UNO Racing back out in the GTSSC at Zhuhai
The Chinese based Uno Racing team are back in business this weekend with their fourth round of their COVID interrupted GT Super Sprint Challenge Series, this time from their local Zhuhai International Circuit close to the Macau peninsula of the country.
First time out at Shanghai in early May, the team’s sole Aston Martin Racing GT3 entry for David Pun came away with a post-race awarded class win aboard his #91 car for the series to be then postponed again immediately prior to the second round due to an increased infection rate within the country.
The series then came back to the tracks with its much delayed second round, also back at the Shanghai International Circuit but this time with a three car AMR entry – two Vantage GT3’s for drivers David Pun and Riokonig and a Vantage GT4 for Thomas Song. Between them, they collected four podium positions between their classes over the two-race weekend.
They team sat out the third round but will come back together again at Zhuhai for much of the same.
Photo credits – Uno Racing
Wednesday, October 13, 2021 |
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Three Aston Martin's in joint GTWCA and IGTC race finale from Indianapolis this weekend
For the GTWCA Series, the Ian Lacey Racing prepared Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GT3 for drivers Frank Gannett and Drew Stavely continues with its season long sole AMR representation within the series, a series that the Pro-Am driver line up has had to learn the hard way since stepping up to the GT3 from their usual Ford Mustang GT4 at the end of last year.
Twelve one hour forty-minute races later, and the #12 car presently sits mid table amongst a list of drivers with more GT3 experience than them so even if the season stopped here – they could already be proud (although sometimes self-critical of parts maybe) of their performances so far as the season ends with a three-hour event raced in amongst that of the eight-hour IGTC race on Sunday.
Confusion with the entry list arises when the GTWCA entry list states just two drivers (Gannett and Stavely) for that three-hour race but they also appear on the entry list for the 8hr IGTC event and with a third driver – Ian Lacey.
Having checked with those Stateside, we are not aware of team boss Lacey ever driving the AMR GT3 on track yet alone in a race like the eight hour and the sudden appearance of one Valentin Hasse-Clot on the entry list for the final two one-hour races of the Sprint X Series seems just a little to co-incidental!!
We maybe wrong – probably are wrong but ……………..!!
Whatever happens with these guys, in the 8hr IGTC race we will also be seeing two Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT4’s – one from the #2 GMG Racing team for drivers Jason Bell, Andrew Davis and Trent Hindman and the #09 Automatic Racing AMR for drivers Paul Kiebler, Mikel Miller and Jon Branon. Whilst the #2 crew will complete their GT America and GT4 America racing duties leading up to Sunday’s race, the Automatic crew have elected not to and to concentrate on their biggest race so far this season in their AMR.
Forty-one cars are listed as competing within the IGTC race, with 16 of those being from the GTWCA Series – all cars permitted to continue within the 8hr race is they want to as their chequered flag to their season will fall not quite at the halfway mark to the IGTC race.
Let’s see what happens here!!
Photo credits – GTWCA / CSJ Motorsport / F Lagunas / GT America
Tuesday, October 12, 2021 |
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Another #DoningtonDecider with two Aston Martin's in the mix
Twenty-seven cars will make the trip up the M1 later this week for this final round of the season with two Aston Martin Racing crews still in contention for their GT3 and GT4 driver’s Championships and with a guest appearance from a third car for good measure.
The #7 Beechdean AMR crew of Andrew Howard and Jonny Adam had had a relatively good and consistent season until such time as Adam picked up COVID, missed the Spa round as a result with Howard and a deputising Ross Gunn then had something of a nightmare misunderstanding with the team around the pit stop strategy that saw them come away from Belgium empty handed.
That and a heavy crash during Qualifying a month ago at Oulton Park with two low points scoring races as a result has left Howard with only a slightest of mathematical chances of taking the GT3 title this time around and then that is dependent upon him winning the race and other crews ahead of his in the Championship suffering non points scoring misfortune.
