Two AMR GT4 teams see out their 2019 seasons next weekend
Saturday, October 05, 2019
Two GT4 Championships on opposing sides of the world come to a conclusion next weekend as the IMSA sanctioned Michelin Pilot Challenge and China GT Championship see out their final races of the 2019 season at Road Atlanta and the Shanghai International Circuit respectively.
Over in the USA, Aston Martin Racing customer team Automatic Racing and US logistical partner CSJ Motorsport will be again fielding three AMR Vantage GT4's between them for the final two hour race of their ten round season at the Petit Le Mans supporting Fox Factory 120 event with an expected grid of thirty nine car GS and TCR cars.
Gary Ferrera and Kris Wilson will be reunited again in the #97 car with Ramin Abdolvahabi competing with an as yet TBC co-driver in the #99 car. Thats leaves room for Akhil Rabindra to see out his part-season debut in the IMSA Series alongside Tom Long in the CSJ provided #09 car.
The young Indian driver, who is still part of the current Aston Martin Racing Drivers Academy process for the 2019 season, has really made a name for himself since starting racing in the USA earlier this year after having had some "issues" with race/partner continuity in his previous GT4 European Series and ADAC GT4 Germany programmes back in Europe.
Since starting with CSJ/Automatic, Rabindra has raced with team favourites Rob Ecklin Jnr at Laguna Seca, Kris Wilson at Road America and even AMR factory driver Ross Gunn at VIR. Whilst the results haven't always gone their way, the potential of this young man has been well and truly noted by influential people within the series and AMR would do worse than retain him for their customer team(s) next season.
Then, on the opposite side of the world we have the China GT Championship race out their 2019 season with two - one hour races as the Championship returns to the Shanghai International Circuit for the second time this season.
There, we will have Partner team BSEM Asia Sonic Racing competing again with their grey coloured AMR Vantage GT4 for drivers David Pun and Ross Gunn, a pair who enjoyed the teams best results of this season to date with an overall pole and race win at Tianjin. That meeting could have been even more fruitful for them had Pun not been taken out of the race on only the second lap of the race.
Sadly not in any Championship contention this year having won it in 2018 with Jack Mitchell, the team will this time be racing purely for honour (something that is course hugely important in that part of the world) so will let those who need to do something for a result do the work to earn it!
The final Michelin Pilot Challenge race will be on Saturday 12th October whilst the final two races in China will be on both Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th October - both are streamed live via their series social media channels.
Photo credits - Automatic / IMSA / China GT / BSEM