With all the recent good news of teams confirming their acquisition of the all new 2019 Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT3's and GT4's with indeed new teams swapping over to the premier British marque from this season, it appears that we now have our first 'casualty'.

Having competed within its national VLN Championship and in periodic entries into the ADAC Zurich 24 Hour race from the Nordschliefe, it now appears that the Avia Racing Team and their Mathol Racing service provider have now split company with the former now also dropping its red and white liveried V8 Vantage GT4 that had become synonymous with the series over their six year history together.


Only up to a couple of years ago were Mathol Racing supporting two to three AMR Vantage GT4 entries for their customer drivers into the VLN series but with Mathol since swapping over to Mercedes machinery it had been left to Avia Racing to fly the flag around the 'Green Hell' - sometimes being the only AMR entrant there.

Avia Racing have since confirmed that they will be racing with the support of Sorg Rennsport with one of their new BMW M4 GT4 cars.


Stephan Hauke, Project Manager at Avia Racing was quoted as saying that "after years of excellent support and track success, the paths of Avia Racing and Mathol Racing are now at an end. Continuing with our older V8 Vantage GT4 would have been uncompetitive considering the opposition yet acquiring a new 2019 model would have left to difficulties and uncertainties particularly with the upcoming Brexit."

That reasoning does appear strange considering teams like Prosport Performance (also based in Germany) acquiring multiple examples of both cars to compete in multiple series across Europe but we imagine that frustrations throughout last season with reliability raised questions within the team before the year was even out.


Anyway - Avia Racing, its been fun sharing your experiences around what is still the best racetrack in the world and we wish you all the best for the future.

Photo credits - VLN / Avia Racing

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.

Despite Aston Martin Racing driver Darren Turner dangling a carrot of a possible significant future entry form the factory team into the remainder of the 2018 VLN Series, this weekend's seventh round of the series see no surprises with its AMR related entries.

Full season and long suffering Avia Racing will be back again with their SP10 (GT4) class Vantage desperate no doubt to break their recent run of back luck that has seen too many DNF's listed on the results card for them to be contented with. Drivers Weber, Krebs and Johansson will be looking for at least a finish in the eleven strong class on Saturday.

There is also a little confusion on the entry list for this team and their three drivers as they are also listed against the #950 Fanclub Mathol (the name of the team that prepares and races their Vantage) Porsche Cayman GT4 apparently racing in the Cup 3 class!


Joining them in the sole AMR Performance Centre car, the #150 SP8 Class Vantage (used by many AMR customers earning their full Nordschleife permit) will be customer pairing Marco Muller and Erik Manning.

No excursions for the Aston Martin Vantage GT8 this week after Darren Turner shared the work load within that car last time out - but we have seen one snippet of a another young man from within the AMR camp suggesting a future experience at the circuit sometime soon!

Photo credits - VLN

After a six week summer break, Saturday's return to the Nordschleife marked the half way point in the 2018 VLN Series with full season entrant Avia Racing were looking to stabilise a somewhat topsy-turvy season aboard their Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GT4.

The teams usual three driver line up of Wolfgang Weber, Thomas Krebs and Erik Johansson had qualified 62nd out of the 165 entries but unfortunately their race in their SP10 class car came to a premature end after just nine laps with ABS issues.

Last weekend's round of motorsport across Europe produced another mixed bag of results for #TeamAMR with some rekindling previous previous successes whilst others hit problems that put pay to all their hard work.

Avia Racing returned to the Nordschliefe with their distinctly liveried V8 Vantage GT4 for the third round of the VLN having already secured both a podium and a DNF in the opening rounds but having sat out the prestigious ADAC Zurich N24 last month.

At the end of Saturday's three hours the teams #188 entry with drivers Wolfgang Weber, Thomas Krebs and Erik Johansson claimed another SP10 class podium finishing in P2 just two minutes behind the class winning BMW M3.