In GT4, the overall Drivers and Team’s Championships have already been settled but the GT4 Pro-Am Drivers hasn’t and that is precisely where Matt Topham and Darren Turner fit into the equation with their #27 Newbridge Motorsport AMR Vantage GT4.
Just 14.5 points ahead of the Nick Halstead and Jamie Stanley McLaren 570s and 37.5 point being made available on Sunday however, all is not a given for the AMR crew at this round with points gained between the two crews over the last four races remain constant to one another.
A good thing for both crews is that neither must endure any additional time in the pit lane from any podium success from last time out at Snetterton.
Joining these two teams for the final race of the season is the Century Motorsport entered crew of David Holloway and Bradley Ellis with their #71 AMR Vantage GT4 that they will run in the Pro-Am class as well. Having just seen out the last weekend of their GT Cup season, this is a toe in the water for the financial businessman before decisions are needed ahead of any 2022 programme.
Finally – more good news for anyone attending Donington Park this weekend as the pit lane walk and autograph sessions are again available over lunchtime on Sunday, the first time that that has happened now in over two seasons
Photo credits – Jacob Ebrey / Teams / GT Cup
Tuesday, October 12, 2021 |
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Busy weekend for Jason Bell with an 8hr race in the Intercontinental GT Challenge
Quickly becoming one of the premier events on the GT World Challenge America calendar, the Indianapolis 8-Hour will take place this coming weekend at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Competing with the GMG Racing Aston Martin outfit will be 2021 Pirelli GT4 America three-time race winner Jason Bell, GT front-runner Trent Hindman and the always fast and competitive Andrew Davis, who has been Jason Bell’s co-driver throughout the 2020 and 2021 SprintX programs.
“After racing this event in 2020, it was one that I circled on my calendar when the schedule was announced earlier this year,” explained Jason Bell. “I would trade all the wins during my career to kiss the bricks at Indy, and I think we have the opportunity to do that this weekend. We have the team and the car behind us, and we have one of the best driver lineups. We just need to have the speed and luck to see if we can win at the iconic Speedway.”
“Apart from both competing in the Aston GT4 this year, there has been one main component shared between the JBR/GMG and VOLT racing teams this year, and that’s our engineer Chris Andrews,” added Trent Hindman, who will join Bell and Davis in Indy. “Chris has been a phenomenal asset to both teams for quite some time now, and I appreciate his effort in having me aboard with Jason and Andrew in the Indianapolis 8H. These guys have been ultra-competitive all year, and I hope to continue their run of success working alongside Chris, Andrew, Jason, and the GMG team.”
“We have a pretty stout lineup and look forward to getting on track at IMS,” added Davis. “We were fast here in 2020 and felt like we have learned a lot and learned more as a team throughout the 2021 season. Add Trent to our lineup and I think we have the depth, speed, consistency and experience to fight for the victory.”
“I’m very excited to return to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for another Intercontinental GT Indy 8-Hour with JBR/GMG Racing,” added Andrew Davis. “Last year, Jason Bell and I finished our season spraying some champagne on the hallowed podium of IMS. Our aim is to be doing the same thing this year! We have been making some great progress with our #2 JBR Aston Martin Vantage GT4 over the last several GT4 America events, as evident with Jason’s string of recent victories in GT Challenge. So, we feel confident to take the fight to the competitive field of GT4 entries for this year’s event. The addition of Trent Hindman to our driver line up is also exciting, we are looking forward to the value he will add to the event. Lastly, I want to thank Jason Bell, GMG Racing, and all of our sponsors for this amazing opportunity.”
It will be a jam-packed weekend for Bell as not only will he compete in the Indianapolis 8-Hour, but the Floridian driver will also take part in the GT America program as well as the Pirelli GT4 America SprintX.
Bell continued, “Competing in multiple races over the same event is nothing new for me. This season we have had four races on any given weekend while last year, we had as many as seven wheel-to-wheel races at select locations. Either way it will be a long week of racing, and I would not have it any other way.”
