Almost skipping unnoticed under our immediate radar of Aston Martin Racing Customer and Partner team action this weekend will be the two AMR Vantage GT4 cars due to participate in the fifth round of the Nürburgring Langstrecken Serie around the infamous Nordschleife.

With the 2021 ADAC Total N24 already having run at the beginning of June, locally based PROsport Racing return to the circuit with their SP10 class #176 AMR Vantage GT4 for drivers Guido Dumarey and Maxime Dumarey – both of whom competed at the 24 with the team.

Two Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT4’s will feature at the German Nordschleife circuit this weekend at the opening round of the 2021 Nürburgring Langstrechen Serie (formerly VLN).

Having already issued their statement of intent for 2021 sees the German based PROsport Racing team enter one of their new turbo charged AMR Vantage’s into this weekend’s four-hour opener with drivers Guido Dumarey and Alex Walker again behind of the #176 SP10 Class car as they prepare for another attempt at the ADAC Total 24H Rennen race later this year.

They will be joined by the AMR Performance Centre’s older specification #130 Vantage GT4 running in the SP8 class with drivers Walter Wilhelm Laschet and Fabio-Yannick Laschet.

AMR factory driver Maxime Martin also gets a run out at the NLS this weekend, but this time within a Frikadelli Racing Team Porsche 911 GT3 R.

Photo credits - PROsport

The final round of the 2019 VLN Series takes place this weekend from the infamous Nordschleife circuit with this time a pair of new Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GT4's seeing out the season.

Having narrowly missed out on the Blancpain GT Endurance Cup Am Class title together in their Garage 59 AMR Vantage GT3 sees both Alex West and Chris Goodwin race together (? for the first time at this venue we want to say?) in one of the green liveried AMR Performance Centres GT4's (again querying fo the first time for West) for the final four hours of racing around the near twenty-six kilometre circuit in the #156 car that both Martin and Alex Brundle shared to a class podium in VLN7.



Whilst Goodwin has raced at the circuit many times, most notably of late in the new Vantage GT4 at the ADAC Total N24 event earlier this year when he shared the then #36 car with Darren Turner and Christian Gebhardt, West only qualified for his full VLN Permit earlier this year when he shared the normally aspirated AMR Performance Centre Vantage GT4 with Martin Brundle.

Joining them is a customer entry for the #173 Prosport Performance team are drivers Alex Mies, Mike David Ortmann and Christoph Brauer. A bit of a strange entry this, considering the apparent hostility showed by the Prosport team owner towards AMR in an interview for a German website after his teams own difficult transition over to the the new iteration of Vantage race car in both ADAC GT Masters, ADAC GT4 Germany as well as other series - a fall out that has left all four cars up for sale. The first two drivers named did race together aboard one of their GT4 cars at the penultimate round of the ADAC series at the Nurburgring with great effect so it will be interesting to see if they stay loyal to the team or the brand in the new season.


As usual with all VLN events, private practice is available on the Friday before Qualifying on Saturday morning ahead of a noon start (local) for the four hour race.

Photo credits - Frozenspeed / Garage 59 / Prosport

VLN 7 was a case of a job well done for both Martin and Alex Brundle today after competing together today for the first time aboard the #156 Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GT4 and four hours of very challenging racing conditions around the infamous Green Hell circuit.

Having spent the available track time yesterday becoming acquainted or re-acquainted (as the case maybe between them) with the car, a change in track conditions this morning threw all of that out of the window but the SP8T class car was still able to qualify an incredible P25 out of todays 150 starters by the end of this morning session.


Alex Brundle took the start of todays race as the rain continued to fall, holding a steady P2 in class as conditions at first began to improve after the first hour before then worsened again with many cars having already swapped onto slick tyres at the first stop.

Struggling for tyre temperature on a rapidly cooling track towards the end of Alex's second hour, some vigorous weaving on his part to try to combat that issue resulted in slight contact with a high kerb whilst in the lead of the class and that may have contributed to a front left puncture for the #156 car half way around the next lap.


Having safely pitted and with Martin now in the car, some steady lap times from him together with improving track conditions allowed him to recover the car back to P2 overall in the SP8T class by the time that intermittent sunshine and a definite dry line concluded the four hour race for the pair.

P2 in SP8T was the result for the #156 by a margin of 1 lap to the class winning Black Falcon Mercedes.

