Aston Martin Brussels will this weekend compete in the International GT Open series at the Spa Francorchamps circuit with its distinctive yellow and white liveried V12 Vantage GT3. They join fellow AMR Customer team TF Sport who also recently announced their attendance with their GT3 car.

Being now stranger to the series in its former guise of GPR Racing the team's drivers,Tim Verbergt and Michael Schmetz will be hoping to rekindle some the teams previous series success that might ultimately lead to a continued participation within the series.

This route follows on from what the team describe as an unfortunate experience when they competed in the Spa round of the British GT series earlier in the year. "The difference is huge' , says Schmetz . "In British GT it made ​​us realise that we did not want us. In GT Open it's the opposite , they have welcomed us with open arms"

Race 1 starts 15.45Hrs local on Saturday and Race 2 13.45Hrs local on Sunday.

Photo credits - AMR Brussels

GPR Pino Racing has confirmed it will kick-off its International GT Open 2013 season at the Paul Ricard with its Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3. The Belgian team, based near Charleroi, put on a stunning debut in the series in the 2012 season-closing event in Barcelona, where Maxime Martin and Bertrand Baguette conquered a win and a second in the GTS class. 

“It’s still early to say anything about the driver line-up”, commented  Pino Sperlinga, “except that it will be of high level. We liked a lot the GT Open as a championship and we are looking for support to commit ourselves long-term in the series.”

GPR’s Aston Martin will have the privilege of sporting number 100, as a tribute to the 100th anniversary of Aston Martin.

During the past years, the GPR outfit has become one of the main references on the Belgian motor racing scene. 2013 should confirm this position.

GPR team principal Pino Sperlinga was for many years an avid Porsche fan. However, at the end of the 2011 season he fell in love with the “very British” Aston Martins. During the past BRCC Championship, GPR’s DBRS9 GT3 with Michaël Schmetz at the wheel, was a regular frontrunner in Sprint as well as in Endurance. The other GPR Aston, a Vantage GT4, was a regular entry last year and Sperlinga was already more than happy to announce this car’s entry in the 2013 BRCC edition.

“Albert Bloem, the car’s owner, will definitely enter the Aston Martin  in the BRCC Endurance series,” says a delighted Sperlinga. “This gentleman driver, in the purest meaning of the word, is still looking for a co-driver to share the wheel of the car during these Endurance meetings. There is a big chance that the car will also be entered in the Sprint races. The car has been fitted with the latest developments straight from the Aston Martin factories in the UK, and with a V8 4,7l 425 bhp engine under its bonnet, I’m sure it will be a major contender in the battle for both championships !”

During the course of the recent weeks, it has become clear that the BRCC 2013 Sporting Rules offer a huge chance to cars competing in the GT Light class - mainly GT4’s – to gun for outright victory in both championships (Sprint and Endurance). In the Sprint series, these cars will definitely be in front, and with the specific Endurance sporting rules – a certain number of obligatory pit stops per class – it is clear that the Astons have their chance to finish very high on the BRCC leader boards.

Besides the Vantage GT4, GPR Racing has a GT3 version waiting for action. This car took part in the Blancpain Endurance Series and in the GT Open competition with some fine results. Needless to say that Pino is very anxious to enter this car in the BRCC. “Considering the enormous possibilities of this racer I’m sure this Vantage will do extremely well in the BRCC. Furthermore, the car has an enormous “appeal” value and is very popular with the fans. I’m still looking for drivers and I am sure that they will not be disappointed !

Image: Richard Leach

GPR – Aston Martin Brussels’ V12 Vantage GT3 was in action for the first time over the weekend. The Belgian team took the opportunity to race in the Belgian Racing Car Championship at Spa as preparation for the Spa 24 hours.

As a guest car, the team had to start 15 minutes after the rest of the field so had little chance of a winning the race, however they did show the pace of their new challenger, setting the race’s fastest lap towards the end of the race.

Image GPR – Aston Martin Brussels

GPR Pino Racing have taken delivery of their Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 which they will run in partnership with Aston Martin Brussels in the Blancpain Endurance Series. The Belgian team will begin testing tomorrow ahead of their expected debut at the Spa 24 hours, after which they will complete the remaining rounds of the championship.

