The resumption of international motorsport across the globe, has signalled the start of the 2020 Aston Martin Racing Driver Academy as the British luxury sportscar manufacturer continues to uncover the next generation of GT endurance superstars.

The initiative, designed to fast-track talent within Aston Martin Racing’s thriving customer team network proved a huge success in 2019, and this year another 13 candidates have signed up to the AMR Driver Academy from a range of championships around the world. An unrivalled platform for learning and development with an established manufacturer, this essential initiative has been fine-tuned and improved again to more effectively coach this fresh crop of drivers. While at the same time, it has also been tailored to counter the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.


The AMR Young Driver Academy is eligible to drivers aged between 17 and 25 and open to those with planned Vantage GT3 and GT4 race programmes in recognised championships. The prize on offer for the successful graduate will be financial support towards their 2021 race programme, simulator time and fitness sessions and a TAG Heuer AMR timepiece.

Just as before, this year’s contestants will be judged on a wide range of criteria including pace, consistency and technical feedback. The judging panel will also evaluate drivers’ ability to manage the strategic, teamwork, commercial and public relations aspects of their role. Finally, the outstanding candidate will demonstrate the most potential to develop their talent for the future.


The 2019 British GT4 champion Tom Canning emerged top of the class in the 2019 AMR Driver Academy. The 17-year-old, from Bath in Somerset, who follows in in the footsteps of 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans class winner Jonny Adam and works FIA World Endurance Championship driver Ross Gunn, has since undertaken a test in a works Aston Martin Vantage GTE in Bahrain last December and will receive support from the factory throughout his campaign this year.

Aston Martin Racing President David King added: “That there is a fresh group of talented individuals ready and eager to participate in the 2020 Aston Martin Racing Driver Academy, in spite of the difficulties presented by the coronavirus pandemic, demonstrates the value of this initiative and the importance of the junior GT racing ecosystem. It remains our mission to uncover the best young talent emerging through our customer network, so that we may both assist them in their future careers and protect the competitive prospects for Aston Martin Racing and the teams that race our cars in the long-term.”



ASTON MARTIN RACING DRIVER ACADEMY CANDIDATES
 

Driver	Team	Series	Car
Jamie Caroline (UK) Roman DeAngelis (CAN) Cedric Freiburghaus(CHE) Valentin Hasse Clot (FR) Robert Hefler (HUN) Patrick Kibble (UK) Kenton Koch (USA) Antonio Ledesma (MEX)	TF Sport Heart of Racing ProSport Garage 59 Virage TF Sport Bsport Racing Virage	British GT IMSA GT4 European Series GT World Challenge Eu GT Cup Open British GT GT4SX Ultimate Cup Series	Vantage GT4 Vantage GT3 Vantage GT4 Vantage GT3 Vantage GT4 Vantage GT4 Vantage GT4 Vantage GT4
Connor O’Brien (UK) Theo Nouet (FR)	TF Sport AGS	British GT GT4 European Series	Vantage GT4 Vantage GT4
Akhil Rabindra (IND) Nate Stacey (USA) Dan Vaughan (UK)	AGS KohR Motorsport TF Sport	GT4 European Series Michelin Pilot Challenge British GT	Vantage GT4 Vantage GT4 Vantage GT4

Fresh off the back of their return to 2020 racing and the first chapter of the heavily revised 24H Series in Portimao at the weekend, this week sees German team Prosport Racing confirm another Series addition for their customer drivers for later this year.

Having raced with what was then Prosport Performance for most of last season in one of their then brand new Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GT4 within the Creventic organised series, this news sees the team and drivers Rodrique Gillion and his professional driver coach Nico Verdonck confirm a tentative 'double toe into the water' within the GT Open Cup Series.


Having only raced for either twelve or twenty four hours with the five class 24H Series, this marks a change in direction for the Belgian racers with this series two, fifty five minute races after two Free Practice and one Qualifying session over the course of a race weekend for solely GT4 machinery.

