Eight brand new Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GT4's will converge at the Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas next weekend for the first rounds of the SRO sanctioned GT4 America Sprint and Sprint X Series of races.

Previously run under the Pirelli World Challenge banner, these Sprint and Sprint X races follow the same pathway as before, allowing both amateur and Pro-Am driver line ups to race competitively under the SRO Balance of Performance system whether as individuals or as part of a driver pairing.


The Sprint Series is a 50 minute race for an individual driver whilst the Sprint X Series is an hour long race with a compulsory pit stop and driver change in the middle with the race diary allowing for cars to participate in both series per race event.

In Sprint X we see four such cars enter, the #15 BSport Racing entry for Bryan Putt and Kenton Koch, the #33 Rennsport One entry for Joe Dalton and Patrick Gallagher, #91 Reardon Racing with Jeff Burton and Vesko Kozarov and the #21 Flying Lizard entry for Michael Dinan and Robby Foley.


These four cars are in turn matched by another four cars that will run in the Sprint Series with lone races for both Jeff Burton and Michael Dinan abroad their respective Reardon and Flying Lizard cars but are this time joined by Paul Terry with his #59 Rearden Racing car and Fred Roberts with his #89 Notland Racing Vantage GT4.

Test sessions are available for all on both Thursday and Friday ahead of Qualifying and Race 1 on Saturday and Race 2 on Sunday.


These eight cars are mainly down to the hard work of Aston Martin Racing North America strategic partner CSJ Motorsport and one of these cars has already enjoyed Championship success with a former owner elsewhere in the world - can you guess which one, who with and where??



Photo credits - GT4 America / social media

Last nights double reveal from TF Sport at the Aston Martin Lagonda's factory site in Gaydon served as providing us with good news in more ways than one.

Firstly, and from a statistical point of view it simply doubled the number of Aston Martin Racing entries so far confirmed to compete within the British GT Championship this season to four cars but also gave the potential for three of the 2019 British GT GT3 and GT4 overall champions to defend their respective crowns or indeed extent their Championship accolade to a mighty five Championships in Jonny Adams case.


From what we have already seen or not seen running up to the build up of Tuesday's Media Day at Snetterton in Norfolk is that 2020 is already going to be be run upon a complete different racing landscape to that of last year where we were blessed with eleven examples of AMR's latest Vantage GT3 and GT4 turbo charged race cars.

To firstly have eleven brand new race cars running in the first place was impressive enough yet alone to come away at the end of the season with both the GT3 and GT4 overall class championships as well as the Silver Cup and GT4 Pro-Am titles was something that probably can never or indeed will never be repeated.


Just why there has then been such a dramatic decline in AMR numbers for this season is hard to decipher but, as with any competitive championship, the competitive marketing strategies of each OEM marque makes for an extreme buyers market with McLaren already looking like the preferred 'chariots of choice' for 2020 after several years in the doldrums - so we (AMR fans) cannot complain!

Yesterdays announcement from TF Sport confirms the marques first two AMR Vantage GT3 entries within the Pro-Am class (with Tom Canning/Garham Davidson and Jonny Adam/Ahmad Al Harthy) as the already confirmed GT3 entry from Beechdean AMR with Valentin Hasse-Clot and Alex Toth-Jones behind the wheel will run in the GT3 Silver Cup class. The final car of this quartet is the TF Sport GT4 entry of Patrick Kibble and Connor O'Brien.


From what we have heard (and seen from details of the Test Day provided by the Championship) is that there may well be more Aston's on parade on Tuesday than what the official entry list would suggest as teams jostle for any remaining driver pairing potential before the Championship declares itself at capacity ahead or they reach its opening round at Oulton Park on the Easter weekend six weeks from now.

Tuesday's free to enter Media Day will give many of the attending teams their first opportunity to go testing with their new for 2020 line ups. The day will give the GT teams an hour of available track time in the morning with a further two hours in the afternoon in-between that of the supporting British F3 Championship.


Public access to the circuit opens at 09:00 with the first GT track action beginning at 10:00Hrs.

If you're coming along just remember - its early March - and its Snetterton. Bring plenty of layers!!

Photo credits - TF Sport / Beechdean / Jacob Ebrey

In a true 'non-news' style report, last nights revealing of the 2020 24Hours of Le Mans entry list provided no surprises for the four, full World Endurance Championship entries from both Aston Martin Racing and TF Sport.

With the WEC and ACO confirming another maximum grid of 62 cars for the end of season finale at the Circuit de La Sarthe in mid June, the two AMR GTE Pro cars will figure as two cars within a class field of eleven cars whilst the AMR and TF Sport GTE Am cars will contest within a highly competitive field of twenty cars with the collective GTE entries this year figuring as half of this total entry.


