Czech team reveals new Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT4 Evo for ESET Cup Series

Czech team reveals new Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT4 Evo for ESET Cup Series

 


Today, we were introduced not to just a new team but also a new series as the Czech based Janik Motorsport team revealed their new Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT4 Evo that will compete within the ESET Cup Series in 2025.


Sadly not knowing much about either team nor series, it was appear that the team is led by Vaclav Janik who will primarily race the car within the ESET Series eight venue season that starts at the Red Bull Ring in mid-May before including the likes of the Slovakia Ring, Lausitzring, Brno before concluding at Balaton Park in Hungary in late September.


During today’s reveal, the team also hinted at possible entries within the German ADAC GT4 Germany Series. Hopefully we will find out more about these guys as the season moves on.

Photo credits – Team / social media
Thursday, February 13, 2025 | Read more...
Further racing appointments for both Gamble and Stevenson within the Heart of Racing programme 2025

Further racing appointments for both Gamble and Stevenson within the Heart of Racing programme 2025

 


The stars and planets have truly aligned for two young Englishman this year as Tom Gamble and Casper Stevenson have also today been confirmed as Heart of Racing’s full season GTD drivers within the IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Championship.

Having both already competed for the team within last month’s opening round of the season at the Rolex 24, Gamble has also gone onto be confirmed within one the team’s new Valkyrie Hypercar entries within this season’s World Endurance Championship.


Finishing third within the GTD class at Daytona alongside co-drivers Zacharie Robichon and Mattia Drudi, the young English pairing also completed the team’s testing with the team at this weekend official IMSA test from Sebring (home of the next IMSA round of course) where they finished eighth in class but just one second off the lead pace.

Stevenson and Gamble will pair up for all the series sprint races whilst Robichon will join them for the remaining endurance rounds however, who exactly replaces Gamble during the expected IMSA/WEC clashes has yet to be confirmed.


The team's Aston Martin Valkyrie GTP was also at the test in Sebring this week turning heads and stealing hearts with its V12 music. Regular IMSA drivers Ross Gunn and Roman De Angelis (with Alex Riberas from their WEC programme) were on hand over the three day test with Gamble even getting some Valkyrie laps in between his own GTD sessions.  

Photo credits – Team / social media
Thursday, February 13, 2025 | Read more...
Comtoyou Racing find value to enter two Vantage GT3s into the GT Winter Series

Comtoyou Racing find value to enter two Vantage GT3s into the GT Winter Series

 


Whilst talking about the two Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT4’s due to compete within this weekend’s third round of the GT4 Winter Series from Valencia yesterday, it appears that we either overlooked or completely missed the fact that Comtoyou Racing would also be in town with two of their AMR Vantage GT3’s.

For the Belgian based team, their two Vantage GT3 Evo entries will be running within the sister GT Winter Series within an expected grid of thirty-nine Cup 1, Cup 2, Cup 3, Cup 4, Cup 5, Cup X and GT3 based cars that are permitted to enter. Most of the Cup classes cater for the many challenge or trophy class of chassis before eight pure GT3 cars are listed at the tail of entry list.

These two Comtoyou Racing entries include two familiar faces in Matisse Lismont and Kobe Pauwels within the #700 car whilst two debuting Brazilian drivers in Ricardo Baptista and Rafael Suzuki will compete within the #270 car.

The latter have also been confirmed by the team as entries into this year’s GT World Challenge Sprint Series with the team.

Photo credits – Team / social media
Thursday, February 13, 2025 | Read more...
GT4 Winter Series out again in Valencia this weekend

GT4 Winter Series out again in Valencia this weekend

 


It’s the third round of the GT4 Winter Series this weekend and two Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT4’s are again expected to populate the grid for the three scheduled races around the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia.

Having already competed at Estoril in mid-January and most recently from Portimao at the end of January, a GT4 grid of seventeen cars are expected across its available Pro, Pro-Am, Am, Club and Cayman Trophy classes.


The #39 Racing Spirit of Leman Vantage GT4 Evo entry of Baudouin Detout and Max Hewitt again take the lead role as far as we are concerned with the other entry being a Club class entry for the more venerable #700 Mucke Motorsport car of Thilo Goos.