On track action will begin Wednesday and continue throughout the end of the weekend. Stay tuned to the Jason Bell Racing social media pages for news, information, photos and results from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Source material - Jason Bell PR
Tuesday, October 12, 2021 |
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Michelin Pilot Challenge doesn't disappoint again at VIR
With the #09 Stoner Car Care AMR of Rob Ecklin and Ramin Abdolvahabi stepping back into the series after their brief mid-season break as well as the return of the sensationally quick #23 Notlad Racing AMR of Pat Gallagher and Stevan McAleer, VIR was an important round for the third AMR runner – that of the #07 Volt Racing car of Alan Brynjolfsson and Trent Hindman as they had points to make up before the final round in their GS Championship next month.
Having missed the last round at Laguna Seca last month, the #23 as well as #07 car (who were at Laguna Seca) were both on something of a mission from the start and despite the early inclement weather that the circuit could throw their way, Hindman claimed top spot in FP2 and with the #09 Stoner car joining in the fun in the top 10 as well.
An interrupted Qualifying session completed and the #7 would start Sunday’s two-hour race from the second row in P3 with the #23 just a row back in P5 whilst the #09 car would start fourteenth in a GS grid of twenty cars.
As with most of the Michelin Pilot Challenge races so far this year, the start was another explosion of intent going into the tight first corner as Gallagher nipped at the ankles of Brynjolfsson right from the off to final take P3 from the bright yellow Volt car before the end of the first lap and as the opening laps ticked by, Gallagher continued with that racing demeanour looking for P2 whilst the #7 car hung on in there at the back of the breakaway group of five.
Half an hour in and Gallagher finally succeeded and got P2 overall as Abdolvahabi was busy fighting his own battles lower down the order, just ahead of the ultra-competitive TCR class leaders. P2 down to P3 , up to P2 and back again was the order of the day as the #23 fought hard with the #56 Murillo Mercedes for track position as the #7 car had by now dropped off the front group by just a couple of seconds.
First caution of the day (for debris and a stranded car) came just short of the first hour but notably after the first round of stops as the minimum drive time had been served by the starting driver. The pivotal point of the race however occurred just as the pit lane opened up behind the Safety Car as the #7 car pitted again for more fuel (and tyres) but the race leading #96 BMW and the P2 #23 Aston didn’t.
Going back to green with just fifty minutes remaining it appeared to be a straight run to the flag – or at least that what it appeared to be as the #96 car pitted, sacrifising their lead for an additional splash of fuel. The wait was then on to see just when the #23 car (now leading the race) would do the same or if they would do the same?
Another FCY at the thirty-minute mark helped the #23 to conserve more fuel but having pitted at the seventy-seven-minute mark, just how long could they go on a tank of fuel?
Twenty minutes, fifteen minutes – the #23 car of McAleer held onto the lead, even posting the fastest lap of the race so far but eventually, McAleer succumbed to the pressure of the chasing #16 Porsche to drop back to P2 with just minutes to go.
With certainly enough fuel this time and with the benefit of fresher tyres, Hindman made a last gasp move on the #93 Audi to secure for them what appeared to be a great P3 finish as the #07 car took the chequered flag just behind the #23 Notlad car.
What a great result! - Or so we thought!
Post-race scrutineering proved that the #23 had indeed been running virtually on fumes as the two-hour race ended but the car failed a post race fuel capacity audit due to an additional volume being permitted against that was allowed by homologation and was sadly omitted from the results. That of course raised the #07 up to P2 overall in the race and has narrowed their points deficit in the Championship to just 280 with a race maximum of 350 being available next time out at the season finale at Road Atlanta in four weeks’ time and with five crews still mathematically possible of taking the GS title.
Photo credits – IMSA / CSJ Motorsport / F Lagunas / teams
Monday, October 11, 2021 |
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A good day out for the Stoner Car Care Aston Martin at VIR
The No. 09 Stoner Car Care Aston Martin Vantage GT4, driven by Rob Ecklin, Jr. (Lancaster, Pa.) and Ramin Abdolvahabi (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.), performed well throughout the two-hour race, pacing consistent laps. The team gambled on fuel strategy during their second pit stop and looked to be heading toward a top-10 finish until a late yellow meant the entire field was able to finish the race with no additional pit stops.
