Aston Martin Racing from across the ages and classes was also well represented at the weekend a literally hundreds of vintage and classic race cars descended upon Silverstone for what is now known as the Silverstone Festival.

Both the Endurance Racing Legends and Masters Historic Racing Series have been busy, both this weekend as last as a whole collection of former Aston Martin Racing cars are still race competitively by their owners around the world in two the best historic series about.

Last weekend saw the Peter Auto 'Endurance racing Legends' Series compete a the Monza Historic event at the iconic Autodromo Nazionale Monza just north of Milan, Italy where a DBR9 from 2007 and a 2010 Vantage GT2 competed in that weekends double header.


The #009 DBR9 GT1 former Le Mans race winning car of David Graham, Darren Turner and Rickard Rydell was raced in Italy by Kriton Lendoudis and Rui Aguas where they were victorious in class for both events, after taking fourth overall in race 1 and being outright winners in race 2


The Vantage GT2 is more recognisable at the former JMW Motorsport car and now in the hands of Franz Wunderlich, he was to finish in 2nd and 3rd places on class over the weekend in his recent historical purchase.


Over at Spa Francorchamps this weekend, the concluded event of the 2019 Aston Martin sponsored Masters Endurance Legends season was taking place at that iconic race track and again we were blessed with the presence of fan favourite and local driver, the Lola Aston Martin DBR1-2 of Christophe D'Ansembourg as well as a DBR9 and a Vantage GT2 of their own.

Featuring their own 'race into the night' event as well on Friday, the Lola #008 took another podium finishing P2 in the top class whilst Nicolas Ditting and Sam Hancock took the class honours aboard their DBR9 with Albert Bloem doing likewise in his former Jota Sport GT2.


Race two on Saturday took a similar path for the trio of teams but this time D'Ansembourg went one better to claim the final top set of the year

We also found this rather exquisite in car footage taken at Spa this weekend. Credit goes to the uploader of this video on Youtube.


Whilst we wait for the series to update the Championship table after the conclusion of the second and final race at Spa, we believe that D'Ansembourg's P2 and P1 finishes at Spa should be enough for him to be declared the overall winner of the 2019 Series (STC)



Photo credits - Masters Series / Peter Auto

It could be considered something of a disappointment that just five Aston Martin Racing cars entered this years Aston Martin Trophy for Masters Endurance Legends event that ran this year as part of the four day Silverstone Classic event?

Lola again proved her worth at the weekend with another race win at the second race meeting of the Aston Martin Masters Endurance Legends Series at Monza, Italy.

This time racing in support of the European Le Mans Series, nineteen previously homologated  prototypes and GT racers conducted battle around the sweeping 3.6mile circuit within the Royal grounds in Milan.


Belgium racer, Christophe D'Ansembourg was again there with his Lola Aston Martin DBR1-2 to claim another win in race one (mirroring what he achieved in the opening event of the season at Paul Ricard) after having to battle up the leader board from P4 after a bad start having Qualified P2.

Competing in the INV class aboard his ex Miedecke Racing AMR Vantage GT3 was Austrian Alex Lienau who unfortunately found that he had prepped his car with the wrong gearbox ratios prior to the meeting to make difficult to make full use of his V12 power. Despite this and other technical issues during the race he still managed a P15 finish.


Race 2 of the weekend was apparently even more eventful than the first with D'Ansembourg clashing (literally) with the Michel Frey Lola Judd to put the #008 LMP1 car out of the race on lap 15 out of the 22 laps completed by the winner.


In the GT class, Lienau continued what he could do considering the Achilles heel that he had presented himself with to finish the race again in P15.


The Series will reconvene at Many Cours in France for the next two races that will feature at the Historic French Grand Prix meeting at the end of June.

Photo credits - Masters Historic / Lienau

Also competing at Monza this weekend in support of the European Le Mans Series and Le Mans Cup will be the Aston Martin Endurance Legends Series who return to the tracks for their second round of the season.

Having seen a good turn out of previous iterations of Aston Martin Racing and Prodrive production last time out at Paul Ricard, its kind of disappointing to see just two two such entries for the schedule two - forty minute races around the infamous Royal Park near Milan.


Belgium gentleman racer Christophe D'Ansembourg returns (like he always does) with his Lola DBR1-2 from 2009 which won him two podiums - including an overall win last time out in France and he is joined this time by retired Austrian businessman Alexander Lienau who will race one of his new fleet of Aston Martin Racing V12 Vantage GT3's. We believe that he will be running the former Miedecke Motorsport V12 Vantage GT3 Chassis #039.


Races take place over Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning.

Photo credits - Masters Series / Histo Cup

They say that local knowledge is as good as an extra few horsepower and that was certainly the case at Spa Francorchamps this weekend as local man Christophe D'Ansembourg powered his way to two Masters Series Endurance Legends race wins aboard his iconic Aston Martin Lola DBR1-2.

Having lost out to the pace of Steve Tandy's recently acquired Lola Mazda before, the Belgium claimed overall pole position for the first race yesterday by just over half a second. Shaun Lynn grabbed class honours in his former JMW G3 GT3 class Vantage GT2 with Colin Sowter a further three places back albeit some eight seconds behind that in his former JWA Vantage GT2. Nikolaus Ditting found himself totally outgunned in his AM DBR9 by the #29 Ferrari 550.

The Masters Endurance Legends Series returns to the circuit of its 'creation' last year as the expected twenty two car field reconvenes for its penultimate round of its inaugural season at Spa Francorchamps this weekend.

Four pedigree racing cars from the Aston Martin Racing stable again make the trip with last time out winners of race two of the Old Timers Grand Prix event from the Nurburgring, the Christophe D'Ansembourg Lola Aston Martin DBR1-2 competing on its home track and supported along the way by a DBR9 and two Vantage GT2's.


Shaun Lynn (father of Aston Martin Racing GTE driver Alex) pilots the former JMW Dunlop livered Vantage GT2 along with Colin Sowter again in the ex JWA Vantage GT2. Nikolaus Ditting completes the line up aboard his green DBR9.


The Endurance Legends Series will feature two 40 minute races over both Friday and Saturday.



Photo credits - Master Historic Legends / Steve Jackman / RL

For those looking for somewhere to go in the UK this weekend, it seems that amongst the thousand or so cars entered into the Silverstone Classic there will be a handful of Aston Martin Racing jewels.

With the full entry list being fragmented between various organising bodies it appears that there will be at least four runners in the Masters Endurance Legends races ranging between a GT1, two GT2's and a Lola DBR1-2.

Strakka Racing's Nick Leventis is due out aboard (presumably) his own #61 Aston Martin Racing DBR9 that he once shared with Darren Turner and Peter Hardman - the original creator of Strakka. Leventis will share the car this time with historic racing guru Sam Hancock.


In the GT2 class, Colin Sowter again competes aboard his former JWA European Le Mans Series entered car together with Tom Kimber-Smith and (possibly) Paul Whight abroad the latter's former Barwell prepared British GT entry


Rounding off the obvious Aston Martin Racing entries will be Christophe d'Ansembourg and his #008 Lola Aston Martin AMR 1-2.

All four cars are entered in Thursday's private test at the circuit ahead of the main events spread across both Saturday and Sunday and all of this doesn't event include any other car that may just happen to be around the paddock and display areas at the circuit!

Photo credits - British GT / ELMS