A reduced AMR headcount as all three classes in GT4 European may get decided at Monza next weekend

A reduced AMR headcount as all three classes in GT4 European may get decided at Monza next weekend

 


For several years an opening round to the GT4 European Series but this year the penultimate venue for the headline SRO GT4 series in Europe as another sizeable grid of fifty-two crew do battle again that is the Temple of Speed at Monza in Italy next weekend.

With this and the season finale from Jeddah in Saudi Arabia at the end of November still to come, the points haul still available from the season’s final four races are still enough for some to overcoming their existing points deficits to the present Am, Pro-Am and Silver class leaders – so all is far from over.


For what was another healthy Aston Martin Racing powered contingent again this season, the German based Prosport Racing team have this time called time on their endeavours within the series as both their previous #99 and #100 entries of Raphael Rennhofer/Hugo Sasse and Fabio Rauer and Hendrik Still have both been omitted from the provisional entry list for this event.


Indeed, it was only a couple of weeks ago that we saw Rennhofer, Sasse and Still all compete within two of the teams AMR Vantage GT3 cars at the last round of the ADAC GT Masters Series from Spa Francorchamps.

Other than that, the remaining six AMR Vantage GT4 crews remain unchanged from previous rounds as Florent Grizaud and Kevin Jimenez need to recoup a sixty eight points deficit within their Am Class with their #72 GPA Racing AMR, Stanislav Safronov and Aleksandr Vaintrub maintain a marginal one point lead within their Pro-Am class with their newer #7 Mirage Racing AMR whilst the silver classed #5 Mirage Racing and #39, #74 and #82 Racing Spirit of Leman AMR entries are now all too far back in the table to trouble the championship leaders even if they had a 100% finishing rate in Italy.


Ironically, it was the #99 Prosport car of Sasse and Rennhofer who headed the Aston Martin powered contenders in nineth overall within the silver class.


Qualifying for both races precedes race one on Saturday (race one being waved off at 17:00hrs local before race two starting at 12:35hrs local on Sunday.

Photo credits – Team / Series / social media
Saturday, September 14, 2024 | Read more...
Work still to be done after Qualifying for the two AMR LMGT3 crews in the World Endurance Championship

Work still to be done after Qualifying for the two AMR LMGT3 crews in the World Endurance Championship

 


The Heart of Racing Aston Martin Racing Vantage LMGT3 of Ian James, Daniel Mancinelli and Alex Riberas continue to lead the AMR powered charge within the FIA World Endurance Championship this season after another visit to Hyperpole yesterday at Fuji Speedway.

After their near lights to flag command of the previous round at the Circuit of the Americas just two weeks ago, the #27 car of James secured a fourth row start to tomorrows six hours of Fuji in eighth whilst the locally based D’Station Racing crew of Clement Mateu (Qualifying driver), Erwan Bastard and Marco Sorenson could do no more than P13 out of their eighteen strong LMGT3 field within their #777 car.


For both Aston Martin’s, however, a recent and amended Balance of Performance change for their specific platform has seen a marginal adjustment in just how their engine can deliver its power to the wheels above and below 200kph – the cars should be marginally quicker at the lower speeds but with a power decrease on the faster straights. The original change saw greater restrictions imposed onto the Vantage LMGT3.

Despite that, and the expected success weight ballast that goes with winning the class the last time out – the #27 car did that now 15kg above its declared base weight, becoming the second heaviest LMGT3 on track whilst the #777 crew remain at their base weight.


Looking through the Qualifying lap times, the #27 car finished that session in P6 and just half a second off the lead pace whilst the #777 car finished its qualifying process in P13 and just under a second off before James then went into the further Hyperpole session to finish eighth in class with a best lap time again just half a second off the pace of the pole setting #55 AF Corse Ferrari crew.

Being on the opposite side of the world to Fuji Speedway, it will be a very early start for us European’s with the race starting at 11:00hrs local.


There is still an LMGT3 Drivers Championship to be won and with CoTA’s result bouncing the Heart crew back up to P4, it could always be them by the time the flag falls in Bahrain later next month.

