not least the breathtaking 6.5-litre V12 engine that provides the beating heart for the only competitive hypercar bred from a road car.
“Valkyrie LM is an exquisite opportunity to be part of the most exclusive Aston Martin owners club in the world; a group who can immerse themselves in the purest and most comparable endurance driving experience, one that would otherwise only be available to our works drivers operating at the very limit of sportscar racing’s highest echelon. Through the decades, Aston Martin has striven to give its owners the truest sense of the performance bred from its racing cars. With Valkyrie LM, there has never been an opportunity to get closer to the raw dynamic forces and state of the art technology deployed by the hypercar currently competing in WEC and IMSA.”
The Valkyrie LM truly represents a driving experience directly comparable to the elite performance levels of sportscar racing’s pinnacle Hypercar class. Its differentiation is minimal to the cars competing in WEC and IMSA and focusses on ensuring the Valkyrie LM is fully accessible to amateur drivers. Race series specific items such as ballast and FIA-regulation electronics will be removed, with a bespoke cockpit interface tailored for track day usage. User-friendly open-loop torque control (rather than closed-loop which exists for competition regulation and homologation), torque sensors that manage power delivery on the race car are removed, optimising the driving experience for customers. The V12 engine will be recalibrated to accept readily available fuel.
The rear-wheel-drive Valkyrie LM is driven through a seven-speed sequential transmission operated by semi-automatic paddle shift gear change, just like the competitive version. The racing suspension configuration features double wishbones front and rear, with pushrod actuated torsion bar springs with adjustable side and central dampers. The Valkyrie LM will run on bespoke performance tyres from F1® tyre supplier Pirelli.
The cockpit is optimised for driver safety, access and visibility, with a custom carbon-fibre race seat with shoulder support and headrest padding surround. It features a six-point FIA 8853 safety harness and fire suppression system, while the steering wheel has an integrated driver display and shift lights.
These cars will become available in Q2 next year but if (like us) you’re wondering how much these beasts might be – then we probably cannot afford it!!
Source material – Aston Martin
Monday, June 09, 2025 |
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Le Mans 24 Test Day completed by the four Aston Martin (Racing) powered runners today
Having already taken to the streets of Le Mans old town yesterday evening for the now traditional car parade, today saw the two new Valkyrie Hypercars from the Heart of Racing team tick off another first to finally realise that initial hope and desire of racing a true road to racetrack hypercar at the hallowed circuit.
Two, three-hour sessions were again available to all the Hypercar/LMP2 and LMGT3 crews – split either side of an hour lunch break but as usual, there was little to no time to do anything other than prepare both the car and the crews for the start of the officially timed sessions which begin on Wednesday.
For the rookie drivers, that included attaining their minimum ten laps to advance into night qualifying and from what we can make out from the timing results is that both Derek DeBoer and Eduardo Barrichello aboard their #10 Racing Spirit of Leman Vantage LMGT3 as well as Zacharie Robichon and Mattia Drudi did as well aboard their #23 Heart of Racing Vantage LMGT3 across the two sessions.
Track activity didn’t exactly get off to the best of starts, however, as the #007 Valkyrie of Tom Gamble was pinged for speeding within the pit lane at the start of the session 1 which saw him and the team get a fine as well as the loss of all his lap times up until that point. Fortunately, that was the only transgression (other than track limits) that any of the four crews suffered within the test although the #009 car of Marco Sorensen did have an off at Indianapolis which did reduce its overall lap count in session 2.
Between the four cars, we calculated that they covered just over two thousand miles between them with two hundred and forty-two laps of the 8.467-mile circuit being ticked off with their early setups and systems checks and preparatory works.
Like usual to any FIA World Endurance Championship round, pushing the envelope of performance is never on the agenda for Aston Martin powered teams but all cars sat comfortably within the time spread between all cars in each class – 4.8 seconds in hypercar and 4.3 seconds for LMGT3 in session one and 3.1 seconds and 4.9 seconds respectively in session 2.
Whilst this was the first time that anyone could see the new Valkyrie perform at Le Mans within its LM24 specific Balance of Performance, the old tradition with all classes with ‘sandbagging’ is a usual point of caution. Only with the start of Free Practice 1 will we start to see and understand the true situation with performance across all classes.
Tomorrow sees no track or paddock activity before rolling into the autograph/pit walk and pit stop challenge sessions on Tuesday before the cars get back on the track later on Wednesday.
Photo credits – Kelvin Pope (Red Firecracker)
Sunday, June 08, 2025 |
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Two AMR Vantage GT4 crews share the class spoils in a weather affected GT Cup meeting at Snetterton
Despite what the provisional entry list may have suggested, there were just the #82 Feathers Motorsport AMR of Archie Clark and Tom Canning as well as the #95 Oselli Motorsport AMR Vantage GT4 Evo of Matt Eddolls and Sam Maher-Loughnan amongst the sixteen strong multi-class grid.
