Watch the clever guys at Pure D-zign create the beautifully liveried ES Motors V12 Vantage entered this year into full season International GT Open and Michelin GT3 Le Mans Cup series with drivers Euan Hankey and Salih Yoluc.

Motorbase have just released a selection of photographs taken from their recent 3 day winter test at the Portimao circuit in Portugal.

Testing alongside its sister car entered into the British GT Championship with Ross Wylie and Phil Dryburgh was the blue and white Oman Racing car of Ahmad Al Harthy still sporting its Gulf 12h suns trip from December.

At this moment it is unclear whether or not the Oman Racing side of the Motorbase operation would  again be considering a joint British GT and Blancpain entry. Whilst we know that AMR driver Jonny Adam was at the test with them over the weekend he would only be available to them for Blancpain - like he was in 2015 - no other driver information has been given.








Photo credits -Guilherme Correia – Autódromo Internacional do Algarve

In GTE Pro, both Astons will reduce their base weights by 10kg each whilst in GTE Am the #98 car will be 20kg lighter to its base weight , have 5 litres extra fuel capacity and have a 0.8mm larger engine restrictor to what they finished with in Bahrain.

Whilst they are all good points we have to bear in mind that the Ferrari and Ford are both brand new, turbo charged cars with unknown potential and last years championship winning Porsche has also had some positive allowances!! The Astons, don't forget will all be running on Dunlop's.

Nothing for definite in terms of car performance will be known until qualifying at Silverstone and Round 1 of the 2016 World Endurance Championship in April.

Photo credits - WEC

The latest addition to the #TeamAMR family, Italian GT squad Solaris Motorsport have wasted no time  in preparing their AMR V12 Vantage GT3 for track action with a two day test at the Autodromo Vallelunga just north of Rome, Italy.

Sporting a very seductive looking plain gloss wrap the car was put through its paces by its drivers Francesco Sini and Marcello Puglisi.


Whilst the team were presumably focussing on just establishing themselves with the functionalities of the car  the team, who had previously raced a Corvette C6R GT3 in 2015 soon found that even the simplest of things proved 'different' and needed focus.

The team shall compete in the Italian GT series that kicks off at Monza at the beginning of May but if the team keep up with their fantastic level of social media based information like they have this week they will soon be gaining AMR fans from across the world.




We understand that this chassis was formerly the third Motorbase GT3 car that was raced by Phil Dryburgh and Matt Jackson at the opening rounds of the 2015 British GT Championship.

Photo credits - Solaris Motorsport

British GT returnees - Generation AMR SuperRacing were another team who were able to make full use of their AMR Partner status by attending the now annual AMR test event at (for 2016) Valencia, Spain over the last couple of days.

Supporting both James Holder and Matt George, who had until yesterday never really turned a race car steering wheel in anger on track was the full factory backing and support of not just team boss and AMLVulcan driver James Appleby but also the full Aston Martin Racing team.

 
Although George did conduct the brief system's shakedown test at Rockingham last week Appleby had already confirmed earlier in the week that the Valencia event would be the pairs first significant 'non-simulator' track action experience and all just six weeks before the start of the 2016 British GT Championship!

Having listed only last week that Massive Motorsport's 2016 season will involve an additional driver in the younger brother of Kristian Poulsen, it now appears that a driver change has also had to be made.

Citing business commitments team boss Caspar Elgaard has today announced that Simon Moller can no longer spare the time that entering the 24H Series would require of him and as such has decided to step aside for 2016. His position within the team will be replaced with a very talented and up and coming young Dane Nicolai Sylvest.


Pictures provided by the team show him testing the now 2016 revised Aston Martin Racing V12 Vantage at the official factory test event at Valencia over the last two days. Further pictures also showed Roland Poulsen testing the car for the first time.


In a published statement Elgaard went out of his way to praise Moller in 'thinking more of the team than himself' in making what must have been a very difficult decision.

Massive's 2016 season kicks off in Mugello, Italy in just under three weeks.

Photo credits - Massive Motorsport

Ross Wylie will race an Aston Martin in this year’s British GT Championship for the Motorbase Performance team with his sights firmly set on securing the Pro-Am title. 2016 marks the third consecutive year the 24-year-old from Thornhill near Dumfries has contested the prestigious nine-race series having won the GT4 “crown” in 2014 and then finishing runner-up in the GT3 Silver Cup category last year.

Wylie will partner fellow Scot Phil Dryburgh, from Fife, in a GT3-specification Aston Martin Vantage – Ross having taken GT4 class honours in a similar car with Beechdean two years ago in his maiden BGT season. Ross, a former British Racing Drivers’ Club “SuperStar”, stepped up to the more powerful GT3 class last year having been selected by McLaren GT as a member of its “Young Driver” programme. He will test the Aston for the first time at Portimão in Portugal this weekend (26-27 Feb).

 Having raced karts between 2004-11 Ross, who is hoping to secure further personal sponsorship for the year, contested the Celtic Speed Mini Cooper Cup (2012), the Volkswagen UK Racing Cup & Scirocco R-Cup (2013) and was selected a BRDC “Rising Star” that year. The former Scottish Motor Racing Club Ecurie Ecosse Hub Cap Trophy winner and Knockhill “Young Saloon Car Driver of the Year” achieved six GT4 podiums from six races in his maiden BGT season in 2014. Last year, Ross netted six overall top-10 placings in the Von Ryan Racing McLaren 650S GT3.


Motorbase Performance, based near Brands Hatch – the venue in Kent that hosts the opening BGT race in April – was founded in 2004 by former Production Saloon racer David Bartrum. Motorbase won the 2014 BGT Teams’ title.

2016 British GT Championship

Round Date Circuit
1 16-17 April Brands Hatch
2 30 Apr-1 May Rockingham
3 & 4 28-30 May Oulton Park
5 11-12 June Silverstone
6 8-9 July Spa, Belgium
7/8 6-7 August Snetterton
9 10-11 September Donington Park

Ross Wylie (GB): Age 23. Born & Lives Thornhill nr Dumfries, Scotland:

“I’m really excited to be racing for the Motorbase Performance team in the 2016 British GT Championship and can’t wait to get behind the wheel of the Aston Martin for my first test this weekend at Portimão. I actually drove a GT3 Vantage after winning the GT4 title in an Aston in 2014 but went with a season of racing a McLaren 650S GT3 last year. Another new challenge for me will be competing in the PRO-AM category. My co-driver Phil [Dryburgh] has a lot of experience in the GT3 class and also with the Aston Martin, so I’m really looking forward to sharing the Vantage with him.

“I’m massively grateful to McLaren GT for the great experience of being part of its Young Driver programme last year. I learned a lot and it was fantastic to work closely with a manufacturer. Choosing what car to race this year has been extremely difficult but I’m sure I have made the right decision. Phil and I are fired up for the challenge and we are certainly not in the BGT to make up the numbers. I want to focus on putting some enjoyment back in to my racing after a tough 2015 season. I’m looking forward to working with Motorbase, a team that has a wealth of experience and is a very professional operation. I literally cannot wait for the first race in April – I’m so excited!”

Source material - Ross Wylie