Whilst the #700 car entertained itself as part of just a two-car entry over the three races last time out at Portimao, it was a more challenging situation for the #39 crew having suffered turbo related issues aboard their usual chassis that forced then to take refuge within their spare car with there being no Prodrive support at the event.


Making the most of that situation as well as the challenges the Iberian weather again threw at the series, the best that the #39 crew could muster were a P6 and P4 position in class at the end of the earlier solo sprint races and P5 at the end of the latter pit stop endurance round.

With the young American Hewitt looking to join in the excitement within the GT America Series back home and the former Luxembourger moto-cross rider (presumably) looking to get back into the GT4 European Series again this season, the races offered by the GT4 Winter will be invaluable for them considering the short period between now and the start of these respective series.

Photo credits – Team / Series / social media
Wednesday, February 12, 2025 | Read more...
First AMR powered crew confirmed within the GT4 European Series

First AMR powered crew confirmed within the GT4 European Series


First news out from the many Aston Martin Racing powered teams regarding crews regarding this season’s GT4 European Series endeavours.

Continuing his presence within the headline GT4 based series in Europe sees Dutch racer Ruben Del Sarte confirm another season within the French based Mirage Racing team within the series, this time alongside young Brazilian racer Roberto Faria.


No strangers either of them to the European Series as Del Sarte raced last year alongside Josh Miller in the #5 Mirage AMR Vantage GT4 – starting off the year with the outgoing 17A edition before swapping over to the new 2024 Evo halfway through the year once their new chassis was available.

Faria did likewise alongside Baudouin Detout within first the #39 GPA Racing AMR Vantage GT4 17A model before swapping over to the Racing Spirit of Leman team with their Evo edition.


Two fast drivers for sure as long as one can control their raw speed.

The first round of the season will be from Paul Ricard in France mid-April before extending through four more rounds before concluding (this time) in Barcelona again in mid-October.

Photo credits – Team / Series / social media
Wednesday, February 12, 2025 | Read more...
Changes and additions to the Aston Martin ranks for Asian Le Mans finale in Abu Dhabi

Changes and additions to the Aston Martin ranks for Asian Le Mans finale in Abu Dhabi

 


With the Asian Le Mans Series paddock having now moved the hour’s drive down the coast from the Dubai Autodrome to the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, we can now look forward to the final two races of the season incorporating THREE Aston Martin Racing powered entries.

Whilst we were expecting changes within the #19 Blackthorn AMR Vantage GT3 Evo entry between venues, we now have a familiar sounding second entry from the Earl Bamber Motorsport team for the final two four-hour races after their superb P3 in class at the end of Sunday’s race in Dubai.


Having made a massive impact with her ability and race craft in Dubai, Saudi racer Reema Juffali sadly steps away from the #19 Blackthorn car, but this is where Italian racer Giacomo Petrobelli finally steps into the AsLMS equation, joining both Jonny Adam and Charles Bateman within the #19 car.

The #89 EBM podium winning crew of Gabriel Rindone, Jamie Day and Mattia Drudi remains the same for Abu Dhabi, but they will be joined this time by the same drivers that competed within the opening rounds in Sepang. That means that Anderson Tanoto, Brendon Leitch and Marco Sorensen return to the series aboard the teams second #98 chassis.


This (and other changes in entries between rounds) sees a forty-seven strong combined LMP2, LMP2 and GT3 grid with the GT’s making up thirty of those entries with (we think) all classes still up for grabs with those illusive invites to the 24 Hours of Le Mans for both the LMP2 and GT3 classes.

Photo credits – Team / Series / social media
Tuesday, February 11, 2025 | Read more...
Code Racing Development AMR livery reveal

Code Racing Development AMR livery reveal

 


French based Code Racing development today revealed the livery that will adorn their Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT3 Evo that will compete within the Le Mans Cup Series this season.

Officially confirmed by the series at the start of the month as the sole Aston Martin within a GT class of just eight cars this time around but within combined grid of a forty-four cars including the two LMP3 classes.