Photo credits – Team / Series / social media
Saturday, September 14, 2024 | Read more...
Racing Spirit of Leman could win the FFSA GT4 Silver Class this weekend from Dijon

Racing Spirit of Leman could win the FFSA GT4 Silver Class this weekend from Dijon

 


Just eighteen cars will roll out at Dijon-Prenois for the penultimate round of the French national FFSA GT4 series this weekend with another reduced Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT4 powered headcount of just two cars.

With just this round and the season finale of the SRO Racing festival from Paul Ricard in early October still to go, we have just the #7 Mirage Racing car of Stanislav Safronov and Aleksandr Vaintrub still competing within the Pro-Am class as well as the #74 Racing Spirit of Leman Silver class entry of Victor Weyrich and Mateo Villagomez to cheer.


Last time out at Magny-Cours just three weeks ago was another podium fest for the #74 as they consolidated and extended class championship lead with another P2 and P1 finishes (in class) whilst the #7 had to make do with P6 and P7 finishes within their ultra-competitive and busy Pro-Am class which still sees them down in seventh within their championship table.

This weekend sees another two one-hour races to look forward to but with still one hundred points available to the end of the season and being just fifty-three points ahead, the maths are still easy to work out.



That being said, being eighty-eight points behind in Pro-Am, the #7 Mirage Racing team would require something approaching a minor miracle to turn that points deficit around – but then, there is always pride worth racing for!

Track action begins tomorrow with Free Practice.

Photo credits – FFSA GT4
Thursday, September 12, 2024 | Read more...
AMR powered WEC crews back in action this weekend from Fuji

AMR powered WEC crews back in action this weekend from Fuji





The new Aston Martin Vantage GT3 is back in FIA World Endurance Championship [WEC] action at in the 6 Hours of Fuji, in Japan, this weekend, less than two weeks after The Heart of Racing [THoR] clinched the British ultra luxury sportscar brand’s first win of the season in the series.

Thanks to a spectacular run on home ground at the Circuit of the Americas [COTA], THoR led the way from pole, and recorded the fastest LMGT3 class lap en route to its maiden WEC victory just 10 days ago. Now it is the turn of Aston Martin Racing’s other WEC partner team D’station Racing to race on native turf, as it returns to its very roots. The team’s headquarters are stationed just a few miles from the circuit in the foothills of Mount Fuji.


The team, owned by former WEC racer Satoshi Hoshino (JPN) and managed by SUPER GT Series class winner Tomonobu Fujii (JPN), comes to Fuji hoping to improve on its best WEC finishes of third in class, recorded at Fuji in 2022. D’station Racing equalled that result when it was on the podium again this year in the season-opening Qatar 1812 race at Lusail, in March.

Among D’station Racing’s driving strength is Aston Martin’s most decorated active works driver, Marco Sørensen (DEN), a three-time FIA WEC champion in the GT classes and a Rolex 24 and 24 Hours of Le Mans class winner, and now the most recent Spa 24 Hours winner alongside fellow works drivers Nicki Thiim (DEN) and Mattia Drudi (ITA). Erwan Bastard (FRA), a French and European GT4 title-winner and Clement Mateu, join the Dane in the #777 Vantage.


For THoR, Fuji represents an opportunity for the team to close the gap in the battle for second in the LMGT3 class drivers’ and teams’ standings. Following team principal and driver Ian James (GBR), Alex Riberas (ESP) and Daniel Mancinelli’s (ITA) breakthrough win at COTA, THoR is now nine points away from second place and 37 points off the leaders. There is a maximum of 26 points available (one point for pole and 25 for victory) this weekend, while the season finale in Bahrain offers up another 39, meaning there are potentially 65 left to be scored in the remaining rounds of the 2024 season.

So far this year, THoR has recorded two second places and a victory in an exceptional first full season that has witnessed the #27 Vantage be a contender in virtually every race and record no less than five points finishes from seven starts.