In customary fashion, both GTE Pro AMR cars list just a sole driver's name although we already know that the #95 Championship leading crew of Marco Sorensen and Nicki Thiim have been earmarked to be joined by former Ford GT racer Richard Westbrook for the event whilst the #97 crew of Maxime Martin and Alex Lynn have likewise with Harry Tincknell, unless of course something has since changed from the teams announcement from early January?

In GTE Am, the #98 AMR prepared car of Paul Dalla Lana, Ross Gunn and Darren Turner and the #90 TF Sport car of Salih Yoluc, Charlie Eastwood and Jonny Adam are both expected to remain as is.


The only little surprise from last nights was confirmation (and as previously reported in Dailysportscar.com earlier last week) was that the Japanese team D'Station Racing AMR did indeed submit a GTE Am invitation request to the governing bodies for their drivers Satoshi Hoshino and Tomonobu Fujii (plus others TBA).


Sadly, they only figure as tenth and final reserve for the 2020 event and they would need speedy and sizeable withdrawal from the grid for this team to have any contention in this years event considering the timescales between now and the Official (and compulsory) test day.

It does however show intent for next years race!

Photo credits - AMR / TF Sport / ALMS

There’s certainly no shortage of talent in the GT3 line-up for Oman Racing with TF Sport heading into the Intelligent Money British GT Championship, with all four Vantage seats occupied by 2019 title winners.

Blancpain GT Europe Endurance champion Ahmad Al Harthy is joined by Jonny Adam in the #7 car, while fellow GT3 champ and former teammate Graham Davidson is joined by rising star and GT4 title winner Tom Canning in the #1 Vantage.



Ahmad dominated what has become the GT World Challenge Europe championship in 2019, including a sensational victory at the 24 Hours of Spa. In addition, he previously won the Pro-Am title with Jonny in 2017 amongst many other accolades.

Teammate Jonny needs little introduction as he aims to extend his record-breaking tally of 16 wins in the series, whilst chasing his record fifth title with as many teammates. It’s a formidable pairing.


The sister GT3 sees Graham return to the team having claimed top honours with Jonny last year in what was his second season in the series. Heading into the 2020 championship, he has high expectation to add to his three wins to date and is delighted to be teaming up with TF’s reigning GT4 winner Tom Canning, who steps up to GT3.

The young 18 year-old AMR Academy winner secured victory at Spa-Francorchamps last year and three further podium on his way to the title and together with Graham and the team, aims to give teammates and rivals’ a battle for the championship.


For the team, the British championship remains at the heart of its 2020 programme. With 14 wins and four GT3 championships to its name, TF Sport expects nothing less than a repeat of its GT3 and GT4 success as the season concludes at Donington Park in September.

Source material - TF Sport

After the extremes of success in motor racing last weekend in both the World Endurance Championship and at the Asian Le Mans Series, for Aston Martin Racing and some of its Partner/Customer teams this week came the start of their respective pre-season testing regimes around the world.

Today become known that the young French Beechdean AMR GT3 recruit, Valentin Hasse-Clot has been in Asia watching and testing with two AMR teams as he prepares himself for the start of the British GT Championship in which he will partner Alex Toth-Jones in a new Silver Cup challenge aboard Andrew Howards red, white and blue AMR Vantage GT3.


Posting photos on-line of them dining with the manager of Chinese AMR team BSEM, we assume that he tested with that teams AMR Vantage GT4 cars at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia (BSEM were due to test at Sepang after that round of ALMS) before moving onto Japan where he tested a D'Station Racing AMR Vantage GT3 around the iconic Fuji International Speedway.

A chance of a lifetime for sure but with a reality check in place as he is due at the MSV Circuit at Snetterton, Norfolk next Tuesday for the British GT's Media Day where air temperature today was little over +2 degrees C!!.


Today we also have seen the International GT Open Series cancel their first winter test at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain next weekend citing that as a reasonable and pro-active control measure against this Corona-virus issue that is now hitting parts of Southern Europe quite hard. The fact that their second Winter Test starts at the Paul Ricard Circuit at the end of March anyway (and is so far unaffected by this virus so far) as being reasonable grounds for making that decision.

In terms of GT3 entries, we don't believe that there will any AMR Vantage GT3 entries affected by this decision but for the Spanish Group Virage team, they will be affected as their AMR Vantage GT4 entry into the supporting GT Cup Open series was only confirmed last week.


That team and car have been at Paul Ricard this week testing with drivers Fernando Navarrette and Alvaro Lobera plus some other drivers for series/line up's as yet unconfirmed.

