With the Feathers Motorsport having already released their disappointing news of having to withdraw from the remaining two rounds of the GT Cup Championship earlier this week, that leaves just the two Aston Martin runners within the British Endurance Championship to finalise our weekend’s preview.

Competing at their penultimate round of the season around the 300 circuit at Snetterton, we are hoping that both the #6 Venture Innovations Aston Martin Vulcan of Gleb Stepanov of Stephen Tomkins as well as the MKH Racing AMR Vantage GT4 of Peter Montague and Stuart Hall.

The fourth round of the British Endurance Championship probably completes the Aston Martin Racing customer team participation around the world (as far as we are aware at least) with two teams back into the mix for Saturday’s two-hour affair.

Last time out at Oulton Park, we saw the #6 Aston Martin Vulcan of Gelb Stepanov and Stephen Tomkins lose its bright orange colour scheme for another a little bit more ‘natural’ and come back from its damaging encounter at Brands Hatch before that to bring home their best result of the season so far in P2.

 

Former British GT Championship racer Mike Brown has listed ‘For Sale’ his Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT3 on the Racecarsdirect.com website.

Obviously sad to see but this has probably come about as a consequence of Mike’s significant accident in a Ginetta BTCC support race last season where the gentleman racer received multiple injuries.

We have already had the Class A Aston Martin Vulcan from the Venture stable with drivers Gleb Stepanov and Stephen Tomkins be confirmed within next season’s British Endurance Championship, and this week has seen the turn of the Class D reigning Champions from MKH Racing to announce similar.

Having started last season's Championship with a T7 Motorsport prepared Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT4, drivers Peter Montague, Stuart Hall and sometimes Daniel Brown, the trio ended their debut class winning championship season with their car being prepared by MKH Racing.

 

It wasn’t that many weeks ago that we learned of a motor racing incident that left Aston Martin Racing stalwart Tony Quinn with serious injuries following a single car crash in an Australian Porsche Carrera Cup race for again this week, we hear of another #TeamAMR driver to befall such a similar incident.

Hearing about it roughly through the realms of social media at the time, it took some time “to click” that the Mike Brown being reported as one of the two drivers injured after a two car Ginetta Super Cup race at Thruxton last weekend, that it was the same Mike Brown we all know who periodically races his silver and blue AMR Vantage GT3’s in either the GT Cup or British GT Championship with co-driver Matt Manderson.

Unfortunately for him, it was as he and Colin White (another well-known face around the GT4 paddock) who had a ‘monumental’ accident together after Brown lost control coming out of one corner before recrossing the track into the next but straight into the path of a charging White for both to sustain serious injury in the resulting impact.

Yesterday’s third round of the British Endurance Championship from Snetterton proved itself to be something of a ‘character building’ affair for two Aston Martin teams, although one would still come out on top by the end of that three-hour race.

Going into this weekend at the head of Championship table, the #68 Team Brit crew of Andy Tucker and Luke Pound had high hopes after their consistency in results from the previous rounds at both Oulton Park and Silverstone.

 

The British Endurance Championship completes this weekend’s six sets of motor racing events where up-to-date Aston Martin Racing race cars will be found amongst their respective entry lists.

Already hitting their third round of six for the season, this weekend’s visit to Snetterton comes off the back of previous rounds at both Silverstone and Oulton Park and again comprises of (this time) of just three Aston Martins from the Venture Innovations, T7 Motorsport and Team Brit teams.

It started so well for the Deranged Motorsport team in the GT Cup Championship with a class pole position followed up with a class win on the opening day of the new season, but this listing confirms the end of the road for this endeavour.

Acquiring one of Academy Motorsports Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GT4’s over the winter, the GT Cup was to be the Deranged Team’s target arena for 2021 as drivers Oli Brown and Matt Lewis were ‘ticking’ all the right boxes on the opening day with their first class win, missing out on another class podium in another due to a Safety Car procedure transgression before retiring from the next race with (?) suspension related issues.

That was sadly that for the #52 car as it didn’t venture out into any further rounds in the Championship and this sale listing is the first of anything heard from the team since.

Full listing details can be found at https://racecarsdirect.com/Advert/Details/125476/2019-aston-martin-vantage-gt4

Photo credits – Racecarsdirect.com

 

Just a single trophy the sum reward for all the effort from the four Aston Martin Racing customer teams at Snetterton this weekend as they continued battle in the GT Cup Championship.

With trophies a plenty and won all round at the opening round at Donington Park in mid-April and another at the restricted programme second round at Brands Hatch at the beginning of May, Snetterton left Ultimate Speed Racing’s AMR Vantage GT3, Feathers Motorsport, Century Motorsport and Whitebridge Motorsport AMR Vantage GT4’s all having ‘wanted’ a little something to break into the podium positions during this weekend’s four race programme.

The third round of the GT Cup Championship visits our local circuit at Snetterton this weekend coming with four Aston Martin Racing cars scheduled to be present, and some with an adjusted driver line up from last time out.

