Mixed weekend for AMR runners around the world

Another good weekend at ‘the office’ for two Aston Martin Racing teams as each secured their first podium finish of their respective season’s on either side of the Atlantic.

During the early hours of Sunday morning in Europe had the #23 AMR Vantage GTD of the Heart of Racing Team secure overcome torrential rain to deliver their best result of their IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Championship season so far at the Charlotte Motor Speedway as Roman de Angelis and Ian James went one better than last time to claim the final step of the GTD Class podium there.

That improved result from their P4 finish last time out at Mid-Ohio will surely put the team onto something of a high (and back into the news headlines as the team continues to chase vital funds for the Seattle Children’s Hospital) as they move onto the Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta next week for the 2020 Motul Petit Le Mans where AMR factory driver Darren Turner will again be joining the team in the #23 car amongst a GTD field of thirteen other cars.

Then from Sicily in the Mediterranean, we had Creventic’s 24H Series revival running of the Coppa Florio 12H where the #401 PROsport Racing AMR Vantage GT4 secured a well desired GT4 Class win at the end of todays second six hours of racing.

In their now familiar orange and white liveried car, drivers Rodrique Gillion, Tim Heeren and their ‘resident’ professional driver coach Nico Verdonck not only finished the first six hour shift of the event yesterday in the lead of the three car GT4 class but also came back today to finish the job off with an emphatic five lap winning margin to their nearest rival.

Having competed in the Series with one of their two available AMR Vantage GT4’s since they became available to customer and Partner teams last year, they have struggled at times during their part-season that they have raced in as Verdonck progressed his Gentleman driver clients to where they find themselves today – as winners!!

In other series, Japanese based D’Station Racing AMR were involved with both their AMR Vantage GT3 and GT4 cars at the second round of the Pirelli Super Taikyu Series this weekend with a three-hour race at the Sportsland Sugo race -rack.

Feeling the effects though of the latest cyclone to pass the country’s eastern seaboard meant for another soaking wet race today after a similar rain soaked 24 hour season opener from fuji last month. Having Qualified P4 (#777 GT3) and P8 (#47 GT4) yesterday, another issue for the GT3 with an hour remaining left the team with a lowly P5 finish in the STX class for drivers Satoshi Hoshino, Tomonobu Fujii and Tsubasa Kondo whilst the four man GT4 crew finished slightly further ahead in P4 in class.

That finish and a P3 class finish at the season opener raises the #47 crew up to P2 in the Championship before the next round of the season at Okayama at the end of the month.

Photo credits – IMSA / HoRT / 24h Series / Super Taikyu Series