In a similar vain, Belgium team Street Art Racing have also been testing at the circuit today with a group of drivers well known from last years extensive AMR assault in series such as the GT4 European Series. Speaking with one on them on-line today, we understand that nothing has yet been finalised with the drivers and team so we won't be mentioning who was there.


Someone who was also there - and not due to be running in GT4 or even with an Aston Martin for that matter was Optimum Motorsport technical guru and team Manager Bas Leinders. He posted some video of him clocking in some laps aboard one of Street Art Racing's Vantage GT4's!!

Just for fun? - Who knows!!!

Photo credits - Team's social media accounts

Whilst Sunday evening was to be full of rejoicing and podium celebrations over at the fifth round of the World Endurance Championship in America, the final round of the 2019/20 Asian Le Mans Series came to an unfortunate grinding halt for the D'Station Racing AMR team in Thailand earlier in the day.

Needing to win the GT class outright at the Chang Buriram International Circuit plus then having to wait for other class results to go in their favour, it would have been a momentous event for the Japanese crew of the #77 Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GT3 to come away as season victors anyway but for them, their season ended at the opposite end of the racing spectrum than where it had started in Shanghai last year.


With their resident gold rated driver Tomonobu Fujii again having Qualified the car in P4 for Sundays race, at least two of their main Championship rivals would be starting behind them at the start on the grid giving them at least a phycological advantage with something worth chasing.

With some quick drivers in some quick evo machinery ahead, Fujii stuck with the game plan and pressurised those ahead to move temporally up to P2 in class by the end of the first half hour of racing before he would later pitted from P3 in class just after the first hour of racing.

Handing the reigns to gentleman driver and team co-owner Satoshi Hoshino, all looked to be going well before unseen rear ended contact with a prototype on his opening laps finally saw the green Vantage GT3 come to a lumbering halt half way along the pit lane with no apparent life within the engine.


Rescued by four mechanics, the #77 car was pushed back into its garage box where the first signs of front end damage could be seen above the splitter but the damage had already been done underneath. Damaging the front ended radiators in the impact and unbeknown to Hoshino, the vital coolant had already left the engine cooling system which in turn allowed the engine to critically overheat and ultimately expire in the pit lane by the time he had nursed it back for almost an entire lap.

Inevitably, the team and their Prodrive engineers finally conceded that all was lost within the car and their 2019/20 Asian Le Mans Series debut conquest came to a premature end.


A sad end to a campaign for a team who started so well in Shanghai with a class win for the trio of Fujii, Hoshino and Ross Gunn, who himself was this weekend pre-occupied with the events of the WEC. His place was taken by Tom Gamble who sadly never got to drive any racing laps aboard the #77 but at least he know has the experience of both Sepang and Buriram to add to his his CV.

For the team, there were strong reports that they had filed an application to the ACO for this years Le Mans 24hr event in June, competing in the GTE Am class and with a possible tie up possibilities with Tom Ferrier's TF Sport team in the WEC itself and a part/full season return to the ALMS next year.


What ever happens, it has been fun watching them in ACO rules racing with their Aston and we wait to see (by the end of the week actually) if their dream of Le Mans entry comes off for this year or not!

Photo credits - D'Station Racing

In what is only the second Aston Martin Racing entry to be confirmed into this years British GT Championship, this evening we welcome back two young men determined to go some better than they did last year and join forces for an assault on the GT4 Silver Cup with a double Championship winning team.

Originally slated to be returning to the Optimum Motorsport team with whom he raced last season, sees Connor O'Brien partner the returning Patrick Kibble aboard one of Tom Ferrier's TF Sport prepared AMR Vantage GT4 this season and presumably be part of this years intake of the AMR Drivers Academy process to boot.


This GT4 AMR entry comes off the back of the Beechdean AMR's GT3 Silver Cup entry for drivers Valentin Hasse-Clot an Alex Toth-Jones that was announced in Paris at the end of January.

The duo tested together at Oulton Park at the beginning of the month as TF Sport prepared their AMR Vantage GTE ahead of last nights fifth round of the World Endurance Championship from CoTA - which they won in the GTE Am class!!! The draw to a team that competed the GT3 and GT4 double in last years Championship has proven itself to be one not to be ignored.


“Both drivers showed well in their debut season in the British GT championship and with continuity of equipment in their second season, expect both to continue to make gains in performance and be in the championship battle when we arrive for the season finale at Donington Park in September. We’re happy to work again with Patrick, while we welcome Connor to the team and look forward to the season ahead" said Ferrier.
With Aston Martin entered cars clearly down of last years unprecedented eleven entries, we are still hoping for a few more to be announced in time for the Championship's Media Day run out at Snetterton just next week and ahead of the customary season opener from Oulton Park over the Easter weekend.

