Apart from one, it appeared to be all systems go for the three remaining Aston Martin Racing powered crews at this weekends ADAC N24 Qualifying weekend around the Nurburgring Nordschleife.

Two cars apiece from both the Prosport Racing and Dorr Motorsport teams all arrived at the circuit ahead of today’s four-hour event but sadly the #28 Prosport Racing AMR Vantage GT3 of Alex Brundle and Mike David Ortmann suffered damage during one of the earlier qualifying sessions that forced the rebranded car to be retired from the event.

 

Four Aston Martin Racing powered crews will enter this weekends ADAC N24 Nurburgring Qualifiers around the Nurburgring Nordschleife with entries spread over both SP9 (GT3) and SP10/SP8T (GT4) classes.

The locally based Prosport Racing team will be fielding one of each as Alex Brundle pairs up with Mike David Ortmann aboard their #28 SP9 class entry that they and Christoph Breuer shall race again at the forthcoming 24-hour event in May.

 

After a rather successful opening round to the season two weeks ago sees another four Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT3 and GT4 platforms take to the infamous Nurburgring Nordschleife this weekend for the second round of the NLS Series.

With this week also seeing some test days take place for wannabe entries into this year’s Nurburgring 24, this weekend’s entry sees the same number of cars but not necessarily in the same order and format as last time.

 

PROsport Racing will be active with up to five cars in the endurance races on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife in 2023. In addition to the well-known Aston Martin, the team will also field a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. Endurance ace Alex Bundle will also start for the team. In 2023, the Nürburgring Endurance Series and the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring will continue to occupy an important place in PROsport Racing's season planning. The team from Wiesemscheid is expanding its line-up in the racing series and will be active with up to five cars in the popular racing series on the world-famous Nürburgring-Nordschleife. Reigning ADAC GT4 Germany champion Mike David Ortmann will pilot an Aston Martin Vantage GT3 together with Christoph Breuer up to and including the 24-hour race in May. After a few rounds, Hugo Sasse, who won the GT4 series title together with Ortmann, will also join the driver line-up. "Originally, Hugo Sasse was also to contest all the races with the GT3. However, we decided within the team and with Hugo and his family that he would first drive a few more races in one of our GT4 cars," explains team boss Chris Esser. "Hugo has only driven three races so far on the Nordschleife in a near-series Porsche Cayman, so a direct move up to the GT3 car would be out of his league. We want him to get used to the pace and the special features of the Nürburgring-Nordschleife first." Alex Brundle, the son of former Formula 1 driver Martin Brundle, will be the fourth driver to start for the team. The 32-year-old Briton has made a name for himself in prototype racing in particular and has already scored race wins in the FIA WEC, as well as winning the championship title in the ELMS LMP3 class in 2016. Brundle has also been able to gain racing experience on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife, earning his permit with PROsport Racing, which means he already knows the team from Wiesemscheid. "After winning the SP8T class in 2019, it was always my goal to return to the Green Hell and attack the overall victory in the top class," said the 32-year-old Briton. "It's real old-school motorsport and I'm really excited to be returning to the Nürburgring with PROsport Racing. It's a tough race so you need a team in the pit lane that you can trust to bring a reliable, safe and fast race car to the track. The PROsport team is such a team. It's a nice cycle because I drove my first lap on the Nordschleife in one of the team's cars. I'm also proud to be back behind the wheel of an Aston Martin, as I was in 2019, and to enjoy the technical support from Prodrive to make the most of our efforts. I can't wait to race at the Nordschleife again!" Last year, the dark green #17 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 quickly drove its way into the hearts of fans around the Nürburgring-Nordschleife. In 2023, the car will again contest the entire season in the Nürburgring Endurance Series. The British sports coupé will compete in the SP9 Am class. The two Belgians Maxime Dumarey and Jean Glorieux - who already drove the Aston Martin on the Nordschleife in 2022 - will drive the car for the entire season. Team boss Chris Esser's team is fielding two more Aston Martin cars in the GT4 class SP10. One car will be driven by gentleman drivers. Guido Dumarey will drive the Vantage GT4 for the entire season. The Ukrainian Yevgen Sokolovskiy, who lives in Düsseldorf, will also take the wheel of the car up to and including the 24-hour race. Other drivers from the PROsport Racing gentlemen's squad complete the Aston Martin line-up. With the second GT4 Vantage, PROsport Racing will attack the top positions in the SP10 category. The British sports car will compete on the Nordschleife up to and including the 24h race in May. Belgian Guillaume Dumarey will take his place at the wheel of the car. In addition, ADAC GT4 Germany champion Hugo Sasse will contest the first rounds of the season on the car before making the move up to the Aston Martin Vantage GT3. The racing team will announce the team's other drivers at a later date. In addition, PROsport Racing will compete for the first time in the Porsche Endurance Trophy Nürburgring in 2023, which is contested in the Nürburgring Endurance Series. In the Cup 2 class, the team will field one of the popular 992-generation Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars. The vehicle will contest large parts of the season. Alongside Belgian Simon Balcaen, veteran Jörg Viebahn will take his place at the wheel of the car. Jörg Viebahn, who comes from Gummersbach, and PROsport Racing have a long history together. In 2013, Viebahn won the title in the Am class of the GT4 European Series for the team from Wiesemscheidt, before winning the overall standings in the series himself in 2016 with the self-developed Porsche Cayman Pro4 and former DTM driver Peter Terting and ensuring that he won the team title. The veteran was also able to score further race victories in the top-class SRO Championship with PROsport Racing. The 58-year-old has also scored successes for the experienced team in endurance races on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife. Source material - PROsport Racing