The Vantage GT3 features a modified version of Aston Martin’s production 6.0 litre V12 engine found in the marque’s highly acclaimed sports cars. The dry-sumped engine is expected to produce 600 bhp with 700 Nm of torque and its position has been optimised further to improve weight balance. A carbon fibre propshaft mates the engine to a Xtrac 6 speed sequential transmission with semi-automatic paddle shift gear change.



GPR Pino Racing are now the sixth team to take delivery of the V12 powered racer after Craft Eurasia, BeechdeanMotorsport, Young Driver, Aspeed and AMattheis.

GPR Aston Martin Racing will return to the Blancpain Endurance Series this year with their Aston Marin DBRS9 before takeing delivery of a brand new Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 later in the season. Two of the three drivers are confirmed, namely Tim Verbergt and newcomer Ronnie Latinne.

"There are several reasons for this choice of the Blancpain Endurance Series, explains José Farasyn, Aston Martin Brussels. First, it is a magnificent international competition, where all the major brands are represented in GT, Ferrari to Porsche, McLaren, BMW and Mercedes. It is therefore a must for Aston Martin to be in the Championship. The entry list has great pace, both in quantity or quality. It is therefore a great challenge for our team. The second main argument, it is the 24 Hours of Spa. This legendary race, played in our country, is the highlight of the season. The stands are usually packed, and the inimitable atmosphere. Finally, there is a third point much less positive. In Belgium, there is no national championship for now, which prompted us to look to the international stage."

Belgian Ronnie Latinne is the newcomer in the team, and after a great season in Belgian Touring Car Series, is ready to make his international debut. "Firstly, I'm thrilled to be joining Aston Martin Brussels - GPR. This training is very motivated to do things well, in a family spirit. I am very happy to share the car with Tim, with whom the agreement is already very good, and I'm sure I could count on him and experience to move quickly. Aston Martin is really a brand that makes me dream! The DBRS9 with which we will start the season has proved, especially reliability side, and she will have new developments, starting with the ABS. I am very optimistic about the performance of the new Vantage GT3 that we will use later in the season. This program would not be possible without the loyalty of my main sponsors, Ets Latinne ® Technology and society, not to mention my new partner Lens Car. Anyway, I'm really excited to take part in first practice, to reconcile myself to the car and starting work on the track at Paul Ricard!''
The Blancpain Endurance Series season will get underway at Paul Ricard on March 20 and 21 for the official test, while the first race will be held on April 15 at Monza, Italy.

Spa 24 Hours - AMR Teams - Images by xynamic.com

This weekend six Aston Martins will line up on the starting grid at Spa-Francorchamps for the Total 24 hours of Spa race, part of the Blancpain Endurance series. Four Aston Martin teams including Hexis AMR, GPR AMR, Ecurie Ecosse and Speed Lover will battle for 24 gruelling hours on the famous road circuit.




Official partner team Hexis AMR, who also compete in the FIA GT1 World Championship, will enter two GT3 DBRS9s in the Pro-Cup category. The number 3 car will be driven by French drivers; Pierre Brice Mena, Julien Rodrigues and Yann Clairay while the number 4 car will be driven by Henri Moser (CH), Stef Dusseldorp (NL) and Frederic Makowiecki (FR).


Team GPR AMR will also compete with a DBRS9 in the Pro-Am category with drivers Eddy Renard (BE), Gavin Pickering (GB), and two drivers who are yet to be confirmed. The team made an outstanding start to the Blancpain Series with a 7th place finish overall and 4th in class in Monza. They followed this up with a 7th in class finish in their category in Navarra. GPR AMR has also teamed up with Pierre Grivegnee to enter a further DBRS9 in the Gentleman Trophy class.
Also running a DBRS9 competing in the Pro-Am category is Ecurie Ecosse, whose all-British team comprises of Oliver Bryant, Andrew Smith, Alastair McCraig and Joe Twyman. The team is returning to international motor-racing after an absence of over 20 years.


Belgian race team Speed Lover will be entering their V8 Vantage in the GT4 class with drivers Christophe Bigourie (FR), Sven van Laere (BE) and Peter van Audenhove (BE).

Live coverage of the Total 24 Hours of Spa can be found on Motors TV on 30 July from 2.30pm and again at 8.00pm and 10.30pm. Coverage will resume on 31 July at 8.00am and 1.00pm GMT.

