A tough weekend for the Astons in GT Opens visit to the Hungaroring

Sunday, July 05, 2026

Within the International GT Open Series, there was unfortunately no dominance for either of the two Aston Martin Racing powered teams as both BoP, race penalties and other events hit both the Pro-Am and Am class entered cars at the Hungaroring.

With Jonny Adam on F1 duties this weekend at Silverstone, Kobe Pauwels was the one who got the nod to sit alongside Charles Bateman within the #97 Blackthorn AMR entry whilst it was business as usual for both Piotr Wira and Tomasz Magdziarz within their #14 Good Speed Racing entry.

This time, it was back to the usual seventy-minute race one on Saturday with a sixty minute second race on Sunday (with individual qualifying for each) where both Aston’s would be starting sixth within their respective classes within the midfield of the grid.

With both Pauwels and Magdziarz each taking the start to race one, the race was kept basically clean over the opening laps despite some typical inter-class panel bashing as some jockeyed for position and up towards the pit stop window opening. Finally, a late Safety Car for a Ferrari beached in the gravel interrupted the flow with just twenty minutes remaining where the race eventually ended with the #97 car finishing P12 overall/P5 in class with the #14 car finishing P21 overall/P5 in class.

For race two, it was the turn of the other driver to take the start for the slightly shorter race where the track conditions were quite as hot as they were the day before and the #97 and #14 cars starting P15 and P20 respectively.

Again, the race ran clean up until the stops but just after the changeover, the #97 was involved in an incident with the #79 Lamborghini that saw the #79 turn into turn one with the nose of the Aston halfway alongside – only for the Lambo to spin out. That would come back to bite the #97 at the end with the addition of a ten second time penalty.

The drama would all happen at the end of the race as with just two minutes remaining, the #14 car was pictured parked across the final corner of the circuit with a debris field extending across the circuit which forced a premature red flag ending to the race. For the #97 car and despite finishing third on track – that time penalty would eventually drop them down to P13 overall/P5 in class.

Photo credits - Series