Adam Carter, Aston Martin Head of Endurance Motorsport, said: “The Aston Martin Vantage GT3 is now a race winner in WEC, thanks to the outstanding performance of The Heart of Racing’s drivers and team at COTA, last time out. But we firmly believe there is plenty more to come from new Vantage, which is still in its first year of competition and we are learning more about it with every race as we build-up data. Both our partner teams competing in Fuji are capable of fighting for the podium again this weekend and we are looking forward to seeing what they can achieve with a car that is now really delivering on its potential.”

It’s COTA win meant that Vantage is the third different car to win in the new LMGT3 class, which features no less than nine manufacturers in 2024.


Aston Martin’s record at Fuji in WEC is outstanding. Vantage has won in each of its three previous configurations (Vantage V8, V8 Vantage GTE and Vantage GTE) in the GT class, and has recorded two double-class victories (in 2013 and 2019/20) among the seven wins it has taken from its ten previous visits to the circuit. The brand has also won the event in two of the last three visits with partner teams. In total, Aston Martin crews have stood on the podium no less than 16 times, and on only two occasions has the Fuji podium been Aston Martin free since the series began in 2012.


Official practice for the 6 Hours of Fuji begins on Friday, 13 September at 1100local time (0300 BST) with the race beginning at 1100 (0300 BST) on Sunday.

Source material - AMR
Wednesday, September 11, 2024 | Read more...
Just the EBM Aston Martin at this weekend GTWC Asia finale from Shanghai

Just the EBM Aston Martin at this weekend GTWC Asia finale from Shanghai

 


One series seeing out their final round of the season this weekend will be the GT World Challenge Asia Series as they round off their sixth round of the season from Shanghai in China.

Having competed at Sepang International in Malaysia and Chang International in Thailand before moving on to Japan for their co-joined Japan Cup rounds at Fuji Speedway, Suzuka and most recently at Okayama, the series has moved overseas to China for their final round which still attracts a thirty-two strong GT3 only field.


Amongst those thirty-two cars we will only see the #8 Earl Bamber Motorsport Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT3 of Setiawan Santosa take part as the D’Station Racing team have elected not to travel – mainly because the World Endurance Championship is in attendance at their home circuit of Fuji this weekend as well.

Santosa runs as a solo driver within the Am Class and sits a very credible fourth within his drivers championship table going into this final event and with fifty points still available, he could move up as high as second come the end of the season on Sunday.


The EBM team has been in the news today for other reasons as the New Zealand based team has been awarded a lucrative GT3 entry within this year’s Asian Le Mans Series over the New Year.

Photo credits – Team / series
Tuesday, September 10, 2024 | Read more...
A solo Forsetti AMR Vantage GT4 to compete at GT Cups penultimate round this weekend

A solo Forsetti AMR Vantage GT4 to compete at GT Cups penultimate round this weekend

 


The GT Cup Championship again hits the track of Donington Park this weekend for what will be its penultimate round of their 2024 season.

With attendances having dropped slightly from the start of the season, the Snetterton based Forsetti Motorsport team will again be in attendance but with (again) just one of their older 17A versions of the Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT4 with an (as yet) unconfirmed driver line up.


Starting the season with two such cars with Mikey Porter racing the #9 car alongside Matthew Higgins whilst Rianna O’Meara-Hunt partnered Jodie Sloss with the sister #10 entry.

Since Oulton Park in June when the team elected not to take part due to other GT4 commitments abroad, the #10 entry has since dropped by the wayside as their drivers seek challenges new elsewhere, but the #9 car did return with Porter and Higgins with an all-new crew aboard the #10 car last time out at Silverstone.


This weekend’s entry list, however, lists just the solo #9 Forsetti with Porter being joined by an as yet undefined co-driver within the expected sixteen strong field for this weekend two sprint and two pit stop races.

Championship wise, Porter and Higgins have now dropped to third within the overall Championship table (now forty-six points behind) whilst they remain 118 points clear in their GTH class from their teammates in the #10 car.