Despite the periodic torrential rains sweeping across East Anglia, the race meeting went on according to schedule although the vast differences on track between the dry spells and that of torrential rain did prove itself to be a timing issue for many crews as to when to make that tyre swap.
Saturdays opening twenty-five-minute sprint race saw the young Clark continue his rich vein of form with another P3 in class finish whilst Eddolls came home with a P4 finish at the beginning of his new Evo car’s second race meeting. As the #82 car struggled with success penalties as well as a post-race five second time penalty for track limits) with the later fifty-minute endurance round, it was the turn of the #95 Oselli car to come home on the podium with a P10 overall/P2 in GTH finish with the #82 crew having to make do with P4 in class.
Sunday finally saw most of the inclement weather fronts pass the circuit by although showers were still a possibility in the blustery conditions for the reversal of the endurance and sprint race format for the day.
The opening 50-minute race this time saw both AMR’s finish on the class podium with the #95 car again pipping the #82 crew (who had to serve a quick stop and go penalty for timing issues with their stop) with their P11 overall / P2 class finish before Clark made amends to that winning the closing sprint race with Eddolls this time making up the final step of the podium in P3.
These results see the Feathers Motorsport crew toppled from their prior top position within the Overall Drivers Championship (falling to fourth), but they do retain a commanding lead within their GTH Class as the championship moves onto Silverstone at the beginning of August.
Photo credits – Teams / Championship / social media
Sunday, June 08, 2025 |
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Another podium for the Janik Motorsport AMR team as they raced a race with a race at the weekend
Being featured as just a three-hour endurance race, we were somewhat perplexed to see the #73 Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT4 Evo of Vaclav Janik and Petr Koukola being listed as a DNF within that three-hour race. Subsequent news from the series confirmed that the #73 and a couple of others that had only competed within the first hour as part of the sprint commitment rather than this elongated endurance round.
With that being known, the award of a P2 class finish for the AMR crew became more understandable as they and the series now look forward to a more traditional two sprint – two endurance round race format from the Lausitzring next weekend.
Photo credits – Team / Series
Sunday, June 08, 2025 |
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Two Aston Martin Racing powered entries confirmed in this weeks Le Mans Cup - Road to Le Mans races
Having seen the usual six round race calendar extended in race duration this year, their Road to Le Mans event sees the expected fifty-eight strong LMP3 and GT3 entry revert to their usual two race – one on Thursday and the other on Saturday morning format.
Amongst the expected fifteen strong GT3 field will be the full season Le Mans Cup entry from the Code Racing Development team and their rather successful (so far) #11 Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT3 car of Rory Van Der Stuer and Philipp Sager.
With two rounds having passed so far (Barcelona and Paul Ricard), the #11 crew lead the GT3 Drivers Championship table by eight points after their P2 class finish in Spain and their class win in France.
The second car is an ad-hoc Road to Le Mans only entry from the Racing Spirit of Leman team who (despite preparing their #10 AMR Vantage LMGT3 within the 24 Hours) will field a GT3 version of that car for drivers Anthony McIntosh and Parker Thompson.
Whilst we have seen McIntosh out within the Van Der Steur AMR Vantage GTD within the longer IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Championship rounds earlier this year, Thompson is a more familiar face behind one of the Vasser Sullivan Lexus IMSA entries this year. We were originally told that at least one half of the RTLM driver combo’ would have been former FFSA GT4 Am Champion and GT4 European Series racer Florent Grizaud but he hopes to be involved again at next year’s event.
Whilst we have seen McIntosh out within the Van Der Steur AMR Vantage GTD within the longer IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Championship rounds earlier this year, Thompson is a more familiar face behind one of the Vasser Sullivan Lexus IMSA entries this year. We were originally told that at least one half of the RTLM driver combo’ would have been former FFSA GT4 Am Champion and GT4 European Series racer Florent Grizaud but he hopes to be involved again at next year’s event.
We have yet to see this RSLM entry in the flesh - we wouldn't be surprised if it is just their European Le Mans Series LMGT3 entry reconfigured into GT3 format with a few decal adjustments?
Photo credit – Team / ACO
Saturday, June 07, 2025 |
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Le Pesage done for the Aston Martin powered squad - next the car parade before tomorrows LM24 Test Day
Now within the picturesque backdrop of the older sections of Le Mans within the Place de La Republique saw the four cars pass through the more visible technical inspections upon the cars prior to tomorrows test day as well as the collective interviews for the drivers on the stage in front of the (again) large crowd.
For many within the two Aston Martin (Racing) camps, this is nothing new having been in that position many times before but for many within the Vantage LMGT3 crews – this was a new experience which they all seemed to be revelling within.