Meanwhile up at Oulton Park, both Whitebridge AMR and EDF Motorsport returned for the third round of the Britcar Endurance Championship having both contested the AMR Festival at Le Mans the weekend before.

For Mal Sandford and Ben Seyfried combo in the #10 car, their race day was relatively short-lived as just twelve laps into Race 1 Seyfried hit one of the circuit's 'sausage kerbs' that launched the air high into the air before coming down seriously damaging the front suspension, sub frame, steering and engine mounts causing not only a red flag but the end of their racing day. Sounds like the EDF Motorsport guys will have a fair bit of work to do there!


Chris Murphy meanwhile returned with a solo car effort for this round in the only car in the S3 GT4 class with his #72 Vantage GT4 and two decent overall finishes (in both races) allowed him to accumulate enough points to sit just behind team mate Barry McMahon (who always wasn't going to compete at this meeting rather than because his Whitebridge car was damaged at Le Mans) in the Championship before it moves on to the next round at Donington Park next month.

Photo credit - VLN / EDF Motorsport 

Just a single Aston Martin Racing car will be competing this weekend as the 2018 VLN series resumes at the Nordschleife with the VLN3 - ADAC H&R Cup.

Avia Racing's #188 V8 Vantage GT4 returns to the circuit having skipped last months ADAC Zurich 24H showcase event and having experienced a very 'hit and miss' start to the VLN series with a podium and a DNF in the SP10 class and will be driven by its usual driver line up of Wolfgang Weber, Thomas Krebs and Erik Johansson.

The customer entries normally lodged from the AMR Performance Centre are presumably having a break after their cars attending last weekends AMR Festival at Le Mans.

Photo credit - Avia Racing

Aston Martin's Vantage GT8 survived another round of the VLN Series yesterday and earned itself another class podium to boot for its efforts.

Heinz Jurgen Kroner was this time accompanied by previous VLN driver acquaintances in Tony Richard and David Thilenius around the infamous Nordschleife circuit to earn themselves third position SP8 class finishing two laps behind the class winning Ferrari in Saturday's four hour race.


Returning the car to the local AMR Performance Centre in one piece at least allows the team simple routine works to prepare the car for its next outing around the circuit for this weekend coming for the ADAC N24 Qualifying race.


Peter Cate returns to the car he won the SP8 class in last year at the N24 alongside co drivers Darren Turner, Nicki Thiim and Markus Lungstrass. He will share the car at the 2018 event with F3 racer and former GT4 Champion Jamie Chadwick and saloon racer and motor journalist Jens Dralle.

Just about 180 cars reassemble at the Nordschleife this weekend for the second round of the 2018 VLN season for another four hour enduro around the toughest race track in the world.

With other world and european series all holding some significant events this weekend, that has seen a drop in both the overall number of entries as well as whom has entered! For example, we see no aspiring Nordschleife GT3 runners collecting another one of their required VLN race signatures aboard a lower specification car like in time for the 24hour event in May like we did last time out but we do see the return of the Vantage GT8 and the Avia Racing GT4 Vantage.


Looking at the driver line ups, both cars list a revised line up compared with two weeks ago when the GT8 finished third on the SP8 podium whilst the #188 Avia car failed to finish.

Again as an AMR Performance Centre customer entry, the #134 GT8 features the return of Heinz Jurgen Kroner who will be reunited this time out with Kiwi Tony Richards and American David Thilenius who previous all shared a Vantage S together last year. The Avia car meanwhile only lists just two drivers in Wolfgang Weber and Thomas Krebs.

The race begins a noon (local) and is streamed live via the series webpage.

Photo credits - VLN

The Mathol Racing prepared Avia Racing Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GT4 saw out the final round of the 2017 VLN Series from the Nordschleife on another high last weekend after claiming their fifth class win of the season.

That rounded off a very successful season for the marque at the infamous Green Hell circuit, a year that also included a class win for the Aston Martin Lagonda entered Vantage GT8 at the ADAC Zurich 24H event back in May.