Photo credit – GT Cup
Tuesday, September 10, 2024 | Read more...
Two Vantage GT3 entries confirmed for Asian Le Mans Series 2024-25

Two Vantage GT3 entries confirmed for Asian Le Mans Series 2024-25


With its entry window having closed at the end of August, the Asian Le Mans Series today posted news of a capacity forty-four car entry for its 2024-2025 season which will again see its winter series based around the three circuits of Sepang International, the Dubai Autodrome and the Yas Marina circuits.

Within that capacity of entry of eleven LMP2 cars, six LMP3 cars and (most importantly) twenty-seven GT3 based cars will be two Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT3 cars from both the Blackthorn AMR and Earl Bamber Motorsport (EBM) teams.


So far, the entry list is just team based and does not make any indication upon possible drivers. The Blackthorn AMR team are fully season entrants within the Michelin Le Mans Cup and will presumably be using this pathway to a full season European Le Mans Series entry next season whilst the EBM team have only aligned themselves to the AMR platform for their customer drivers earlier this season with exploits into the 12Hrs of Sepang, a full season within the GT World Challenge Asia Series and most recently within the Thailand Super Series.

With so much news still to come from the series, eyes will be turned to the season opener at the Sepang International at the beginning of December before progressing to both Dubai and Abu Dhabi later in February 2025.


The future is bright in ACO rules racing.

Photo credits – Le Mans Cup / teams / TSS / social media
Tuesday, September 10, 2024 | Read more...
AMR powered team success at latest British GT visit to Donington Park

AMR powered team success at latest British GT visit to Donington Park

 


Another thrilling two-hour encounter with the British GT Championship was to be seen yesterday as the thirty-five strong split GT3 and GT4 classes battled out what wasn’t quite another #DoningtonDecider, rather than created a near winner takes all scenario for the final round of the season at the end of the month.

Mother Nature had been playing with the teams over the earlier sessions to the race weekend with rain and gloomy conditions very prevalent over the Donington Park circuit but despite further rain during Sunday morning warm-up, the race itself was completed under glorious autumnal conditions.


For a change, both classes of Aston Martin Racing powered teams featured well during Saturdays Qualifying period as the #10 Blackthorn AMR Vantage GT3 crew of Matt Topham and Josh Rowledge secured the GT3 Pro-Am Pole position, whilst the two Forsetti Motorsport Vantage GT4 crews of both Mikey Porter/Jamie Day (#7 Silver) and Marc Warren/Will Orton (#47 Pro-Am) secured Pole positions of their respective classes, so it was game on right from the off as Forsetti had more to gain than most.

Unfortunately, that hope was very short lived for the #47 car of Warren as first, he was muscled off the track by the #90 McLaren to run through the gravel and down the order to last on the opening lap before further side to side contact with another car saw an unscheduled visit to pit lane for repairs. That lost the crew many laps and descended the rest of the race into something of a live testing session for the championship contending crew.


In a similar thread, the #10 Blackthorn car of Topham also found themselves being spun around from an unsuccessful overtaking move from behind at the final corner just fifteen minutes in that would drop them down to near the rear of the GT3 field. Having started sixth overall, this incident and a following puncture would ruin all of their hard work going into this event as the Silver-Am scraps was all that they could hope for.

Then on a positive note, the #87 Blackthorn car of Giacomo Petrobelli (with Jonny Adam) had moved up from P7 on the grid to be running third overall on pace before moving up another notch after one of the two Barwell Lamborghini’s had to pit with a puncture whilst the pole setting #7 Forsetti GT4 of Porter was also looking comfortable at the head of the GT4 field. 


The #97 Beechdean AMR Vantage GT3 of Andrew Howard (with Jessica Hawkins) had already had an off in the wet of morning warmup but was slowly moving up the field as opportunities arose.

By the halfway stage, Petrobelli had run a cracking opening stint to hand his car over to recent birthday boy Adam from second overall – as did Porter to Day in GT4 whilst the #97 Beechdean car was now up to P4 in class with the #10 Blackthorn car (now with Rowledge) just behind.


