With various high and lows of that opening year as well as the challenges that COVID threw in everyone’s path the next, the teams expansion into the GT America Series last year put them onto a two car GT4 programme as many of the other Pro-Am class runners with one or both drivers never a stranger to the podium.

With nothing more than an explanation of “unfortunate circumstances” being cited as the reason why the team will not be operating in 2023, all that we can say to them is thank you for the ride over the last few years – it’s certainly been a blast from our end of the equation and we wish all those affected all the best for the future and that we hope to see them all around the paddock again sometime soon.

Meanwhile and over at Daytona, the new Team TGM Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT3 and GT4’s have all been out testing around the Floridian circuit ahead of the Roar before the 24 Official test before the opening round of the IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Champiosnhip and supporting Michelin Pilot Challenge Series at the end of January.

With TF Sport in support at the circuit with the GT3 (GTD) effort that will run during the Rolex 24, the team had all three Aston’s on track for their collective driver line ups of Ted Giovanis, Owen Trinkler and Hugh and Matt Plumb.

Joining them on circuit were also cars from the Accelerating Performance stable as Moisey Uretsky moves up to the Michelin Pilot Challenge for a full season next year having mixed his racing commitments last season between the IMSA and SRO paddocks.

Running both his familiar yellow and black liveried Vantage GT4, the white and bare carbon car was apparently his rebuilt chassis following on from his big crash in it at VIR last season.

Photo credits - Teams

Going into the weekend as GT4 Championship leader, the #2 GMG Racing AMR Vantage GT4 of Jason Bell was to eventually endure another difficult day at the office as a spin during Qualifying prevented him from inputting any competitive time for him to start at the back of the grid for race one. Bryan Putt meanwhile, was having a good start to the proceedings by claiming the GT4 pole position with Gray Newell, Ross Chouest and Moisey Uretsky all not too far behind in their Heart of Racing, Chouest Povoledo Racing and AP Racing Aston Martins respectively.

With the staggered class start, the #2 car of Bell and the #55 car of Uretsky were quickly caught up in someone else’s accident and whilst Bell was able to continue, Uretsky’s race was already run with a terminal visit to pit lane at the end of the opening lap.

An early FCY for a stranded GT3 car allowed temperatures within the GT4 cockpits to cool with Putt running second in class with Chouest, Newell and the #8 Flying Lizard car of Alias Sabo behind.

A spin at the restart saw Newell drop out of contention, Putt have no answer for the dominant Porsche ahead but at least Bell was making some progress up the leader board as the race entered its final ten minutes.

Putt’s hope for his first GT America podium was dashed as the end as he eventually dropped to P4 in class at the chequered flag with Chouest, Sabo and Bell completing the top twelve overall and top seven in class.

Then came Sundays second race which turned a whole new level of something for these seven Aston Martin Racing crews.

With the grid this time being set with their respective fastest laps from the opening race, it was the #8 car of Sabo who would head the AMR field from second in class with all bar Sean Whalen in his #888 Zelus Motorsport car and Uretsky within the top eight.

Again with a Porsche beating the Aston’s to turn 1, the #15, #50 and #8 cars went for a bit of side-by-side contact with one another around the opening lap before Putt forces his way past only to spin out at the next corner.

As the leading Porsche suffers a puncture, another incident through the Kink brings out the Safety Car as the race is neutralised until the eight-minute mark.

Newell this time forces his way past Chouest who in turn spins out as well under acceleration and an overzealous Putt T-bones the #888 of Whalen which in turn takes out the #2 of Bell to leave three Aston Martin’s out on the spot but all of this was going on just as Newell was involved in a massive accident along the pit straight – something that would ultimately end the race prematurely due to the vast debris field across the track.

Whilst provisional results were initially called after the race, post-race evaluations of the circumstances around Newell’s crash found that he had ignored the yellow flags of the Bell/Whalen incident FCY. That in turn affected the results by removing an indicated class win for Sabo but giving a P2 class finish to Uretsky instead.

Thankfully all involved in both incidents were otherwise not seriously hurt although Newell would need hospital evaluation for a shoulder injury but would be released later in the day.

The GT America now moves onto its penultimate round at Sebring later in September. Race results are still to be verified by the Series.

Photo credits – Team / GT America

Newcomers from the Flying Lizard team for Elias Sabo and Moisey Uretsky with his #55 API prepared Aston were more than welcome to join the more established runners from GMG Racing, Heart of Racing, Bsport Racing and a renamed Chouest Povoledo Racing teams amongst the combined GT3/GT4 grid of twenty-five cars.

Unfortunately for the spectacle of racing around the undulating and sometimes expansive circuit of Sonoma, the untimely rain and ‘first day at the office’ mentality lead to both races becoming something of a caution ‘fest as track issue after track issue blighted the efforts of many.

Spinners on the warmup laps as well as the opening lap of race 1 on Saturday proved the point for some as others proved that side by side racing was possible as both Ross Chouest and Jason Bell ran neck and neck for P2.

Unfortunately for Bryan Putt, his introduction to the single driver series continued along its low ebb of St Petersburg as a spin and resulting visit to pit lane saw off his early chances in California. Further spins for Sabo and an untimely visit to the tyre wall for Sean Whalen ended with race one in a state of confusion as a false start for many was called and Chouest lost out on his seeming first series win passed the chequered flag.

Amended results meant that only Chouest, Gray Newell and Sabo were listed as timely finishes with Bell, Uretsky, Putt and Whalen all failing to finish on the lead lap if at all.

Sundays second race was better weather wise but that was about it as fastest laps in race 1 again decided starting positions making for a bizarre position of the top AMR places being represented by both Sabo in P3 and Whalen in P6!

Another dubious start behind another not so level GT4 grid let Whalen lead the race on lap 2 aboard his #888 car whilst Sabo quickly faulted with technical issues.

Halfway through the race and big front end damage to Newell’s Heart of Racing AMR after a collision saw the Safety Car come out to retrieve the debris losing a further twenty four minutes of race time as the #15 Bsport car of Putt had further problems on track.

Another spun car (Whalen) and Safety Car later and a final dash to the flag allowed Bell to claim his second podium of the season so far with a P3 with Chouest close behind in P4.

A better race this time however for Uretsky as he brought his bright yellow coloured Aston home in P7 in only his second competitive race in it.

Next round of the series takes us to the Virginia International Raceway in mid-June.

Photo credits – Teams / GT America

No photos of the bright yellow Aston at Sonoma are yet available, but these shots were taken be the team whilst Uretsky familiarised himself with his latest acquisition before the Sonoma event.

Photo credits – API Racing