With the factory team deciding not to enter into the highly competitive SP9 class for GT3 machinery for 2017, emphasis for its customer teams and customers (via the circuits Aston Martin Test Centre facility) was left to the venerable V8 Vantage platform in its GT4, N24 and GT8 format. An AM Test Centre V12 Vantage S also ran a part season programme.

Avia Racing were the only team to complete the whole 10 race season, including the N24 headline event to end the season with five class wins, one second, one fourth and three DNF's which considering the circuit is a great achievement.


Photo credits - VLN / AMR

This weekend sees the ninth and final round of the 2017 VLN Series from the infamous Nordschleife circuit with another two runners form the Aston Martin stable seeing an otherwise successful year out.

The sole remaining full season Mathol Racing prepared Avia Racing AMR V8 Vantage GT4 entry will be back after their disappointing non finish last time out earlier this month with their #188 SP10 class car.


Thinking that they were the sole AMR/AML runner last time out, they will again joined by the Aston Martin Test Centre Vantage S entry for Heinz Jurgen Kroner and Wolfgang Schuhbauer in their golden #144 car.

On a whole the Green Hell has been good for Aston Martin with numerous class podia throughout the VLN series plus a class win for the AML entered Vantage GT8 in the ADAC N24 headline event back in May.

That previous VLN entry has skipped the last two rounds of the series as the team  prepare themselves for its first transatlantic crossing in readiness for the 24H Series event from CoTA early next month.

Photo credits - VLN

This weekend's penultimate round of the VLN Series will see just a single Aston Martin platform compete around the infamous Nordschleife with the Aston Martin Lagonda entered Vantage GT8 sitting out the remainder of the VLN season.

That is obviously because of that car's imminent 'date' at the Circuit of the America's over in Austin, Texas in next months 24H Endurance Series meeting by Creventic. As previously reported the car will be driven at that event by AML CEO Andy Palmer, Peter Cate, Paul Hollywood and John Hindhaugh,

Having failed to finish last time out at the Green Hell, the Mathol Racing prepared Avia Racing #188 car will again be driven by Wolfgang Weber, Thomas Krebs and Hendrik Still.

Photo credit - Mathol Racing

An that cracking weekend has already gotten off in a podium finishing way as the CMRT by Eurasia team secured another second place finish with their GT3 Am Class V12 Vantage GT3 in the first race of their penultimate round of the Blancpain GT Asia Series from Shanghai earlier today.


Looking closer to home, both TF Sport and Beechdean AMR have just thrashed it out for top honours in Qualifying ready for their penultimate round of the European Le Mans Series which happens tomorrow from the Spa Francorchamps circuit in Belgium. After some good Free Practice sessions yesterday and earlier today AMR factory driver Nicki Thiim has just placed his #90 TF Sport car on the front row of the GTE grid having just been pipped by the #77 Proton Porsche for the class honours.


In the #99 Beechdean AMR car, it was Ross Gunn having (not quite sure here) his first Qualifying attempt in a GTE car in this years ELMS series to start from P6 for tomorrows grid after it appears that the car again suffered from some limited running during this morning's final FP session compared to others.

With the real race pressure being on the three cars at the head of the field that starting position will leave the #99 with all to play for come tomorrow which is destined to be another cracker!


Finally, the weekend sees the final round of the British GT Championship from Donington Park. With the AMR field reduced to just three cars it appears that the two TF Sport V12 Vantage GT3's have bossed the timing board during Free Practice to finish P1 and P2 in each of the two sessions, graciously swapping places for each for each!

With none of the three cars involved in any of the undecided championships things are obviously a little more relaxed than those who face the 'winner takes all' situation for tomorrows race. The GT4 entry from Academy Motorsport looks also to be enjoying the warm autumnal conditions placing themselves in the top half dozen going into Qualifying later.