The team came into the weekend with high expectations, given the sheer number of hours they have spent at VIR this year (between a two-day test back in May and two eight-hour World Racing League enduros last month, the team had 24 hours of track time at the scenic, 3.27-mile road course).
With cloudy skies and cool conditions, Abdolvahabi took the wheel for the 15-minute qualifying session early Sunday morning, with the plan of setting a quick time early in case a red flag thwarted their late laps. That thought proved to be prescient, as Abdolvahabi broke through slow traffic just as a competitor went off track, bringing out the red flag. Starting 14th, he knew that steady early pace would be key to making his way through the field.
With the usual scrum at the green flag, Abdolvahabi stuck to the plan and played it safe in the early going, taking the measure of the drivers around him. Battling traffic, he fell to P18 in the first four laps but he began to regain those positions despite a quick off-and-on on Lap 7.
As drivers began to pit, Abdolvahabi climbed through the field to P10 before a full course caution. The team waited until the fuel light came on to bring him into pit lane for four Michelin tires and a change to Ecklin at the halfway point of the race. With the caution continuing, the team brought Ecklin back to pit lane for a splash of fuel they hoped would take him to the finish.
The strategy appeared to be working perfectly, as teams began to head to pit lane late in the race. But an untimely yellow with 20 minutes remaining meant that the rest of the field would also be set to go to the finish. Ecklin, with a smart and consistent drive, brought the Aston Martin home P15, with a best lap of 1:57.172 on lap 38.
The team was pleased with the performance, hoping that it will mean some of the bad luck they’ve experienced this season is behind them.
“I was stuck behind two Toyotas, and they didn’t give an inch,” said Abdolvahabi. “I was faster than they were, but we lost a lot of time through my entire stint. But the car was really good, we just couldn’t do anything with it. The pit stops were great, it’s just too bad that we couldn’t finish higher. But it’s good to finish, with no bad luck. No luck is better than bad luck, so things are trending in the right direction!”
“The car felt really good,” said Ecklin. “It was so consistent, but the pace didn’t match the feel. Otherwise, it was a good race for us. The car was set up well, the pit stop was good, we had a good strategy, and we went to work. We pushed hard, but I couldn’t get the time out of the car that I thought was there. But there was no drama today, it was just a good, clean race. We can build on that.”
“That was a good day,” said Automatic Racing team manager David Russell. “Everything was very sound, from the pit stops, driver changes, and the strategy call by Kirt Wightman and Chris Long. Ramin and Rob both drove good stints, though Ramin got stuck behind traffic. We were able to leapfrog a lot of cars with the strategy of coming in for fuel and we would have been in really great shape, but that late yellow put an end to that. But we had a strong car, though we were down on the pace we had here in testing, so we’ll have to figure that out. We have a good platform to build on for the finale.”
Source material - Stoner Car Care
Monday, October 11, 2021 |
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Two more class podiums for the AGS Events Racing team closes the season with the GT4 European Series from Spain
Seven Aston Martin Racing crews made their way down to Spain for this weekend’s finale and although most of their respective Class Championships had already been decided, it was still very much a question of pride and indeed possible plans for next season as these seven cars joined a grid of over forty cars.
Having endured something of some disjointed Free Practice and Qualifying sessions on track, it was the #27 AGS Events Aston Martin of Cesar Gazeau (with Konstantin Lachenauer) and the #55 Mirage Racing Aston of Ruben Del Sarte (with Tom Canning) took the fight to the front of the grid in race 1 by Qualifying in P4 and P8 respectively and with the Am class also well represented with the #18 Racing One AMR of Markus Lungstrass (with Henrick Lyngbye Pedersen) and the #89 AGS Racing AMR of Nicolas Gomar (with Eric Herr), who Qualified P2 and P3 in their class.