Mike Brown and Matt Manderson return with their AMR Vantage GT3 after a relatively successful season debut in the opening round of the British GT Championship at Brands Hatch two weeks ago, having skipped the opening round of the GT Cup at Donington earlier in April. The team did race at the adapted second round of the season at Brands Hatch at the start of May, but the team do appear to be using the GT Cup calendar as an active race/test scenario before their selected round entry into British GT but their participation is welcome none the less.

 

The opening race of the British GT Championship again didn’t fail to disappoint in terms of excitement around the Grand Prix circuit of Brands Hatch earlier today with two fine performances from each of the two Aston Martin Racing teams bringing home a podium finish for one of them.

With the excitement building before the cars had even left for the grid as the heavens opened up, it was a late call for all to decide whether to venture out on slicks or go for the full wets. That drama was further compounded with the untimely exit from the race proceedings of one of the McLaren GT3’s, spinning out and hitting the barriers coming out of Druids on the first warm up lap.

There’s no better way than making your intentions known than by dominating the opening days proceedings ahead of the first round of the 2021 British GT Championship from Brands Hatch today.

Much missed for all bar one cameo appearance at Brands Hatch last season, sees a welcomed full season return for Andrew Howard and his Beechdean AMR team as he re-joins AMR factory driver Jonny Adam aboard their #7 Pro-Am class entered Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GT3.

 

Nearly eight weeks after originally intended this year, the British GT Championship will finally get underway next weekend from Brands Hatch with another diverse grid of modern GT3 and GT4 machinery.

Aston Martin Racing Partner and Customer teams will again be in attendance – sadly not in the numbers that we have been previously used to and not with TF Sport defending their GT4 crown that drivers Jamie Caroline and Dan Vaughan secured for themselves and the team after a dramatic concluding race and COVID-19 eventful 2020 season.

With that virus hopefully now being pushed firmly behind us here in the UK, next weekend’s opening two-hour opener around the picturesque Grand Prix circuit of the Kent circuit will allow up to 4000 spectators permitted in to watch the twenty-six runners including just the two AMR runners (at this event) from the AMR family.

Not the best kept secret we know but welcome news none the less as today sees the Ultimate Speed team finally confirm their biggest commitment to the British GT Championship to date with a four-race programme in the national Championship that starts at the first round from Brands Hatch in little over two week’s time.

Having already been on the race track this season in the GT Cup Championship, the new Silver-Am partnership of Mike Brown and Matt Manderson will enter their 2019 specification Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GT3 at the rounds at Brands Hatch, Donington, Snetterton before returning to see the year out at the #DoningtonDecider.

“We always enjoy our British GT outings – first and foremost we want to have fun so decided to increase our commitment this year after switching from old to new Vantage in 2020,” said Brown. “We should be closer to the established pairings with more testing and mileage, and Silver-Am really gives us something to aim at.” 

This car joins the somewhat low representation from the AMR marque with just the two cars already confirmed (so far) from the Beechdean AMR team with a GT3 car for Andrew Howard and Jonny Adam and also the most recent announcement from the Newbridge Motorsport team with an AMR Vantage GT4 for their drivers Matt Topham and Darren Turner.

More great news from the Championship also came to light yesterday with the availability of up to 4000 tickets to the Brands Hatch opener as part of the Governments releasing of COVID-19 restrictions on public gatherings.

Tickets MUST be purchased in ADVANCE though.

Photo credits - GT Cup / Team

This weekend also saw the second meeting of the GT Cup Championship from Brands Hatch on Saturday, this time featuring just two 50-minute pit stop punctuated races for its very impressive starting grid of 45 cars.

Like the Donington round before it, Brands Hatch was again being run from behind closed doors so once again, we all had to revert to their new live stream for our appreciation of the four Aston Martin Racing runners. 

The second round of the GT Cup Championship comes from the Grand Prix circuit of Brands Hatch this weekend with an increased Aston Martin Racing contingent to that who featured so well at the opening round at Donington Park two weeks ago.

The #52 Deranged Motorsport AMR Vantage GT4 of Oli Brown and Matt Lewis make a return after suffering terminal issues that scuppered their earlier pace and podium success at Donington park as well does Chris Murphy (again running solo) aboard his older generation #72 Whitebridge Motorsport ran car who enjoyed equal class success last time out.

Also running the new turbo charged version of the Vantage GT4 like Deranged, sees both the #82 Feathers Motorsport Aston of James Guess and Darren Turner as well as the #15 Century Motorsport Aston of David Holloway and Adam Hatfield return to the tracks having secured four class podium positions between them.

Joining them on track this time around is the #47 Ultimate Speed AMR Vantage GT3 of Mike Brown and Matt Anderson as they get their latest race car out for the first time for a mixed bunch of GT Cup and British GT action. This weekend features just two pit stop punctuated races as it was due to run in support of the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Series that moved its race date in Kent back to the summer.

Unfortunately running again behind closed doors, the Championship has already proven that its live stream is very effective.

Photo credits – GT Cup / Teams