This weeks news see them confirm entries initially for the rounds just at both Paul Ricard in late August as well as their 'home' round at Spa Francorchamps in mid October.

Their race in Portimao at the weekend was curtailed in the ninth hour after a passing car terminally damaged the #401 cars drive train in what was described as an 'ambitious' move on them whilst the team were leading the GT4 class.


This news also doubles the expected AMR attendance within the GT Open Cup to two cars with what should be a full season entry for the Spanish based Team Virage outfit as already announced.

Photo credits - 24H Series

Refreshingly nothing to do with the world's ongoing medical issues sees the O'Brien family offer for sale the Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GT4 that young Connor raced along with Jack Butel in last years British GT Championship.

Although originally re-signed with the Optimum Motorsport team for the 2020 season, their change to the McLaren chassis lead to O'Brien switching to the 2019 British GT GT3 and GT4 Championship winning team TF Sport where he now joins up with Patrick Kibble - hence the sale.

Full listing details can be found at https://racecarsdirect.com/Advert/Details/112674/aston-martin-vantage-gt4-2019---chassis-005

Spanish based Team Virage have today confirmed an entry for one of their Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GT4's in the forthcoming GT Cup Open Series for two returning drivers.

Having sampled both the new AMR GT4 race car and the new for 2019 GT4 sub category of racing under the GT Open umbrella, drivers Fernando Navarrette and Alvaro Lobera obviously liked what they experienced at their 'toe in the water' one of entry at the penultimate round of the 2019 season at a rain soaked Circuit de Catalunya circuit to come back to the Valencia based team for this time a full season attempt at the title.


Despite the torrential rain that effected the race meeting in Barcelona last season, the team still finished P4 in the Pro-Am class but would later suffer from water related electrical issues even before the start of second race of the weekend to such a degree that they would not take the start.


This Silver / Bronze driving duo represented Spain in a Lamborghini Huracan GT3 at last years FIA Motorsport Games at Autodromo de Vallelunga in November.
The 2020 season sees another six round - double header season as the GT4 class cars share the weekend with GT3 and open wheeled formulae starting at Paul Ricard at the end of April.

Photo credits - Team Virage / Xynamic 

Valencia based Team Virage were left somewhat frustrated after their penultimate round debut into the GT Open Cup European Championship at their 'local' Circuit de Catalunya near Barcelona at the weekend as technical issues ended up blighting a very respectable start in some very trying track conditions.

Hoping to emulate the successes of Optimum Motorsport at the last round at Silverstone, the Spanish based team entered one of their Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GT4's in to the Barcelona race weekend for tin top convertees Fernando Navarrete and Alvaro Lobera.


Entered into the Pro-Am class, the duo made steady progress within the car during the warm, dry track sessions of Free  Practice 1 and 2 before torrential rain washed out any chance of anyone actually submitting a Qualifying time for Race 1 on Saturday morning.

Starting from their combined Free Practice time positions, the fifteen cars had only just left the grid on the formation lap when the heavens opened once again, dropping significant volumes of water onto the track where all cars has started on slicks. Fortunately, Race Control had the foresight to employ the pace car as a Safety Car start that allowed all to pit for wets.


Despite having started P13, the #95 AMR with Lobera taking the start had moved up to P8 courtesy of a quicker stop and despite the Safety Car being on track. By the time track conditions were safe enough to let then go back to green there were only a few minutes left before the pit window opened.

As the track slowly began to form a drier line towards the end of race one, Navarrete was having 'issues' in the car that dropped him back down to P9 overall but still P4 in class by the end of the 55 minute race.


Electrical issues aboard the car were later confirmed (possibly as a result of the wet race) but sadly for the team these issues were not fixable in time to compete in race 2 on Sunday. That put a disappointing end to a potentially encouraging race for this pair and the team on Sunday.

Photo credits - GT Cup Open