We had hoped that today’s reveal may have also included the confirmation of the #11 cars second driver alongside that of Bailey Voisin, but we will have to wait just a little but longer for that. Not so sure why it was revealed with the number 25 on it either!!

Not too long however, as the season gets away to an official start with its Prologue test day at Barcelona at the start of April for its first hour fifty-minute race just a few days later.

Photo credits – Team / social media
Tuesday, February 11, 2025 | Read more...
Valkyrie on track this week in IMSAs official Sebring test

Valkyrie on track this week in IMSAs official Sebring test

 


Tomorrow sees the start of a three-day official IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Championship test around the infamous bumps of the Sebring International Raceway ahead of its second round of the season there in four weeks’ time.

Despite this being an official test ahead of another endurance round following the opening 24hour round from Daytona at the end of January, we will only see some of the Aston Martin Racing powered participants there at the test.


Most importantly however, we will see the #23 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Valkyrie for the first time since the team confirmed its dual IMSA / World Endurance Championship driver line ups and colour schemes just last week. Whether the #23 will be in its official and more familiar blue and black Heart of Racing livery design or its testing camouflage design of old is yet to be seen but having missed the Rolex 24 its appearance at the Sebring is important for the programme if nothing else.

The #23's stated regular drivers Ross Gunn and Roman De Angelis will be joined at the test by Alex Riberas (who will be at the helm of the team’s #009 WEC Valkyrie effort alongside that of Marco Sorensen) as well as the team’s #27 AMR Vantage GTD car with Tom Gamble (another WEC Valkyrie driver) and Casper Stevenson behind the wheel within a test bed of thirty-seven cars.


The #19 Van Der Steur AMR Vantage GTD will not be in attendance by design – nor will the #44 Magnus Racing AMR which unfortunately bowed out of the IMSA championship for the last time with a blown engine at Daytona.

Tuesday will see two three-hour GTD Pro/GTD only test sessions before two similar but all incumbent test sessions on Wednesday before rounding off with two GTP/LMP2 test sessions only on Thursday.

Photo credits – Team / AMR 
Monday, February 10, 2025 | Read more...
Astons lead the GTO way in World Racing League opener from Eagles Canyon

Astons lead the GTO way in World Racing League opener from Eagles Canyon


It was a decent weekends work for the two Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT4 powered crews within the World Racing Leagues opening eight plus seven-hour event of the season from Eagles Canyon.

The #68 Team Speed Syndicate and #89 89X Motorsport crews again populated a somewhat modest thirty-nine mixed car entry for this weekend’s event with the #89 car crew return a lights to flag class win within their GTO class with the #68 car coming home third in class as well after Saturdays opener.


Sadly, that feat couldn’t be replicated after the #89 car suffered technical issues during the opening stint to fall some laps behind before battling up to again to third in class only to receive a post-race penalty, dropping them back down top fourth. The #68 car meanwhile, completed a double by finishing race two third in class.

Photo credits – Teams / social media
Monday, February 10, 2025 | Read more...
Fujii and Fagg back at D'Station Racing for their Super GT GT300 assault this season

Fujii and Fagg back at D'Station Racing for their Super GT GT300 assault this season

 


As expected, the Japanese based D’Station Racing team confirmed their Super GT Series driver line aboard their #777 Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT3 Evo for the 2025 season.

Employing a trusted ‘if it isn’t broken – don’t fix it’ mentality, the team today confirmed that both Tomonobu Fujii and Charlie Fagg will again be driving the team’s GT300 class entry as they ended up doing together from early on last season.


This time facing an eight-round season including an overseas visit to Malaysia in late June, the team will this time be in a much better place to attack the series this time around with more familiarity with one another within their own ranks.

Whilst Fagg was absent from last week’s three-day private test, the #777 package showed great potential to succeed last season with one class victory and another class podium that eventually saw them finishing fourth in the class at the end of the year.


This time racing a slightly redesigned but still familiar green and black livery, official track action for these guys will begin in March with two official tests set at both Okayama and then Fuji ahead of a seasonal start from Okayama in mid-April.