After a somewhat irregular start, it was Lungstrass who made the biggest progress forward whilst Del Sarte suffered the biggest loss backwards into the first corner whilst Gazeau held his nerve and his position in fourth. First races aboard an Aston Martin for Milane Petelet and Hugo Roche aboard their two AGS Events Racing Aston Martin this weekend as each Silver ranked driver sampled just what AMR and AGS Events Racing could offer them in any package for next season.
Disaster was to soon hit the AGS Events team however as the #27 car of Gazeau was nerfed off the circuit and into the gravel with little over twelve minutes gone. Extracted from the gravel by a circuit snatch vehicle – his race was already run, and an upset Frenchman was seen leaving his car once in the pit lane.
In the Am class, the #89 AGS car of Herr was now embroiled in a decent fight for class position with the #7 Street Art Racing AMR GT4 of Paul Theysgens but for Theysgens his likely class podium position would be taken away in the dying minutes as he picked up a puncture from an incident at turn 1 that brought out another Safety Car.
Despite another high finish in P6 overall / P4 in class from the #55 Mirage Racing crew of Del Sarte and Canning, the Silver ranked podium again illuded them but the #89 AGS Am car of Herr and Gomar, they did hang on for the sole AMR podium in the race P21 overall/P3 in class.
Sunday’s final one hour race proved itself to be something of a similar affair with the #55 Mirage Racing AMR of Canning this time beating the #27 AGS Aston of Lachenauer to front the AMR attack in P6 overall with Theysgens holding the same position in the Am class down in P25.
Starting positions may have been higher except for laps being struck from the timing sheet during Qualifying for the #45/#79/#27 AGS Events Racing cars.
For the final time of asking this season, the forty odd cars were released and thundered down the pit straight and in the right hander at turn 1. Thankfully another clean opening lap was had by most and the race soon drifted into its own little pockets of interclass battles with no boom or bust incentive for most of the drivers. Theysgens was looking racy again in his #7 SAR Aston was Lachenauer looked possibly guilty of ‘overdriving’ his #27 AGS Aston car as he battled to maintain his own position on track.
Like De Sarte before him in Race 1, there appeared little that Canning could do in the #55 cars opening stint as he tried to chase down the leaders but by handing his car back over to De Sarte in fourth – his job was done for the year and despite many quick-fire gains and place drops in his stint – Lachenauer would still hand his #27 over to Gazeau from P5 in Silver Cup but unfortunately for most, that was about as good as it got!
Despite a late incident that brought out a FCY and a Safety Car behind which the race and season would ultimately end, the #55 car would end the race just off the podium again in P5 with the #27 close behind in P6. By some twist of fate, the #89 AGS car of Gomar and Herr would again visit the Am class one final time in 2021 with a P2 finish in race 2 to go with their third place yesterday.
Other than that – that was how the 2021 season finished for the many Aston Martin Racing entries in the GT4 European Series. Unfortunately, they didn’t win any classes outright, but many did go on to win class podiums throughout the season.
Well done and thank you to all involved this year.
Photo credits – GT4 European / teams
Sunday, October 10, 2021 |
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Heart of Racing Aston Martin Racing - IMSA GTD Sprint Cup Champions
Our congratulations extend tonight to the Heart of Racing Aston Martin Racing Partner team over in North America after they claimed enough points this evening in the last round of the IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Championship Sprint Cup to claim the outright GTD Class win with drivers Roman de Angelis and Ross Gunn.
Going into this final round at the Virginia International Raceway with a lead of just seventy-four points and on the backfoot to their nearest competitor who were on a faster balance of performance than their V8 Vantage GTD, it was always going to be an uphill struggle for the #23 crew.
Yesterday’s points for Qualifying P1 (with a new track record for Gunn as well) for the Englishman placing his car first in the second Qualifying session certainly helped come the end of today’s two hours forty-minute race where the #23 car finished no lower to the #1 Paul Miller Racing Lamborghini that it could have to retain their Championship lead and hence the Sprint Cup Championship win – but it was close!!