Whilst the #47 Forsetti car of Orton was still cycling around, the #7 car’s hope of a race win was severely hampered with both their mandatory additional twenty-four seconds hold time for being a silver/silver crew plus the extra fifteen seconds form finishing second last time out. By the time that that was all over, Day had dropped to P7 overall in class but with another hour to go.

Just over half an hour remaining and a very wide course through the gravel at Redgate’s for Day saw further chins hit the floor within the team garage as it appeared that Aston upon Aston contact may have been the course of that excursion for Day and with the #97 Beechdean of Hawkins looking quite sheepish to that effect.


Then the race took its final set of twists as a Full Course Yellow was called for after the #55 Ginetta nose-dived into the tyre bales at the Melbourne hairpin after apparent brake issues. Thankfully, the driver was otherwise OK, but the caution took the remaining grid to just two racing laps at the end to decide matters.

Thankfully, Adam got to enjoy a much deserved belated birthday present after he brough the #87 Blackthorn car home in second overall after some great progress from Petrobelli in the opening laps whilst the #97 Beechdean GT3 of Howard and Hawkins also benefitted from a late off (puncture) from the Abba Racing Mercedes to move up onto the final step of the GT3 Silver -Am podium again (despite a post-race time penalty affecting their finishing time/not their finishing position) whilst the #7 Forsetti car of Porter and Day scrapped out another Silver class P3 finish at the end to help keep their title hopes alive. The #10 Blackthorn car eventually finished a respectable P9 overall and P4 in class despite what had happened to them on track with the #47 Forsetti car listed as P29/P11, nine laps down.


Championship wise – it’s still all about the two Forsetti GT4 crews as Porter and Day still lead the overall GT4 Drivers Championship by 3.5 points, the same within their Silver Cup class but by 15 points whilst Warren and Orton see their GT4 Pro-Am class lead drop to 6.5 points all with just the Championship’s visit to Brands Hatch.

Photo credits – Team / Series / social media
Monday, September 09, 2024 | Read more...
First SRO America win for the new Heart of Racing Vantage GT4 Evo

First SRO America win for the new Heart of Racing Vantage GT4 Evo

 


It was to be another podium haul for the Heart of Racing Aston Martin Racing Partner team this weekend as their Vantage GT4 crews returned to the Barber Motorsports Park for the penultimate rounds of the GT America and GT4 America Series.

This time armed with their first 2024 Vantage GT4 Evo that drivers Gray Newell and Roman De Angelis would race as a Pro-Am paring within the GT4 America Series, it was the bronze rated driver only of the GT America Series that provided the first silverware for Newell as he followed the two Porsche’s home in both forty minute races to claim third in class each time to further consolidate his third place within the GT4 Drivers Championship.


For the other Vantage GT4 racer of Todd Parriott and his #31 Flying Lizard entry, he would have to make do with a P4 and a P6 in class for his efforts whilst the two Vantage GT3 runners of Jason Bell (#2 Flying Lizard) and Tim Savage (#007 Prosport Competition) their deficient BoP would again see them catch to the rear of the pack with P5 and P6 finishes in race one respectively but with an enforced spin for Bell and heavy contact with another car for Savage in race 2. 


Being able to catch up with the pack due to the Safety Car brought about by Savage’s contact with Ross Chouest’s Mercedes, and a post-race time penalty for that offending Porsche, Bell was able to lay claim to another P3 class podium.

The main action, however, was within the multi-classed GT4 America Series where the Heart of Racing again ran with their two crews of Newell and De Angelis within their new Evo’s #24 car with Hannah Grisham and Hannah Greenemeir with their usual #17A variant of the car within their now silver category. They were again joined by the #13 Flying Lizard entry of Parriott and Tom Dyer.


Despite having claimed a front row start for the new #24 Vantage GT4 Evo for race 1, that advantage was sadly lost during the opening race and despite having led the opening half of it, after a Safety car period interfered with the pit stop window. Despite having led the pack out of pit lane again, the gaggle of silver grade drivers behind Newell was enough for him to be removed of his track position by (at first them) and then other Pro-Am classed runners.