Photo credits - Jacob Ebrey

Aston Martin Racing recorded another famous double victory in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), following one of its most emphatic performances as a manufacturer over a single event. The British luxury sportscar brand dominated the Lone Star 6 Hours at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, on Sunday, winning both the GTE Pro and Am classes having set the standard all weekend.

Danish duo Nicki Thiim and Marco Sørensen increased their WEC GTE Drivers’ Championship lead to 26 points over their nearest rival with a lights-to-flag victory from pole position in the #95 Aston Martin Racing Vantage GTE. It was their third victory from five races in the 2019-2020 season, having also won in Fuji and Bahrain. Neither driver put a wheel wrong in an inch-perfect display of driving that kept them just out of reach of the opposition, including their team-mates Alex Lynn (GB) and Maxime Martin (BEL), who finished fourth. The result means that Aston Martin has a 32-point lead over nearest rivals Porsche in the Manufacturers’ standings.

Ending the 2019 half of the 2019-20 World Endurance Championship season on something of a high after the eight hours of Bahrain in mid December, Aston Martin Racing and their Partner team replicated that feat with another three cars out of four featuring on the two GTE class podiums after the 6hours of the Lone Star Le Mans in Austin, Texas today.

Featuring a full six hours of racing and two practice sessions and qualifying all crammed into just two days of track action rather than the customary three, the two AMR Vantage GTE Pro and two AMR Vantage GTE Am cars pulled out all the stops to give themselves the best possible start to Sundays race at the end of Saturday evenings Qualifying session.


Being the fastest Pro class car in either Free Practice period, it was the #95 car of Marco Sorensen and Nicki Thiim who claimed the class pole with a new record lap time of 2:00:733 with the #97 Maxime Martin and Alex Lynn car not too far behind time wise in P3.

In GTE Am, the #98 factory prepared of a returning Paul Dalla Lana and Ross Gunn considered themselves as being unfortunate in replicating that of the #95 car - missing out on that class pole by just 0.046th of a second to the #56 Project 1 Porsche whilst the #90 TF Sport car of Salih Yoluc and Charlie Eastwood benefitted from a change of mind by Race Control after Eastwood had two lap times deleted for apparent exceeding of track limits at the final corner. That change of mind lifted the red #90 up from P7 to P3 for the start.

Starting under a cloud covered sky and a stronger wind than yesterdays Free Practice and Qualifying sessions, it didn't take Lynn the length off the start straight to pass the #92 Porsche ahead of him to form a 1-2 with Thiim in front as the GT cars turned left at the first corner of lap 1.


With all cars being again advised to keep off the circuits large 'sausage kerbs' the 1-2 in GTE Pro and the 2-3 in GTE Am were the positions they ran in until after the first fifteen minutes of racing when Yoluc passed Dalla Lana for P2. With the #56 Porsche stretching their lead every lap the two Am class Astons worked seemingly together to close the gap despite their obvious squabbling on track - squabbling that would eventually see Yoluc spin out (and rejoin) as side by side contact was made with Dalla Lana as he passed him back for position.

Tyre strategy would again become key to their eventual success with the two Pro cars switching between full new sets and left hand side tyres only depending upon off the stop was a driver change or not. In Am, the increased tyre allocation would mean that double stinting was not required as often.


With the track positions of each car fluctuating as they and their class competitors pitted, it didn't take long for the relative track position to return of both Pro Astons leading in that class and both the #98 and #90 Am class Astons slowly but surely catching the #56 Porsche in P2 and P3.

A scare was to come to the #98 car just before Dalla Lana called time on his double driving stint as a pressing TF Sport car behind made him miss his braking point to rear end an LMP2 car - no serious damage caused to either vehicles and nobody lost track position as a result.


Seeing the TF Sport mechanics display a "get well soon Jason" card on the grid earlier, the truth of the situation was to come out just after their second stop of the race as driver Charlie Eastwood later confirmed that he deputised as a driver change mechanic as Jonny Adam swapped out with bronze driver Yoluc with their usual crew member remaining back at their hotel somewhat 'under the weather'.

All Aston cars bar the #98 conducted a double driver stint within their respective cars - the exception being that Gunn and Darren Turner who both did a single stint each before Gunn returned to the car for a double to the end. Such was the pace within the Am class that Gunn confirmed a 'flat out' race strategy against their stablemates.


The status quo with the Am class was finally broken after Adam piled in quick lap after quick lap to chip slowly but surely away of the lead of the Project 1 Porsche just before the end of the fourth hour of racing with Turner doing the same just a few laps later.

