Six AMR's all set for this weekends IMSA opener

Tomorrow afternoon sees the start of the 2020 IMSA season as the Michelin Pilot Challenge Series kicks things off at the Daytona International Speedway with their opening precursor to the Rolex 24 with their four hour BMW Endurance Challenge.

With four Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GT4's now entered into both the race and expectedly full season, three of these four crews arrived at the circuit earlier this week with little to no prior running in their new race car and zero miles around the banked and infield layout of the Florida circuit.

Local team, Automatic Racing sat out the first of the Free Practice sessions to formally launch their second AMR Vantage and its drivers of the #09 car in Rob Ecklin, Brandon Kidd and Ramin Abdolvahabi and they will join up with Kris Wilson and Gary Ferrera who will drive the #99 car.


Recently revealed teams Cameron Racing and Kohr Motorsports are both teams who have recently transferred from BMW M4 and Ford Mustang chassis respectively with both running proven driver pairings.

Indeed it has been the most recently confirmed team - Kohr and their drivers Nate Stacey and Kyle Marcelli who have been pushing the hardest to be the highest placed Vantage GT4 crew after this mornings Qualifying session for tomorrows race finishing an incredible P4, just one second behind the pole setting McLaren 570s from AWA.


The remaining cars qualified P21 #09 Automatic; P27 #43 Cameron Racing car of Greg Liefooghe and Ari Balogh with the #99 Automatic car starting from P29 out of the 33 GT class field.

In the IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Championship, the two Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GTD cars from the Northwest entered, AMR supported #98 crew and the #23 Heart of Racing car have also both been taking early track proceedings very steadily ahead of this evenings Qualifying session. The mixed track conditions persuaded many to sit sessions out today preferring to concentrate on pit lane procedures and strategies.


The charity fund raising Heart of Racing team with drivers Roman de Angelis, Alex Riberas, Ian James and Nicki Thiim  taking just as much attention to raising those critical funds for their Seattle Children's Hospital charity to their track activity, they were just out pipped by the crew of the #98 AMR car in Qualifying tonight meaning that both AMR GTD's will start next to each other in class in P12 and P13 respectively.

Unnervingly, both AMR's were an incredible 1.8 seconds behind the ultimate pace of the GTD pole setting Porsche although we must remember that for the #23 car, this is their first racing experience of the new Vantage whilst the #98 car didn't complete that many laps having missed half the available track time at the Roar two weeks ago so both crews have been very much still upon a learning curve.


Then - there are no prizes or points for Qualifying position and it's who takes the chequered flag first that counts. Heres to the new season.

Photo credits  - AMR / Automatic / Cameron Racing / Kohr