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

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

Interesting news coming out of Aston Martin Racing today with the confirmation of two new V8  Vantage GT4's being entered by the factory team into the ADAC Total 24H from the Nordschleife this June.

Supported by the local AMR Performance Centre, drivers Alex Brundle, Jamie Chadwick, Chris Goodwin, Darren Turner, Ross Gunn and Peter Cate have all be confirmed.

For the former 2015 British GT GT4 Champion Jamie Chadwick, she has now also now gone on to be confirmed today as another junior works driver for the team and follows in the footsteps of Andrew Watson and Charlie Eastwood who have also recently risen to such status.


With the possibilities of any factory entered GT3's into the race looking a distant possibility for 2019, this news will be the closest that we shall get to that this year. That doesn't necessarily mean that there will be no Vantage GT3's at the N24 this year as Garage 59's co-owner Alex West is presently going for his full Nordschleife Permit in the opening rounds of the VLN Series this year so we will have to wait and see.

Chadwick and Brundle will start upon this AMR project together at next weekends VLN Series race and then again at the Qualification race in May. They will be joined by Aston Martins Nordschleife specialist Peter Cate and AMR factory driver Gunn racing in the SP10 class.

Brundle had his first taster of the new Vantage GT4 at the BRDC Track Day event at Silverstone yesterday.


The second car entered into the SP8T class will be made of of Darren Turner, Chris Harris, Chris Goodwin and Christian Gebhardt with a third Aston Martin - the extremely successful Vantage GT8 being entered by a customer squad.

David King, President, Aston Martin Racing, added: “Jamie is one the brightest talents in the British junior ranks and must be considered among the favourites in the exciting new W Series. We’ve been keeping a watchful eye on her progress and working with her ad hoc since she won the British GT4 Championship in one of our cars and it was clear that the time was right to bring her more formally into the fold so that we may play a deeper role in her career development. 

The Aston Martin Vantage GT8 makes a racing return at the VLN2 meeting this weekend with a new AMR Performance Centre customer teaming up with the car for the first time.

Marco Muller again leads the way for the this time sole Aston Martin car in the 190 odd strong entry for the second round of the 2019 VLN season around the Nordschleife - he will this time be joined by American racer Jesse Menczer, a driver who has Porsche and Radical racing experience in the States as well as some prior experience of the 'Green Hell' in a lower class of car.

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