Symmetry was eventually broken on lap 123 when Thiim retuned to the track after a full service stop followed by the #92 Porsche but Lynn wasn't able to make up the time deficit to the Porsche to leap frog it whilst it was in pit lane to retain P2 in class.

Exciting all the way without significant incident or accident for nearly four hours of racing, the first elongated period of waved yellow cam when the #91 Porsche stopped out on track with a gearbox/electrical issue but fortunately for all, the car was soon able to resume without the need for a Full Course Yellow.


Going into the final hour of the race at the Circuit of the Americas saw Thiim maintain his GTE Pro lead by a now reduced distance of four seconds to the #92 Porsche but Lynn had by then been caught by a stealthy resurgence from the #51 Ferrari of James Collardo for him to drop the once P2 running Pro Aston car down to P4. Behind, Eastwood and Gunn were also going at it hammer and tongs as the two silver drivers drivers jockeyed for the lead of the class much to the amusement and satisfaction of AMR team boss John Gaw!

All fuelled and tyred to the end, it was simply the case of keeping it clean, smooth and on the tarmac with Eastwood getting his car's lead back with a similar manoeuvre on Gunn as tried by Yoluc (without success with the resulting spin) on Dalla Lana much earlier in the race. This time the move stuck and TF Sport regained the class lead again.


As ambient light began to fade in the early Texas evening, the final laps passed by (fortunately) without incident for any of the four Aston Martin Racing runners.

Thiim would bring the #95 Dane Train car home for their second consecutive class win in the WEC to reinforce their Championship lead they brought with them whilst (although unlucky for the #97 car not to figure within these celebrations) saw a double GTE Am celebration for TF Sport and AMR as the #90 car of Eastwood took the chequered flag and their third win of the season just over three seconds ahead of Gunn in second.


Great stuff - well done all. Yes Mr King - you all deserved that today!!!!

Next stop - Sebring!!

Photo credits - AMR / TF Sport

Aston Martin Racing's Nicki Thiim and Marco Sørensen clinched the Aston Martin Racing Vantage GTE’s first pole position of the 2019-2020 FIA World Endurance Championship season ahead of the Lone Star 6 Hours, at the Circuit Of The Americas in Austin, Texas, on Saturday.

The Danish duo, who currently hold a 14-point lead in the world championship standings by dint of two victories from four starts in their #95 Vantage GTE, took pole thanks to a last lap all-out effort from Thiim. In the end, they were quickest by an aggregate of 0.219s from their closest Porsche rivals. Aston Martin Racing team-mates Alex Lynn (GB) and Maxime Martin (BEL), in the sister #97 Vantage GTE, were just 0.077s further back in P3.


"Wow that was super intense," said Thiim. "I haven’t driven a car that felt like that since qualifying for the Nürburgring 24 Hours in the V12 Vantage GT3. The cooler air in the late afternoon always makes the car feel amazing to drive, but it is so difficult to get a perfect lap around COTA that this feels extra special. We have been trying to get pole all season, so it is good to finally do it."

Sørensen added: “It was really fun. We lost some set-up time in FP2 which put the pressure on and made everything a bit wild for qualifying. But coming into the session the team made some tweaks and the Vantage GTE felt like a hardcore weapon and was fantastic to drive.”


This is the second time Thiim and Sørensen have started from pole at COTA, and on the previous occasion in 2016 they went on to win the race. In fact, Aston Martin Racing has enjoyed a rich vein of form at the US Grand Prix venue, having recorded six class victories since 2013 to add to the tally seven class poles it now possesses here.

That total was nearly eight pole positions thanks to a stunning performance by the #98 Aston Martin Racing #98 crew of Paul Dalla Lana (CDN), Darren Turner (GB) and Ross Gunn (GB), who qualified second, just 0.044s off the GTE Am pole. The TF Sport Vantage GTE, driven by Salih Yoluc (TUR), Charlie Eastwood (GB) and Aston Martin Racing factory driver Jonny Adam (GB), will start right behind them, third in class.


Aston Martin Racing Managing Director John Gaw added, “This was a fantastic and well-deserved result for the entire team on a day not without its challenges. Nicki and Marco were unbeatable in qualifying and showed why they and the Vantage GTE are leading their championships at the halfway stage. It’s a shame we couldn’t quite make it a one-two, but it shows the strength of the championship that things are so close at the top. As for GTE Am, for the #98 to qualify second is exceptional, especially on Paul’s return from injury. It’s a truly outstanding performance.”


The 2020 Lone Star 6 Hours of COTA begins at 1200 local time on Sunday, 23 February.