Morning rain had left the track damp and greasy by the time the eighteen GTLM/GTD cars hit the picturesque VIR circuit and fortunately it would stay that way as De Angelis started form P3 in class and Ian James from last (after their own technical infringement after Qualifying dropped them to the back of the grid).
Morning rain had left the track damp and greasy by the time the eighteen GTLM/GTD cars hit the picturesque VIR circuit and fortunately it would stay that way as De Angelis started form P3 in class and Ian James from last (after their own technical infringement after Qualifying dropped them to the back of the grid).
Playing the opening laps sensibly cautious, De Angelis came out of the opening laps in P5 but still with the #1 car in close proximity as the chasing pack also kept the class leading #96 BMW within 3-4 seconds of themselves and it wasn’t long before the young Canadian was battling the #1 car for position.
At the hour mark and with his minimum drive time served, De Angelis pitted to hand the #23 over to Gunn for his two-part run to the flag and hopefully the Championship. James had also done his part as he pitted at near enough the same time to hand his #27 car over to Alex Riberas.
At the halfway mark, a dramatic incident for the #66 Acura that buried itself deep within the tyre wall slowed things down as the Safety Car was called out immediately. Fortunately for that team, the driver soon emerged unscathed from the debris field but the race would still be held under caution as the tyre wall was repaired. For the GTD field, that allowed most to save fuel and tyres as they would all still have to stop more than once again each but importantly for the #23 car – that stopped the #1 car from progressing too far ahead than themselves.
Getting into the final twenty minutes of the race, the final roll of the dice were made by the teams with last minute tyres and splashes of fuel were made that would see them to the end.
The biggest drama however took place with little over seven minutes remaining as the leading #96 BMW was tagged into turn 1 by one of the GTLM cars, causing both to spin and for the #96 to get a puncture that would effectively destroy their near certain class win. That of course opened the doors for the #9 Pfaff Porsche and the #1 PMR Lamborghini behind as a class win for the #1 car would snatch the prize from the AMR team at the death. As the minutes ticked by, the #1 car got ever closer to the #9 car and, with no response possible from the #23 car in return, looked like the Heart of Racing crew would lose everything on the last lap.
Thankfully, that didn’t happen as the #9 car claimed a class win from the #1 car by less than 2.78 seconds – enough to be enough as Gunn brought home the #23 car in P5 to claim the Sprint Cup Championship by just ten points (all subject to official confirmation).
The #27 car of Riberas and James improved upon their past performances again by finishing close behind their sister car in P6 in class – a remarkable achievement considering that they started from the rear of the grid!!
Photo credits – HoRT / CSJ Motorsport / F Lagunas
Saturday, October 09, 2021 |
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Surprise guest appearance at Sprint X finale at Indianapolis this weekend (Updated)
Six Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT4 teams make the trip to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the final two races of the 2021 SRO GT4 America Championship this weekend.
Unfortunately for them all, two arduous rounds at both Sebring and Watkins Glen for them left all the AMR based Pro-Am and Silver Cup Championship hopefuls not in any position to continue their battle into this final round at Indianapolis with most of the Championship titles being decided by the second race at Sebring.
That leaves them all with nothing more than pride to race for and with any multi-class GT4 race these days – it will still be an exciting thing to watch!!
Looking at the twenty-one-car entry list, the #2 GMG Racing Aston Martin of Jason Bell and Andrew Davis have a very busy race weekend with entries into the two Sprint X races, the two GT America races as well as the eight-hour Intercontinental GT Challenge Race. Always a troublesome class for these guys with only one double points score so far this season – a good points haul here will be good for them.
The #15 Bsport Racing Aston of Bryan Putt and Kenton Koch had looked to be the best chance of another AMR Sprint X Champion this year and with three podium finishes later, they will still have a battle on their hands to maintain their runners up spot in the Pro-Am class by end of Sunday.
The #24 Heart of Racing AMR of Gray Newell and Ian James have certainly come of age as a GT4 team with them having collected their first podium finishes of the season at Watkins Glen. For the purpose of developing Newell from a rookie race driver to something where he is now has been a job well done by the team so they will leave the circuit on Sunday with their heads held high whatever happens.