With Aston Martin Racing President David King on pit pit wall and calling the shots it was another job well done for Alex having already claimed a class in win in the AMR Performance Centre AMR Vantage GT4 at the ADAC Total N24 race earlier in June and with AMR Partner - Sky again providing significant backing for the project, we expect to see more of this event on the TV screens soon.

Photo credits - AMR

The seventh round of the 2019 German VLN Series takes place this weekend from the infamous Nordschleife - fortunately this time with an entry list that includes an Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GT4 being entered for two rather well known pair of family members.


This weekends ADAC Reynolds Langstreckenrennen race will feature father and son racers, Martin and Alex Brundle racing aboard the Aston Martin's AMR Performance Centre's V8 Vantage #156 SP8T class car in a six car class for this Saturdays four hour race.


Brundle Senior earned his Nordschleife Permit earlier this year, racing one of the Performance Centre's older, normally aspirated Vantage's alongside Garage 59's boss and GT3 driver Alex West whilst Brundle Junior was of course part of the class winning trio of drivers (with Peter Cate and Jamie Chadwick) who took the factory's new GT4 race car to victory at the first time of asking in this years ADAC Total 24H event earlier in June.

As with an VLN event, private testing is available on Friday before Qualifying early on Saturday morning ahead of the green flag lap at about midday (local time).

Photo credits - AMR

Having taken the world stage by storm with a debuting SP8T class win at the ADAC Total 24N event the weekend after Le Mans 24 earlier this year, one of the AMR Performance Centre's Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GT4 returns to the scene at this weekends round of the VLN Series.

This weekend sees just a single AMR car entered into the halfway stage of the German VLN Series around the infamous and notorious Green Hell circuit that is the Nordschleife with two very well established Aston Martin runners in the form of Marc Muller supporting American businessman and gentleman driver David Thilenius aboard the #158 SP8T class AMR Vantage GT4.


Having competed together in this years N24 aboard the outgoing Aston Martin Vantage GT8, they and co drivers Tony Richards and Heinz Jurgen Kroner sadly failed to finish the race in the normally aspirated former N24 class winning car.

We hope that this revisit will be slightly more 'profitable' for them!

Photo credits - AMR

The new Aston Martin Vantage GT4 made a victorious debut in the 2019 ADAC TOTAL 24 Hours (N24), dominating the SP8T class for close-to-production vehicles in the legendary Nürburgring Nordschleife-based endurance race. Meanwhile back in the UK, partner team TF Sport delivered the most significant win yet for the Vantage GT3, in the British GT Championship.

Aston Martin’s Nürburgring success was particularly emphatic with one of the two works-entered cars leading their class for more than 20 hours of the race. It marked a triumphant first outing in the event for former European Le Mans Series champion and current LMP2 driver Alex Brundle (GB) and was the second 24-hour race victory in an Aston Martin for W-Series championship points leader Jamie Chadwick (GB). It was also the second class win for their co-driver in the #37 works entry, Aston Martin regular and Nordschleife veteran Peter Cate (GB).

All four new Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT4's entered by both the AMR Performance Centre and PROsport Performance customer team made significant improvements over the course of yesterdays weather interrupted track sessions, all ahead of this weekends ADAC Total 24 H race from the infamous Nordschelife circuit in southern Germany.

Having 'baptised' their new GT4 racing chariot at the most perhaps the most difficult racing circuit in the world last month in the events preceding Qualification Race, available track time yesterday afternoon was somewhat limited due to torrential rain around parts of the 26km during the earlier Free Practice session that resulted in it being red flagged and not resumed due to the number of cars having incidents around the circuit.


During Free Practice, representative lap times were at least being entered by three of the five Aston Martins competing at the event (the fifth being the AMR performance Centre entered Vantage GT8 customer car) and they were headed by the #36 Darren Turner / Chris Goodwin / Christian Gebhardt SP8T car which was ahead of the #68 PROsport Performance car of Jorg Viebahn / Joonas Lappalainen / Nicolaj Moller-Madson car by just 1/10th of a second.

With the circuit eventually drying out enough for the first of the Qualifying session yesterday evening, these times became history as again the #36 car wiped nearly twenty seconds off its best lap time to end the session the fastest AMR car in overall P40 with a lap time of 9:03:493. This time all five cars were able to enter the required number of laps per driver to 'Qualify' for the race with further qualifying sessions to be used to determine their precise starting position and were spread between P40 and P77 of the 155 car grid that completed Q1.