A mere week after the opening round of the Belcar Endurance Championship at Circuit Zolder, the GPR Aston Martin Racing team headed off for the Monza park to compete in the now already renowned Blancpain Endurance Series, a competition with as its highpoint the 24 Hours of Spa being held at the end of July. On Italian soil the Aston Martin DBRS9 bearing the colours of Aston Martin Antwerp-Michiels, Creaset, HYT and Gulf was in the hands of Ludovic Sougnez, back on the international scene, Eddy Renard and Christian Kelders.

And straightaway the Belgian team were taken in by the atmosphere of this Blancpain series and its immediate success ... "This is truly a great championship, and competing in it we find ourselves amongst the top players, Pino Sperlinga explained. An extra hour of free practice might not have gone amiss on this track we're discovering, but everyone is in the same boat. On top of that there's a friendly atmosphere amongst the various teams."

Not having tested previously on the Monza circuit, the GPR AMR took full advantage of the two hours of free practice on the Saturday, but also the qualifying sessions in order to prepare the Aston Martin DBRS9 for the three hour long race on the Sunday. « We were somewhat lacking in mileage to hope for any brilliant results during the official session, but as we soon noticed that delay was immediately reduced once the start had been given, Eddy Renard commented. I clocked up my best personal lap time during my race stint. Our climb up through the pack was quite spectacular and even though we just missed out on a podium place in Pro-Am, our 7th place overall undoubtedly reveals the potential of this Aston."

Apart from a few annoyances with the brakes, the DBRS9 driven by Sougnez, Renard and Kelders ran like clockwork during the entire 180 minutes, where others fell by the wayside due to lack of reliability ... « I believe that by finishing the race at Monza, where we only discovered the track's subtleties during a mere two days, in 7th place overall and 4th in the Pro-Am and coming out as the top Aston Martin, we can be truly satisfied with this great start, is how Ludovic Sougnez summed up the race. The latter took the first stint, and having started from 22nd place on the grid he drove a splendid race to bring the car up into the top 10 overall in just one hour. We need to continue concentrating on the work, and with that in mind we will be at Zolder this coming Thursday to carry on with the car's development. But I feel really at home with this team and in this brand new Blancpain Endurance Series. It looks promising ... "

We should also mention that at Monza, GPR Aston Martin Racing had entered a Vantage GT4 for the Italian pair Sanguiolo, De Pasquale, as also the Swiss driver Vernet. Although still awaiting the 2011 evolutions this car still took the chequered flag in 5th place in the GT4 class, definitely another promising start.

The sprint of the beginning of this season now follows on for the Pino Sperlinga outfit, which will be travelling back from Italy to head for the Belgian Limburg, where the second round of the Belcar takes place this coming weekend, within the framework of the prestigious World Touring Car Championship (WTCC). This time around the race is over two hours, and the Aston Martin GPR AMR, to be driven by Henri Moser and Michaël Schmetz, has every intention of aiming for an overall podium place.

A mere few hours following the unveiling of the Aston Martin DBRS9 GT3’s livery at Aston Martin Antwerp Michiels, concessionaires of the historic make since more than 27 years, the GPR AMR team headed off for Circuit Zolder for the traditional Test-Day as a preamble of the Belcar Endurance Championship. A national competition which will kick off this coming weekend on the Zolder circuit, and a curtain raiser to the Belgian round of the FIA GT1 World Championship.

For the occasion the DBRS9 GPR AMR bearing the colours of Aston Martin Antwerp Michiels, HYT, Gulf and Creaset will be driven by the young Swiss Henri Moser (23 years), stemming from the World GT1 and FIA GT3 champion at the age of 19, together with the Belgian Michaël Schmetz, always present on the national scene. And for its first official race the GPR AMR clan does not lack ambition, eyeing an overall podium place.