Photo credits – Team / social media
Monday, February 10, 2025 | Read more...
Podium for Earl Bamber Motorsport in Asian Le Mams second Dubai race

Podium for Earl Bamber Motorsport in Asian Le Mams second Dubai race

 


Today’s second race of the Asian Le Mans Series visit to the Dubai Autodrome finally proved to be successful for one of the Aston Martin Racing teams entered after they secured a much-deserved class podium this afternoon.

Having lost out with track position yesterday at the time of the hour-long red flag interruption to Saturday’s four-hour race, lessons learned from all concerned allowed the #89 Earl Bamber Motorsport Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT3 Evo of Gabriel Rindone, Jamie Day and Mattia Drudi to assault a late charge through the GT field to land themselves a P3 visit to the podium for their efforts.


It was that way from the start of course as the #19 Blackthorn AMR Vantage GT3 of Reema Juffali suddenly finding herself in the lead of the GT pack at the start to today’s race having qualified in third only to be forced back and hold a watching fourth in class for much of her two-hour stint.

Having lost out on almost half of her driver time on Saturday (due to the red flag for barrier repairs), the Saudi racer again proved her worth within the #19 car although by the end of end Aston’s bronze driver minimum driver time – both Aston’s found them back within the midst of the class.


Silver ranked drivers were up next within both cars as Day quickly reflected his growing experience within the class as well as local track knowledge to take the #89 EBM into the top ten as various (sometimes length) full course yellow and safety car periods for track clearing of debris and stranded cars interrupted the flow of the race.

Over in the #19 car, Charles Bateman would be getting second taste of the action having debuted within the car only yesterday to complete just a one fifty-minute stint in the car before handing over to AMR factory driver Jonny Adam to the end.


With Day running a slightly longer stint in the middle to that of Bateman, the two factory drivers of Adam and Drudi were left with differing workloads with just over an hour of seat time for Adam but twenty minutes less for the for Italian – not that he needed all of that even as he calmly claimed sixth, fifth, fourth and into third within the final ten minutes of the race just nine second behind the class winning #99 Porsche.

That result is the best result so far in the Asian Le Mans Series for the new Vantage GT3, the first for Earl Bamber Motorsport under Aston Martin Racing power but the second trophy in little over the week for Jamie Day having secured a similar trophy for his efforts in class at last weekend’s 12Hour of Bathurst. The #19 Blackthorn AMR crew eventually finished P14 in a bizarre role reversal of the two cars starting positions!!


The teams now far a relatively short trip down the motorway and across the border into Abu Dhabi for the concluding two four-hour races of the season around Yas Marina. From the commentary in today’s race, we expect to hear of certainly one driver change within the #19 Blackthorn car as Juffali steps away. We still await confirmation of the entry list for these two races.

Photo credits – Teams / Series / social media
Sunday, February 09, 2025 | Read more...
Positive vibes within the AMR camps after first Asian Le Mans Race in Dubai today

Positive vibes within the AMR camps after first Asian Le Mans Race in Dubai today

 


The same two Aston Martin Racing powered teams, but with two completely new driver line ups took to the track of the Dubai Autodrome earlier today for the opening race of this weekend’s Asian Le Mans Series double header.

Having already raced rounds one and two in Malaysia, the series was back within the Middle East for what has become its familiar Dubai Autodrome – Yas Marina quartet of four-hour races for its mixed LMP2, LMP3 and GT classes for which both the Earl Bamber Motorsport and Blackthorn AMR teams were in attendance.


Unlike Sepang, both teams were fielding a completely different driver line up to those of the opening two races as Gabriel Rindone, Jamie Day, Mattia Drudi were now aboard the #89 EBM AMR Vantage GT3 Evo with Jonny Adam, Charles Bateman and Reema Juffali now populating the #19 Blackthorn equivalent.

For many for these six drivers, this was another racing weekend of firsts – either within the ACO rules series for the first time or indeed within the latest Vantage GT3 car in a competitive situation for the first time but despite that, the outcome of todays red flag affected opener left room for optimism ahead of tomorrow’s second race of the weekend.