Early issues with the GT8 and #37 Vantage GT4 were quickly overcome to allow each crew to get their schedule back on track despite the earlier loss of track time with the GT8 ending its first day 4th fastest in its SP8 class.

As the crews now look forward to todays further two Qualifying sessions, all are presently placed as follows in the proceedings:-

So after Q1, positions are: SP8T 

P1 #36 Darren Turner / Chris Goodwin / Christian Gebhardt
P4 #37 Jamie Chadwick / Alex Brundle / Peter Cate

SP10

P2 #68 Jorg Viebahn / Joonas Lappalainen / Nicolaj Moller-Madson
P5 #76 Christoph Breuer / Alex Mies / Kay van Berlo / Mike David Ortmann

SP8

P4 #35 Marco Muller / Tony Richard / Heinz Jurgen Kroner / David Thilenius


The start of the ADAC Total 24 H race itself starts at 15:30hrs so there is still a long way to go!

Photo credits - AMR / Frozenspeed

Today sees 160 cars confirmed for this years ADAC Total 24H race from the Nordschleife in just over three weeks time, this year featuring four examples of the new 2109 specification Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GT4 as well as the venerable and former class winning Aston Martin Vantage GT8.

The two AMR Vantage GT4's being entered and supported by the local AMR Performance Centre in the SP8T class includes those who undertook the events Qualifying Race at the circuit two weeks ago and again includes double driving duties for AMR factory driver Darren Turner aboard both of them.

The other two AMR Vantage GT4 cars are being entered by the PROsport Performance AMR Partner team and will compete within the SP10 class, a move that Aston Martin have often utilised in to avoid the factory competing directly against its customer cars.


Despite previous communications, it sadly appears that AMR factory reserve driver Ross Gunn will now not be involved with either of the two factory supported GT4's with his place now being taken by Turner as he will switch between cars just like he did at the Qualifying Race. The GT8 and the two PROsport Performance entered cars will be strictly customer based but the names with the GT8 car being very familiar to those who follow the VLN Series.

Driver line up are confirmed as being

#35 Aston Martin Vantage GT8 SP8 Class
Marco Muller
Tony Richards
David Thilenius
Heinz Jurgen Kroner

#36 AMR Performance Centre Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT4 SP8T Class
Darren Turner
Chris Goodwin
Chris Harris
Christian Gebhardt

#37 AMR Performance Centre Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT4 SP8T Class
Darren Turner
Jamie Chadwick
Peter Cate
Alex Brundle

#68 PROsport Performance Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT4 SP10 Class 
Christoph Breuer
Kay van Berlo
Alexander Mies
Mike David Ortmann


#76 PROsport Performance Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT4 SP10 Class
Jorg Viebahn
Nicolaj Moller-Madson
Jonas Lappeleinen




The race takes place over the weekend of 22-23rd June - the weekend after Le Mans 24.


Photo credits - AMR / GT4 European Series

A productive weekend was had by Aston Martin Racing and their two V8 Vantage GT4's at Sundays Qualification Race ahead of the main ADAC Zurich 24H event later in June.


Having already ran their new 2019 specification at a VLN Series event earlier in the year, this was the first time that the team had run two new chassis with most of the members of their driver line up that shall compete in the N24 as part of a full factory effort in the SP8T (GT4) class.




Due to prior commitments from others and contrary to previous entry lists, AMR factory driver Darren Turner would end up on double driving duties aboard each of the #36 and #37 cars amongst the ninety eight cars that started the race's own qualifying process on Saturday morning. Joining Turner aboard the #36 car would be customer team Garage 59 racers Chris Harris and Chris Goodwin whilst in the #37 car would be Peter Cate and Alex Brundle.


Starting Sundays six hour race from rows 21 and 22 of the first group of starters, both cars cycled through their stints to end up with the #37 finishing just ahead of the #36 in 31st and 32nd positions overall and P2 and P3 in class out of six runners. No prizes to be won here this time but some valuable experience and data to be had by all as their attention no turns to the main event.




The full N24 event itself takes place over the weekend after Le Mans 24!


Photo credits - AMR

Two of Aston Martin Racings latest V8, turbo charged Vantage GT4's have today been confirmed as participants within next weekend's Qualification Race at the Nordschleife ahead of the full ADAC Zurich 24 hour race later in June.