A little bit battle weary of late, the #59 WR Racing Aston of Paul Terry and (of late) Owen Trinkler have proven that they can contend for these podiums so long as they can keep the car on the road. Like any series, consistency is the key and one too many good racing positions have again been thrown away for a move that wasn’t always there to be had. After a good first half of the season, their championship aspirations soon faltered and the car has since dropped down from where they should otherwise be but again, they have been fun to watch and support.
A debut season with drivers and car for the #062 Dexter Racing team as the family squad entered Ryan and Warren into the Silver Cup class for the first time with a car sourced from a Spanish team. A race win and a P2 in their first race weekend at Sonoma was an excellent start but that was hampered with technical issues with their car later on which meant for a double no score – something that can’t happen and still be successful in any current Silver ranked class anywhere.
The 3R Povoledo Racing Aston of Aaron Povoledo and Ross Chouest is, like the GT America entry list, absent from the final race weekend – presumably as a consequence of their accident at Sebring last time out which is a great shame if so for all concerned but we do look forward to seeing them again next season.
Again, there will be no #09 Automatic Racing entry for Paul Kiebler / Mikel Miller in this series due to their IGTC commitments in that eight-hour race.
The final member of the #TeamAMR family is the #888 Zelus Motorsport run AMR GT4 of Sean Whalen and Tigh Issac. First and last seen at the Watkins Glen round, the team sourced this car from the Rearden Racing team just in time for that round and it will be interesting to find out where (and with whom) these guys will be racing next season!
The final two races will be ran out over both Thursday and Friday!
Update - Having written all this out in preparation to this weekend events, we read a casually dropped in comment from the 2021 FFSA GT4 Silver Cup Champion that he (Valentin Hasse-Clot) will now be racing with WR Racing's Paul Terry aboard their #59 AMR Vantage GT4 in this weekends Sprint X series finale in lieu of the previously stated Owen Trinkler.
We would imagine that there's more behind that than meets the eye!!
Photo credits – GT4 America / CSJ Motorsport / F Lagunas / Team
Photo credits – GT4 America / CSJ Motorsport / F Lagunas / Team
Saturday, October 09, 2021 |
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Jason Bell's chance to shine at GT America's Championship decider at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Now with just a handful of points in arrears to the long standing GT4 class leader of Sean Quinlan, GMG Racing’s Jason Bell has been building up his own momentum in his own championship charge over recent rounds with his Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT4 (including a double win at the last Championship round at Watkins Glen back in mid-September) to arrive at the finale in the best form he has been yet.
At the last non points scoring races at Sebring just two weeks ago, Bell again piled on the phycological pressure onto the #119 BMW M4 GT4 driver with another double podium finishing weekend making it Quinlan’s championship to lose after the remaining two forty-minute races from the ‘Brickyard’.
Fellow full season entrant Gray Newell returns with his #25 Heart of Racing AMR GT4 and will be full of confidence after his debut race season has already built up into a podium winning season with silverware collected in the series at both Watkins Glen and Sebring.
Conspicuous by their absence from the entry list for this final round however, is the #50 3R Povoledo Racing Aston Martin for Ross Chouest. Since swapping to the Aston just a few rounds ago, the bronze ranked driver had been something of a sensation claiming podium and top end finishes from the off before he became the unfortunate victim to someone else’s accident in the second accident in the second invitational race of the weekend at Sebring.
The #09 Automatic Racing entry for Paul Kiebler in the series is also missing as they will be competing within the Intercontinental GT Challenge event at the circuit on the same weekend.
Completing the trilogy of AMR’s though within the series sees the return of the #888 Zelus Motorsport car for Sean Whalen after there (so far) one off appearance with their Rearden Racing sourced car at the Watkins Glen weekend.
These final two races will be ran out over Friday and Saturday.
Photo credits – GT America / CSJ Motorsport / F Lagunas
Photo credits – GT America / CSJ Motorsport / F Lagunas
Saturday, October 09, 2021 |
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