"Over these last few weeks the entire GPR AMR team took full advantage of becoming acquainted with this Aston Martin DBRS9, Pino Sperlinga, the team manager explained. We dismantled and reassemble this car, and right from its first laps on the Zolder circuit it proved itself to be competitive, clocking up the 2nd best lap time by the end of the day. A pretty good omen." All the more so considering that the car presently does not have the 2011 evolutions fitted, contrary to this coming weekend, always on the Limburg located circuit. « We can expect improvements for the aerodynamics and brakes, Pino continued. Seeing we have two fast drivers I believe that we can count on a top 3 outcome to kick off the season. As we all know it boils down to a question of context, and I obviously can’t predict the conditions we will be facing during this initial round of 180 minutes. All the same I believe we can be reasonably optimistic taking into account the potential shown during the Test-Day…"

One week after the initial Belcar round this same Aston Martin DBRS9 GPR AMR will be competing in the highly awaited Blancpain Endurance Series, on the fast Monza circuit. And this time around the power beast will take on a Pro/Am configuration, with a team comprised out of the young and fast Ludovic Sougnez, who had also tested the car at Zolder last Thursday, and Eddy Renard, whilst a third driver still has to be officially confirmed.

On this occasion, GPR AMR, as the name states, is a Team, official Partner of Aston Martin Racing, and will be entering a second car, namely a Vantage GT4, which will be in the hands of the Italians Raffaele Sangiuolo and Giuseppe De Pasquale, two drivers emanating from the European GT4 Cup, and the Swiss driver Léonard Vernet.

Whilst waiting for this first international event, time to head off for Zolder, where the inaugural round of the Belcar Endurance Championship 2011 will take place on Sunday between 11.00 and 14.00hrs.

Its under the banner of Aston Martin that Team GPR will not only be back in action in the Belcar Endurance Championship this season, but in the brand new SRO Blancpain Endurance Series also, reserved for GT3 and GT4 cars, with as climax the 24 Hours of Spa.

This time around the British make will be represented by a new entity, a team with proven experience and competence : GPR Aston Martin Racing. "With the support of Aston Martin Antwerp, HYT, Gulf and Creaset, we decided to go ahead giving the GPR team run by Pino Sperlinga the opportunity to reappear on the track following a sabbatical year out, Eddy Renard, the project’s initiator commented. Quite clearly the objective is to clinch victory in the Belcar Endurance Championship, together with the Swiss Henri Moser and another top driver whose name will be announced shortly. At the same time I will be driving the Aston Martin GT4, at least when the championship kicks off. "

An initial national programme which will be linked to another adventure, on the international scene this time around, namely in the brand new Blancpain Endurance Series, which also implies the 24 Hours of Spa. "At a European level we are presently in discussion with several drivers, Eddy continued. With a view to the 24 Hours of Spa the team withheld will obviously be favourably complemented. In addition I’m full aware that Pino and his team are particularly motivated with the thought of making a name for themselves on the international scene …"

Even though a new car should be making its appearance in 2012, the Aston Martin DBRS9 GT3 raced during these last few months promises to be competitive, both in Belcar as also Blancpain Endurance Series. "We are awaiting the latest spare parts which are presently awaiting homologation following a new request put in with the FIA, Pino Sperlinga commented. Together with my entire team I am delighted to be opening up this new chapter under the GPR Aston Martin Racing banner. It’s a great honour to be able to defend the colours of such a legendary constructor in an official manner…"

As from its first year of existence, GPR Aston Martin Racing received the blessing of the official team, to represent it both in Belgium as also at a European level in endurance competitions … "Aston Martin Racing is thoroughly delighted to bring its support to the GPR team, John Gaw, Managing Director of Aston Martin Racing confirmed. The reasons which led us to favour this association are the quality of the programme they established, the fact that this Belgian team will be making use of our products appropriately, and last but not least the care taken in the overall preparation. It is also our practice to concentrate on the longterm as from the moment that we associate ourselves with a top team defending the colours of Aston Martin."

Aston Martin Antwerp Michiels will be the official partner of the GPR Aston Martin Racing team. "We are absolutely delighted with this partnership, especially with a team receiving the official support from Aston Martin Racing, Stef Tassignon explained. You should know that Aston Martin Antwerp is one of the oldest concessionaires of the make in Europe. Our company saw the light of day 26 years ago, and it is with pride that we will now do our very best to make a name for ourselves with one of our products in the competition world. In fact this dual national and international programme fits us like a glove."

At the end of March GPR Aston Martin Racing will be officially unveiling its 2011 sporting season, not only presenting their car’s new livery but also its drivers and the finalised programme. Have your diaries at the ready…

GPR