As expected, AMR Factory driver Darren Turner has been scheduled to race alongside Garage 59's Chris Goodwin and Chris Harris in the #36 car whilst the sister #37 car has been scheduled to include newly appointed AMR Junior driver Jamie Chadwick along with Peter Cate and Alex Brundle. Both cars have been entered by and will be run by the AMR Performance Centre which is located at the circuit.


Having first run the new iteration of Vantage GT4 at the infamous 'Green Hell' at the last round of the VLN Series last month where the then #156 car finished 5th in Class, it was assumed that both cars would be running with their full contingent of four drivers each.

Aston Martin customer driver Christian Gebhardt was originally announced to be included within the #36 and AMR Reserve driver Ross Gunn within the #37 car. All chatter on social media and indeed the formal announcement of this project from the factory team back in April have indicated that Gunn would be present at the Qualifying Race. We shall wait and see what happens as he is presently busy with Beechdean AMR at the second round of the Le Mans Cup from Monza!!


The Qualifying Race weekend over the 18/19 May will allow the teams up to 3 x1 hour sessions around the Nurburgring Grand Prix loop ahead of a Free Practice and then evening Qualifying around the full Nordschliefe itself.

Sunday morning will see a further Qualifying period ahead of the start of the six hour race that is due to start at noon (local).


The ADAC Zurich 24Hr event itself starts on Thursday 20th June with the race being over the Saturday and Sunday 22/23rd June - the weekend after Le Mans!

Photo credits - Aston Martin Racing

Like so many races around the historic Nordschelife circuit, the weather plays a significant part in determining the outcome of such events and todays VLN3 race was no different.

Whereas the previous round of the series earlier this month never really got started due to lingering fog and unexpected snow falling around the circuit,  todays ADAC ACAS H&R Cup started under heavy clouds that soon started to deposit their large volume of precipitation around the circuit just as the cars assembled on the grids for the start of the four race.


For Aston Martin there were no championship standings to go chasing after - rather than just getting their selection of drivers through the event so that they then qualify for their full VLN Permit and to settle some other drivers in to the mannerism's of the new V8 turbo charged AMR Vantage GT4 all ahead of the full ADAC Zurich 24H race in mid June.

Going for their permits were again Martin Brundle and Alex West who would this time be joined by Aston Martin's High Performance Test Driver and Garage 59 driver Chris Goodwin, whereas already qualified for that qualification - Jamie Chadwick, Peter Cate and Christian Gebhardt would drive the new Vantage GT4 around the Green Hell for the first time in competition.


Despite the deluge of rain that fell onto the circuit during the first hour and whilst many of other cars were systematically crashing out of the race, cool heads within the two AMR Vantage GT4's cars kept them on the tarmac but unfortunately for the #134 AMR Performance Centre Vantage GT8 of Marco Muller and Tony Richards, they became victim to their own tail end damage to their car that would prove end their race early.

Cycling through their require nine racing laps apiece, the #150 AMR Development Centre supported Vantage GT4, the trio of age old experienced drivers also came through to win the SP8 class by over 11 seconds to their only other class finishing rival. Not a bad achievement considering the atrocious conditions.


For the trio aboard the new Vantage GT4, racing in the different class of SP8T because of its turbo charged engine, they were to finish P5 in class and leaves things comfortably placed ready for the Qualifying race in just three weeks time.

Photo credits - Social media

The second round of the German DMV GTC Series at Hockenheim proved itself to be something of a reality check for the two Aston Martin Racing V12 Vantage GT3's after a good showing by the then single AMR car entered at round one.

Timo Scheibner and his Schaler Motorsport team were back with 'their' bronze and black Vantage GT3, the car that had earned them three credible P4 finishes in the opening two rounds of the GTC Series as well as the Dunlop 60 event.


For round two, Scheibner was joined by the guardian of most of the remaining AMR V12 Vantage GT3 fleet in the world including his car - Alex Lienau who was himself joined by BRDC Chairman and historic racer John Grant - long term friend of both Lienau and Scheibner.

Unfortunately race 1 didn't fair too well for the trio of gentlemen racers as both cars failed to finish through various technical issues with race 2 fairing no better for the Englishman - retiring his car after just one lap.


In Fridays sixty minute Dunlop 60 race, Scheiber at least finished top of his Class 2 opponents although the former AMR Brussels Racing of Lienau and Grant only managed three laps. Later, it transpired that the #14 car may have looked the part in all of its Red Bull livery but it was suffering from fundamental handling issues - issues that a novice GT3 racer like Grant would forever be unable to remedy or control from within the car.