Unfortuneately, provisional results from VLN show the SP10 Avia Racing by Mathol Racing V8 Vantage GT4 as a non finisher after only completing 12 laps compared to the class winner clocking 20 and the SP8 #188 Aston Martin Vantage GT8 finishing P5 in class, 1 lap down to the class winner.

Let the good times race!

During British GT Qualifying a little while ago the #11TF Sport V12 Vantage of Mark Farmer and Jon Barnes secured the GT3 pole position whilst the #62 Academy car of Will Moore and Matt Nichol-Jones dully claimed their second GT4 Pole of the season with their V8 Vantage.

Photo credits - ELMS / BGT / CMRT / TF Sport

Like most of the races since the flagship twenty four hour event earlier this year, just two Astons again fly the flag monist the 167 entries at this weekends seventh round of the VLN Series from the infamous Nordschleife this weekend.

Flying high since their SP10 class win last time out will be the #188 Mathol Racing prepared Avia racing V8 Vantage GT4 who's driver line will extend to three drivers of this race with the addition of Hendrik Still.


The #134 Aston martin Lagonda Vantage GT8 also makes a return after is DNF at the last round when early race damage sustained by a spinning car on the then wet track came back to roost and eliminate the car just before the end of the four hour race.

Again, the driver line changes within the car with Vincent Kolb being joined for this weekend by Alexander Kolb and David Thilenius.

Photo credits - VLN

It was unfortunately the case of extreme opposites for the two Aston Martin cars entered into last weekends VLN6 from the Nordschleife.

For the Mathol Racing prepared Avia Racing V8 Vantage GT4, it was all smiles as the full season VLN entrant again smashed its mainly Porsche Cayman opposition to take a commanding on lap win in the SP10 class with drivers Wolfgang Weber and Daniel Schwerfeld.


For the Aston Martin Vantage GT8 however, things didn't really go their way as early structural damage was sustained to the #134 Sp8 class car from a spinning car during the dank opening lap.

Although at the time driver Peter Cate could continue, the damage to the front splitter would ultimately end the cars successful run at the infamous Green Hell just three laps from the end of the four hour race.

The next round of the VLN Series takes place on 23rd September.

Photo credits - Avia Racing / VLN 

Presumably still beaming from his recent AMR V12 Vantage GT3 test on the Nurburgring Grand Prix loop earlier this month, this weekend will see Aston Martin's Nordschleife guru Peter Cate return to that infamous circuit to co pilot the Vantage GT8 in this weekends VLN 6.

Already having won accolades from previous races on the Green Hell circuit himself this year, Cate will drive along side Wolfgang Schuhbauer in the #134 SP8 class car as the car strives to maintain it's own current VLN podium success.

Joining them in the race will again be the #188 SP10 entry from Avia Racing with the  Mathol Racing V8 Vantage GT4. The 40th running of the RCM DMV Grenzlandrennen event shall be over the more usual four hour duration.

Photo credit - AML

The only two Aston Martin's entered into Saturday's VLN Chanpionship race again triumphed in their respective classes, collecting yet more silverware from the four hour Adenauer ADAC Rundstrecken- Trophy race.

With the Director of the local Aston Martin Test Centre, Wolfgang Schuhbauer, again co driving the AML's exclusive Vantage GT8 this time alongside new but experienced drivers Mathias Hüttenrauch and Christian Gebhardt, the #188 finished P3 in the SP8 class.

That result equates to three podium finishes in the last three outings for the car at the Nordschleife.


Meanwhile, the Mathol Racing prepared full season entry from Avia Racing AMR Vantage GT4 with Wolfgang Weber, Erik Johansson and Marc Basseng again behind the wheel also finished P2 in their SP10 class.

The next race in the championship will be in mid August.

Photo Credits - VLN / Mathol Racing

Two very competitive Aston Martin return to the starting grid for the fourth round of the VLN endurance championship from the Nürburgring tomorrow. 

Having inexcusably escaped our attention from last weekend, it was very pleasing to see today that the two Aston Martin entries that ran in last weekends VLN 3 meeting each earned themselves a class podium position by the end of the four hour race.

