Rounding off this weekend's AMR runners and riders
Wednesday, October 21, 2020
Rounding out this weekend's Aston Martin Racing Partner and Customer team prospects sees the return of the #9 D’Station Racing AMR to the sixth round of the Japanese Super GT Series from Suzuka for the indicated driver line up of Tomonobu Fujii and Kei Cozzolino.
With Cozzolino having stepped into the green liveried AMR Vantage GT3 at the start of the much delayed Series after it became apparent that AMR WEC Factory driver Nicki Thiim would be permitted to enter and exit the country at will because of their national immigration restrictions, the domiciled Italian has quickly become the stronger driver of the pair and was much missed by the team last time out at Fuji when he was replaced with Takuro Shinohara because he was still serving his two week period of self-isolation after his return to the country from Le Mans.
Despite these ongoing logistical problems, the team still sit mid table within their allotted GT300 class – still a much higher position that where they found themselves in last season in the same car.
Down under, we have the second round of New Zealand’s North Island Endurance Series from Pukekohe and from where we should find the new South Island Champions, the #52 Heart of Racing AMR Vantage GT3 of Darren Kelly and Alex Riberas.
Without having seen any official entry list just yet, the #52 car has already competed in the Series' first round from Hampton Downs earlier in September where they secured a P3 overall finish at the end of that three-hour race.
With the sixth round of the German Nordschleife Langstrechen Serie now cancelled due to COVID-19 again and the China GT Championship a non-starter for the year, that leaves us with just the final round of the GT Cup Championship from Donington Park.
Again taking the declared entry list with something of a pinch of salt after previous no shows at the last round of the Championship at Brands Hatch, we should again see two Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT4’s – the older 2016 specification one from Whitebridge Motorsport for Chris Murphy and the newer 2019 model from Newbridge Motorsport for drivers Matt Topham and Alex Toth-Jones.
That team was certainly at Donington Park earlier in the week when they were doing charity hot laps around the circuit at a recent Supercar Club meeting.
Photo credits - D'Station Racing / GT Cup / HoRT