Lets hope that this trio can remedy things before the next round of the Series at the Red Bull Ring, Austria towards the end of May.


Further south in Germany, the second round of the VLN Series suffered no better with Saturday morning Qualifying again getting delayed by morning fog around the circuit before the formation lap could then take place ahead of todays four hour race.

Unfortunately for the 181 cars that did Qualify - racing only lasted two laps before the red was first red flagged and then abandoned due to heavy snow falling around the circuit meaning for a very short day at the office for drivers Marco Muller and Jesse Menczer in the AMR Performance Centre Vantage GT8.

The next round of the series is at the end of the month.

Photo credits - DMV GTC / VLN

Competing in its first race as an freshly homologated race car, the new Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GT3 certainly broadcast it’s message of intent for the forthcoming season by winning its inaugural race with a customer team over in Japan overnight.

Racing with one of Aston Martin Racings newest Partner Teams in D'Station Racing AMR, their #777 entry into the opening round of the Pirelli Super Taikyu Series at the Suzuka International Circuit certainly proved fruitful for local drivers Satoshi Hoshini and Tsubasa Kondo as they and a series debutant Darren Turner secured the first race win of the series.


Competing alongside fifty other cars in the multi-class racing format, the honour of taking the chequered flag for what is the Vantage GT3's first official race win was left to AMR factory driver Darren Turner!! Turner will also drive with the team again at the next round of the Series later next month before he drives again with the team in the Fuji Endurance round of the Super GT Series.

What a way to start the racing life of the new generation of AMR race car.


In other news from the weekend, it was another good job done for those aboard the #150 AMR Performance Centre V8 Vantage entry at the first round of the VLN Series from the Nordschleife.

Heavily weather affected due to the lingering morning fog, things were left to a single flying Qualifying lap and a reduced two hours forty five minute race for the driver trio of Alex West, Martin Brundle and Marco Muller.


With the former two drivers needing to qualify for their full GT3 Nordschleife Permit for races later in the year, all succeeded in obtaining a large chunk of their total lap requirement to qualify for the permit with the balance being obtained at (probably) the next round of the series in about four weeks time.

Despite over 170 cars being entered, six in their SP8 class, the trio finished third in class.

Photo credits - AMR / D'Station Racing

Fearful of a year devoid of any full (or even any part season) entry from any Aston Martin Racing customer team in the VLN Series this year has come todays news of an amazing entry for one of the AMR Performance Centre's Vantage GT4's.

The number #150 SP8 has carried a plethora of up and coming as well as established names from within the world of Aston Martin Racing over the years as they have strived to progress, get their full Nordschliefe GT3 licence ready for bigger things over the horizon.

There is no exception to that trend for this weekend with the release of the provisional entry list for the opening round of the 2019 VLN series around the infamous reveals two previously unseen but still well known names.


Former sportscar and Formula 1 racer Martin Brundle joins Alexander West in the #150 Vantage under the watchful eye of the Performance Centre driver Marco Muller as a third driver and AMR reserve driver Ross Gunn also in assistance outside. We last saw Brundle race in an Aston Martin at the AMR Festival from Le Mans back in June last year whilst West is still experiencing his first few events aboard any AMR race platform after his co-owned Garage 59 race team swapped from the McLaren chassis over to the new Vantage GT3 ready for a fresh full season attack in the Blancpain GT Series in 2019.

Whilst the latter is preparing himself ready for the ADAC Zurich N24 later this year, Brundle (who has never raced at the circuit before) will be doing what is required of him in order to qualify for his full Nordschleife Permit so that he and his son Alex can race in a further undisclosed event around the track in an undisclosed car.


It will be interesting to see just how they perform at the Green Hell!

West photo credit - Garage 59 / AMR

Sadly there is no SP-X class Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GT3 in the listing for this weekends final round of the 2018 VLN Series from the Nordschleife.

With the cars baptism on the toughest race track in the world at the previous round two weeks ago well and truly made, the teams new car will see out the week testing with its customer teams around the UK as it was today at Snetterton.

That being said, Nordschleife rookies Ross Gunn and Chris Goodwin return for the second leg of their GT3 Permit application process again in the AMR Performance Vantage GT4 entered in to the SP8 class.