Having qualified for race one in P6, Saudi lady racer Juffali was quickly muscled out of position during the opening laps of her first GT3 race that saw her race position drop to just below halfway down the class size of twenty-nine cars whilst Rindone had started P16 and was soon right behind the #19 car as the race eventually settled.

Making their way through their first pit stop cycle, an incident on track near the top of the first hour for another GT car saw that car strike the armco barrier heavily before coming to a stop on track – first bringing out the Safety car before the red flag was thrown to allow for immediate barrier repairs. With the race clock still running, much of the bronze driver’s seat time (as well as the cars silver ranked driver was sadly lost to the red flag whilst the cars sat along the start straight under parc ferme conditions.


Eventually getting back to green having lost over an hour’s worth of racing, the next step of the race was to complete full service and driver change for most (if not all) the GT grid leading to chaotic scenes within pit lane. Thankfully, neither Aston Martin fell foul of any pit stop incident as both Bateman and Day got their first laps in with the #19 car still heading the AMR powered duo in class.

With the Vantage GT3 platform receiving a 10kg weight break from their balance of Performance at Sepang, the car was slightly faster during the race but was still a distant relation to some of the platforms out front although each platforms ultimate racing lap was there or there abouts to each other – such is the complexity of present-day BoP calculations!!


By the time the sun was setting over the circuit, it was the turn of each car’s Pro drivers to bring their steads home as factory drivers Adam and Drudi did just that to secure an eventual P14 class finish for the #19 Blackthorn AMR and P20 in class for the 389 EBM entry with all drivers per car completing almost the same lap count by the end of their respective stints.

The forty-four cars go again tomorrow with their second four-hour race at Dubai but with each Aston starting further up the order this time with the #19 from the second row in class (P3) and the #89 from P14.

Photo credits – teams / series / social media

 

Saturday, February 08, 2025 | Read more...
Two Aston Martins within this weekends World Racing League opener

Two Aston Martins within this weekends World Racing League opener

 


A small but perfectly formed pair of Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT4’s will be taking part in this weekend’s opening round of the World Endurance Championship from Eagles Canyon.

Racing another typical eight plus seven-hour race programme over the weekend sees the 89X Motorsport team pick up from where they left off last season despite their new season commitments within the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Series.

They again race their #89 Vantage alongside the slightly newer Vantage GT4 from the Team Speed Syndicate team who placed their GTO class car at the head of today’s earlier testing session.

Like always, driver line up information is slightly harder to come by but both cars compete within a smaller than usual thirty-nine strong, multi-classed grid.

Photo credits – Team / social media
Friday, February 07, 2025 | Read more...
The return of Jason Bell to SRO America but with some significant changes over the winter months

The return of Jason Bell to SRO America but with some significant changes over the winter months

 


American gentleman racer Jason Bell today confirmed his return to both the Aston Martin Racing brand with his Vantage GT3 Evo that he will race again within the SRO America family of series but that’s where the familiarities of the last few season’s end.

This time confirming a step up the ladder from the GT America and GT4 America Series of old and into the headline GT World Challenge America Series for the #2 AMR Vantage GT3 that Bell will share alongside that of Micheal Cooper within the seven round season that starts in Sonoma again in little over six weeks’ time.


Since reclaiming the GT America GT4 Drivers Championship back in 2023 with his Flying Lizard Motorsport AMR Vantage GT4, Bell stepped up to the GT3 class of that single driver series to learn his craft within the then brand-new Vantage GT3 Evo.

With that solo year of learning now under his belt, the property developer has again turned to periodic GT4 co-driver and mainstream driver coach in Cooper to partner his fresh challenge within the GT World Challenge Series but with also a new name above the team door.


Whilst we said hello to Racers Edge Motorsport a few months ago as declaring themselves to be another new Aston Martin Racing powered team within the North America racing arena, we today welcome them into the #TeamAMR family complete as they will be supporting both Bell and Cooper within their #2 car over the two ninety-minute races per event.

The opening round of the season will be from Sonoma in California at the end of March and join the Heart Of Racing AMR Vantage GT3 Evo of Gray Newell and Darren Turner that is already confirmed.

Photo credits – Team / series / social media
Friday, February 07, 2025 | Read more...