With those technical inspections and driver interviews that make up the Le Pesage process within the square due to continue until about lunchtime, emphasis then moves onto other parts of the town as both the #27 Heart of Racing Vantage LMGT3 and its sister #009 Valkyrie cars are due to form part of the car parade this afternoon.
After that, attention moves squarely to the Circuit de La Sarthe with the first Le Mans 24Hr official test session running between 10:00-13:00Hrs before the second running between 15:30-18:30Hr local time.
Photo credits – Teams / ACO / social media
Photo credits – Teams / ACO / social media
Saturday, June 07, 2025 |
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Le Pesage - Test Day and just the general build up to the 24 Hours of Le Mans starts this weekend
Whilst the beginning of the race may not be until 16:00hrs local next Saturday afternoon, the build-up really began as soon as last years event finished but with the more visual aspects to that race preparation only becoming more visible to the average race fan this weekend with Sunday’s Test Day.
Whilst previous new releases way back at the start of the WEC season almost confirming the teams and the drivers who will be competing at this hallowed GT endurance event, there are of course certain procedures and rituals that must be complied with before the French Tricolour will be allowed to be waved next Saturday.
Those procedures start this Friday (going into Saturday) with scrutineering or Le Pesage as it is more affectionally known as all competing cars and drivers are inspected and checked over for technical compliance in full public viewing down in the Place de La Republique in the centre of Le Mans city itself. Whilst the cars are being checked, the drivers are interviewed on stage before moving off for those all-important pre-event team photographs with the usually large crowd in the background.
That process will be rounded off with the parade of some of this year’s entry driving around Le Mans City centre for finally settling down for the night ahead of Sunday’s two test sessions.
Punctuated by the first session of a support race, two three-hour sessions will be available to the teams within which they must also make any novice racer compliant with the minimum lap requirement ahead of the qualifying sessions later in the week and where they will bed in certain key components (like brakes) ahead of the race itself.
Punctuated by the first session of a support race, two three-hour sessions will be available to the teams within which they must also make any novice racer compliant with the minimum lap requirement ahead of the qualifying sessions later in the week and where they will bed in certain key components (like brakes) ahead of the race itself.
Going through the Aston Martin (Racing) powered entry lists for both Heart of Racing Valkyrie Hypercars – we believe that all six drivers (Alex Riberas/Marco Sorensen/Roman De Angelis all aboard the #009 and Harry Tincknell/ Tom Gamble/Ross Gunn aboard the #007 car all have recent prior Le Mans 24hr racing experience.
The same would apply to both Valentin Hasse-Clot aboard the #10 Racing Spirit of Leman AMR Vantage LMGT3 as well as Ian James aboard his #27 Heart of Racing AMR Vantage LMGT3 but drivers Derek DeBoer/Eduardo Barrichello and Mattia Drudi/Zacharie Robichon aboard the #10 and #27 cars respectively would need those ten minimum laps by the end of Sundays test.
As for the test itself, we certainly won’t be expecting any miraculous times from any of the four Aston Martin powered runners as that isn’t the object of the exercise.
After all of that – Monday is just another day at Le Mans.
Wednesday, June 04, 2025 |
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Comtoyou Racing continue their long stretch of consecutive race weekends - this time at Zandvoort
Having been in Monza last weekend for the then second round of the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup Series, there they suffered two separate incidences where one of their Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT3 Evo’s was serious damaged – one for Antoine Potty in Free Practice and another for Kobe Pauwel at the start of Sunday’s race.
Returning to the German based series with two such cars for both Gilles Magnus and Nicolas Baert, we assume that they have either repaired what they needed to in-between series this week or that they have enough cars to go around.
Zandvoort will be another challenging round for the young duo within both the #7 and #8 entries as even twenty GT3 cars around the Dutch coastal circuit will no doubt bring along more accident and incident along the way.
From a performance point of view, the previous round from the Lausitzring two weeks ago saw promise developing after the first-round calamity so we will wait to see just what the two Aston drivers can do this weekend.
Photo credits - DTM
Wednesday, June 04, 2025 |
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A new Vantage GT4 Evo powered entry takes on Pikes Peak later this month
In previous years we have seen Aston Martin Racing powered entries within the annual Pikes Peak International Hill Climb event come and go – or not materialise as has been the preceding form, but this year we actually have one confirmed entry.
Racing a new AMR Vantage GT4 Evo will be Steve Wetterau and his #85 Pikes Peak GT4 Trophy by Yokohama entry from the California based BBI Autosport team.
Seventy-four multi-classed entries are listed against this year’s 103rd running of the event which will take place later this month up the infamous twelve-mile mountain road.
Looking at the team’s social media, they have been practising with their new car at the Thermal Club in California for a few weeks now – what will happen with that driver/car/team relationship after the event, however, is yet to be seen.
Photo credits – social media
Wednesday, June 04, 2025 |
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