Scrappy opening round secures podium finish for latest AMR team in GT4 European Series

Sunday, April 18, 2021

The opening round of the GT4 European Series hit the track of Monza in Italy this weekend with six Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GT4 crews competing in both the Silver and Am Classes amongst the resurgent 46 car entry.

With weather conditions more than favourable over the weekend for the GT4 timetable at least, good qualifying positions for Saturdays first race raised the hope of continuing where the Vantage had largely left off last season having secured the Silver Cup and Am classes with AGS Events Racing.

The latest AMR team, Racing one with Marcus Lungstrass and Henrik Lyngbye Pederson where surprisingly at the front of the AMR pack in P6 overall (P1 in AM) with the Mirage AMR of Ruben Del Sarte just behind in P8 (P6 in Silver).

Unfortunately for some, the opening laps of the race would prove pivotable in their later successes (or not) as the #45 AGS car of Hugo Conde found the outside wall of the circuit to be retired from the race on the spot with significant front-end damage.

Not long after the resumption of racing from that caution period and the race was back behind the Safety Car as four more cars tangled – this time luckily not involving any Aston but these caution periods need require the pit stop window to be moved back.

Cycling through their respective stops, Tom Canning now aboard the #55 Mirage Racing AMR had the best chance of an opening podium but he and Del Sarte had to settle for a P4 in class finish by the end.

Race two’s opening laps were equally as dramatic as Canning was hit from behind going into turn 1 for the first time, causing him to spin around and collect numerous cars as the wreck of his car went through the pack before settling just off-line and awaiting collection by a snatch vehicle.

As with any Safety Car, they do have a tendency of producing further periods of incident and accident and this race was no different as further contact into turn 1 again brought out the yellow flags.

A short period of jubilation was when the #27 AGS AMR of Cesar Gazeau lead the race for a brief period as those in front pitted but that was addressed by the time that all cars had completed their final stops.

There would be good news however by the end of the race as Lungstrass avoided a final ‘moment’ at a chicane to bring his #18 car home P14 overall but P2 in the Am Class for some vital points. The #27 AGS car of Gazeau and Konstantin Lachenauer was the next best AMR finisher - just off the Silver Cup podium in P4 with the Street Art Racing car of Pascal Bachmann and Paul Theysgens completing the AMR finishing ranks in P26. The #45 and #89 AGS Events Racing cars as well as the #55 Mirage Racing car were all listed as DNF’s.