For them, race one would be a disappointing P7 in class for the #24 car and a lap down P6 in class for the Silver classed ladies of the #26 car with the #13 Flying Lizard entry finishing in-between both of them.


Race two was however different and gave the #24 Evo first blood within the SRO family of series Stateside after they were able to overcome a lowly qualifying position to take the overall race win with their #26 stablemates close behind for a class podium finish of their own.

A multi-vehicle accident on the opening lap lead to a length clean-up operation which both Newell and Greenemeir serve their minimum drive time following the Safety Car in position. That left both cars with their faster drivers now aboard against others with their lesser capable drivers and very quickly, both Heart cars were picking off those in front for position.


With just one car now ahead, this time a fortunate Safety Car allowed all to catch up onto the back of that car and at the restart became easy pickings for De Angelis for the Canadian to come home a comfortable first overall with Grisham third overall and second in silver.

Next stop for all SRO America Series will be from Indianapolis in early October.

Photo credits – Team / Series / social media
Sunday, September 08, 2024 | Read more...
The new Vantage GT3 scores its first podium finish in Thailand Super Series

The new Vantage GT3 scores its first podium finish in Thailand Super Series

 


There was a complete mixed bag of race results for the two Aston Martin Racing powered crews within this weekend’s triple header event from the Thailand Super Series from Sepang.

Having raced there just three weeks earlier, their final race there was abandoned even before it have begun after torrential rainstorm swamped the circuit so this time around, they mostly had one more race to make up for even before their scheduled night and day races.


Only the #7 Team New Zealand AMR Vantage GT4 of Graeme Dowsett and Ananthorn Tangniannatchai competed this make up race as far as these two AMR crews were concerned as the #11 Earl Bamber Motorsport entered Vantage GT3 of Earl Bamber and Anderson Tanoto were not at that event. For their troubles, the #7 crew earned themselves a P19 overall (but more importantly) a P9 in GT4 Pro-Am finish to start their weekend on something of a high.

Within the next race on Saturday evening, any highs from the #11 crew from Tanoto’s P6 Qualifying position were quickly snubbed out as a spin on the opening lap saw the new Vantage GT3 Evo narrowly missed by the chasing spun after the Indonesian overcooked things on cold tyres.


Despite eventually getting going again (and being many laps down) the #11 car retired from the night race at the midway point of the hour long plus one lap race format. The #7 crew would again see things out until the end with a P19 overall/P5 in class finish.

Then in Sunday’s concluding race it was better news for the #11 EBM Vantage GT3 after a P3 qualifying position was this time guarded and protected by the more experienced race in Bamber for Tanoto to bring the car home second overall for their first TSS podium finish. For the #7 crew, they would repeat their P19/P5 finish, so they are consistent if nothing else!

Now let’s see just where this takes Tanoto in terms of future events this year?



Photo credits – Teams / Series / social media
Sunday, September 08, 2024 | Read more...
A wash out at Italian GTs endurance series visit to Imola

A wash out at Italian GTs endurance series visit to Imola

 


There was disappointment all round today for the third endurance round of the Italian GT Championship’s visit to Imola after the previous glorious sunshine disappeared completely for race day only to be replaced with torrential rain.

With thirty-five crews having entered with weekends proceedings, it was again, only the #5 L&A Infinity car of William Alatalo, Mattia Dr Guisto and Jorge Lorenzo who represented the Aston Martin Racing brand with their older 16A variant of the Vantage GT3.


Having claimed their first podium of the Sprint season just a few weeks ago at Mugello, a realignment to their Pro-Am driver line up to assist Lorenzo within the Endurance rounds until the end of the season, hopes were high of at least a competitive showing.

With all three drivers entering their own Qualifying lap time under the sun of Saturday, it would Alatalo who would take the start of the three-hour race from P12 but from behind the Safety Car, such were the track conditions already.