The #134 Aston Martin Vantage GT8, being ran again by the local Aston Martin Test Centre for its boss and two extremely lucky clients ended P2 within their six car SP8 class whilst the #189 Mathol Racing prepared Avia Racing V8 Vantage GT4 won their SP10 class albeit with a little 'extra' help from a certain Marc Basseng of Rowe Racing BMW GT3 note!!


Round 4 of the series is just next weekend.

Photo credits - VLN / Mathol Racing

The German VLN Series makes its return after last months ADAC 24H race with the ADAC ACAS H&R Cup featuring as the third round of the championship.

Unfortunately, just two two Aston Martin cars figure on the 150 car gird for tomorrows race.

The first is the #188 full season entry from Mathol Racing with their driver line up of Wolfgang Weber and Erik Johansson from Avia Racing and their V8 Vantage GT4 in the SP10 class.


The other sees the return of "Sir Roger" in the form of David King's prized Vantage GT8, again being run by the Aston Martin Test Centre crew and last seen at the N24 where Darren Turner, Nicki Thiim, Peter Cate and Markus Lungstrass secured a class victory the car. This time it will be driven by Aston Martin clients Alexander Kolb, Vincent-Alexander Kolb as well as AM Test Centre boss Wolfgang Schubauer.

No pressure guys!!

Photo credits - Avia Racing / AMR

This weekend sees the 45th running of the ADAC Zurich 24 Hours of the Nurburgring with around 170 cars plus scheduled to take the start of the race on Saturday 27th May.

Dubbed the Green Hell for many reasons, the nearly 26km circuit around the Nurburgring Grand Prix track and the infamous Nordschleife is no place for the faint hearted with many a championship winning driver and team coming away battered, bruised and empty handed.

In a change to last years approach, Aston Martin Racing will not have any GT3 representation at the event having previously used it as a warm up for its factory drivers for the next 24 hour on the calendar at Le Mans.

With attention, both financially and in engineering resource being focussed upon the World Endurance Championship as well as the continued development of its new for 2018 GTE car, it appears that AMR will be in attendance purely in a supporting role for their customer teams.


In slight change to the entry that completed the Qualification Race for the event last month, AMR factory drivers Darren Turner and Nicki Thiim will again support Peter Cate in the Aston Martin Vantage GT8 but they shall now be joined by R Motorsports Markus Lungstrass in place of Florian Kamelger.

Lungstrass will be no stranger to the GT8 in an endurance race as he, Turner and Kamelger raced the car this year at the Bathurst 12 Hour. With Cate also having raced the car in VLN races it is actually WEC GTE Champion Thiim who has the least amount of experience of the SP8 class car!!


Joining them on the grid shall be the #70 R Motorsport V8 Vantage GT4 (SP10 class) car of Andreas Baenziger, Florian Kamleger, Peter Leemhuis along with Markus Lungstrass who will be on double duty with his employers and the AML car.


VLN regulars Team Mathol Racing with Avia Racing return to the N24 again with a South American touch to their other familiar VLN driver line up in their #73 V8 Vantage GT4 (SP10) with Wolfgang Weber and Eric Johansson sharing with Marcos A Vazquez and Juan Manual Silva.


Completing the Aston Martin entry for the event shall be the Aston Martin Lagonda of Europe #49 V12 Vantage S with VLN regulars Heinz Jurgen Kroner, Tony Richards, David Thilenius and Wolfgang Schubauer. This car and line up featured in VLN2 and is run by the Aston Martin Test Centre team.

Track action starts this Thursday with the races first Qualifying Practice session in the evening before the second a final Qualifying run the next morning. The top 30 shoot out takes place Friday afternoon before the green flag for the 24hour at 14.00hrs on Saturday.

Finally, and if recent weather forecasts are to be believed then this weekend may just turn out quite nice!

Photo credits - AMR / VLN / Mathol Racing