Only being released ten minutes into the race, it wasn’t long before they were back under caution with cars off into the gravel, not going back to green again until just before the opening of the first pit stop window as Alatalo swapped to Lorenzo from P8.

Then came the torrential rain again with further Safety Car interventions at the halfway stage of the race clock. Sadly, by then the track conditions had also decreased dramatically as the rain intensified giving Race Control no option but to red flag the race.


After something like an hour’s break, the race was restarted but back then came the rain again just ahead of the final pit stop window, a point of the race which saw the #5 enter the pit lane – the driver get out (unknown reasons but with the car not visibly damaged) and retire from the race.

The race was then red flagged again so after anyway, but this time ultimately abandoned as done after several more cars aquaplaned off track and impacted heavily into the barriers and with results being declared.

The Championship now just has two rounds left to run – both from Monza with the Sprint series ending there at the start of October and the endurance series there at the end of October.

Photo credits – Team / Series / social media
Sunday, September 08, 2024 | Read more...
Challenging conditions at Donington as Forsetti chase the GT4 drivers titles too in British GT

Challenging conditions at Donington as Forsetti chase the GT4 drivers titles too in British GT

 


Difficult track conditions greeted the British GT Championship grid this morning ahead of its penultimate round of the season tomorrow as rain and general mirk affected what should have been a late summer visit to Donington Park.

Having tested at the circuit on Thursday under blue skies and sunshine, that was something that never materialised today with the first of the official timed Free Practice sessions before culminating in this afternoon aggregated Qualifying times ahead of Sunday’s two-hour race.


Already having received their GT4 Team’s Championship winning silverware ahead of today, the Norfolk based Forsetti Motorsport hold all the aces as far as further Aston Martin Racing powered championship win is concerned with their #7 Vantage GT4 crew of Mikey Porter and Jamie Day heading the overall and GT4 Silver classes whilst their #47 Vantage GT4 crew of Marc Warren and Will Orton do within their own GT4 Pro-Am class.

With testing and Free Practice results always hard to judge pace wise, it were the two Blackthorn AMR Vantage GT3 crews that pushed the pace during their two Qualifying sessions as first Giacomo Petrobelli and then Matt Topham pushed the GT3 Am leaders all the way to finish their ten-minute qualifying time P6 and P5 respectively. The #97 Beechdean AMR Vantage GT3 of Andrew Howard seemed never to get going within the greasy offline conditions to eventually finish P16 overall.


Next up were the higher graded GT3 drivers with Jonny Adam taking over the #87 Blackthorn car with both Josh Rowledge within the #10 car and Jessica Hawkins within the #97 Beechdean AMR car as their silver graded drivers.

Again, the Blackthorn cars performed well with their best lap times coming at the fourth time of asking, presenting the #10 with a cracking P6 overall and P1 in Silver-Am starting position with the #87 Pro-Am car of Petrobelli/Adam just behind in P7 overall (P6 in class) and with the #97 Beechdean car P16 overall and P6 in class.


Just ahead of the rains returning to the circuit, the GT4 class were able to run their two allotted ten-minute sessions with first Mikey Porter and Marc Warren out within their #7 Silver and #47 Pro-Am classed entries. Whilst Porter was only able to improve upon his previous lap times the once, Warren saw a succession of laps improve for time (time wise) for them to finish third and eighth respectively.

Then out came Jamie Day and with his first lap time secured the provisional pole position for the #7 car (bettered it again with his next lap) before saving their tyres ready for the race happy with his days work at the front of the GT4 queue. Orton was only marginally off Day’s times, but this time ran a four-lap session before timing out with an aggregated starting position of P4 overall but P1 in Pro-Am.


Sunday’s weather looks like there could be a lot more rainfall at the circuit before the race tomorrow but dryer from midday onwards for the race itself.

Wet or dry – it may not quite be the #DoningtonDecider that we all know but it might confirm who can control their nerves and who can’t!!

Photo credits – Teams / Series / social media
Saturday, September 07, 2024 | Read more...