Certainly not your usual Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT4!
Not quite our usual genre of GT race cars but who could fail to be impressed with the visual and audible spectacle that is Heart of Racing’s new Formula Drift Aston Martin Vantage.
Boasting a mighty 6.0 litre twin supercharged engine, capable of delivering up to 850 BHP of pure unadulterated power, this new creation was demonstrated today around the Long Beach Grand Prix circuit by resident team drift champion Darren Kelly.
This weekend’s opening round of the 2022 Formula Drift season precedes the third round of the IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Championship around the Californian street circuit that will see return to the track of the teams two Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GTD’s.
Photo credit - Heart of Racing
Friday, April 01, 2022 |
Read more...
Heart of Racing to race second AMR Vantage GTD at remaining IMSA sprint rounds
Great news out of North America today as the Heart of Racing team announce a second Aston Martin Racing Vantage GTD effort in the remaining IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Championship for drivers Alex Riberas and Ian James.
Having started the 2020 season with the team at the opening round of the IMSA season at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, Riberas soon found himself literally isolated in New Zealand as the COVID pandemic spread across the world and utilising that opportunity, he and Darren Kelly established the HoRT effort that went onto secure both the New Zealand’s North and South Islands Endurance Series over this year and last.
This news see’s Riberas return to the USA to partner Ian James who stepped aside from their #23 IMSA effort to allow Ross Gunn to partner Roman de Angelis on a permanent basis as the team hunt down the overall GTD Championship crown. As the Championship looks to the next round at Laguna Seca next month, the #23 car maintains the Championship lead.
This news also confirms that the team will now not be defending their South Island Championship (that was due to start next week but has now been again delayed because of COVID) as anyone flying into and out of the country is simply still not possible due to their COVID border protocols.
“Establishing the New Zealand program was an amazing experience,” says Riberas. “Now it is time for me to continue my adventure with the team it all started with.”
Photo credits – HoRT / IMSA / F Lagunas / CSJ Motorsport
Thursday, August 26, 2021 |
Read more...
Heart of Racing claim North Island Endurance Series win at a rain soaked Pokekohe
Arriving at Pukekohe Park for the weekend’s final three-hour race, Alex Riberas and Darren Kelly were in points arrears to the #22 Audi R8 of Neil Foster and Jonny Reid but with the #22 car not competing at the final round, a race win was still essential for the team on count back if they didn’t!
Throughout a rain sodden race meeting, it was only fitting that former National Drift Champion Kelly secured his first pole position in the GT3 in such trying conditions having come so close last time out.
What followed next was almost a ‘demonstration run’ of prowess as the #52 car posted purple sector after sector as the laps passed by yet the rain continued to fall.
For the #111 GT-B class AMR Vantage GT8R of Steve Harrison and Shane Merlin however, their race would end before the end of the first hour as a long brake pedal forced them into the garage for lengthy repairs. They did finally make it back out on track towards the end but that was by then just a formality.
With their own points situation, that should have been enough for them to claim the GT-B Class title after three previous podiums (but that's yet TBC).
As the rain appeared to lessen, the #52 car eventually took the chequered flag with a three lap margin to secure not just another rave win in the Series but also to claim the overall and GT-A class wins as well. That goes nicely with their South Island Endurance Series win of 2020 – something that the team will be defending as that series kicks off in September.
As the rain appeared to lessen, the #52 car eventually took the chequered flag with a three lap margin to secure not just another rave win in the Series but also to claim the overall and GT-A class wins as well. That goes nicely with their South Island Endurance Series win of 2020 – something that the team will be defending as that series kicks off in September.
Great job guys!
Photo credits – HoRT / NIES
Tuesday, June 29, 2021 |
Read more...
Two AMR's looking to claim their prizes at North Island Endurance Series finale
An ‘all or nothing’ final round of the North Island Endurance Series faces the #52 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Racing crew of Darren Kelly and Alex Riberas next weekend if they are to lift the overall or Class crown in 2021.
Having missed out on that last year in the NIES at their first time of asking, the #52 have been determined not to let that happen again this year with a race win in round one at Pukekohe back in May, a P2 next out at Hampton Downs at the end of May before a further P2 position lats time out at the Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park in Taupo just over a week ago.
Despite those three podiums out of three for the AMR crew, they are now just being pipped by the Championship leading #22 Audi R8 of Neil Foster and Jonny Reid who have scored just that little bit better with two wins and a second to lead the #52 by just 5 points going into the final round.
With the Series also running a points system where you drop your lowest score (both cars having dropped 90 points each so far), the 2021 winner will obviously be determined by the results of next weekend and looking back to last time, the HoRT won with the #22 crew in second place. A similar result would tie them again at the top of both the Championship and GT-A Classes.
Also looking to confirm their 2021 Championship status will be the #111 AMR Australasia Vantage GT8R car of Steve Harrison and Shane Merlin who lead their GT-B class by fourteen points after a second and two class wins over the three rounds so far. They, however, have had to drop 90 points whereas the second placed car is just 14pts behind having only dropped 20pts with a DNF amongst their results!!
Despite being raced on the other side of the world, this year’s Championship has been streamed live via the Motorsport TV webpage.
Now there’s just three more hours of racing to decide who comes out on top.
Photo credits – HoRT / NIES
Tuesday, June 22, 2021 |
Read more...
Misfortune of others cost Heart of Racing a win in North Island Endurance Series
After having to settle for second place behind the #22 Audi last time out at Hampton Downs, hopes were again high for today’s race as the #52 car claimed pole position, five places ahead of the #22 car going into today’s three-hour race with both cars tied for the Championship lead on 185 points each.
Also in the race again was the AMR Australasia Vantage GT8R of Steve Harrison and Shane Murland after their unopposed class B win at Hampton Downs two weeks ago.
Despite this event being Kelly’s and Riberas’ first competitive visit to the circuit, Riberas was soon off into the sunset as others held themselves up around a twisty, tyre punishing circuit but soon throttled back to conserve those tyres for the full expected hour duration of his stint. In the meantime, the Reid/Foster Audi R8 had moved up from P5 to P3.
Pitting from the lead at the seventy-minute mark, Riberas handed over to Kelly for what would be his only stint of the race again, but the #22 Audi stayed out in an attempt to gain track position.
Just before the halfway mark, a sickening looking accident for a young driver within a brand-new McLaren 570s GT4 with apparent brake issues brought out an immediate Safety Car. Losing the best part of an hour whilst the safety barrier and debris was repaired, another two-car spin on the green lap race left a two-horse race to the flag for the #52 and #22 cars but with each owing a final stop.
With forty-two minutes remaining the #22 assumed the race lead whilst the #111 car continued at the head of the non GT3 classes and would go on to take another class win.
For the #52 crew and Riberas short on minimum drive time by just one minute, their final stop came with less than three minutes remaining but unfortunately the damage had already been done with the #22 Audi having looked after its tyres more than the Aston to create a big enough gap to retain the lead and ultimately, the race win.
This result has Reid and Foster take the overall lead outright with just one round remaining!
Photo credits – HoRT / NIES
Saturday, June 12, 2021 |
Read more...
All to race for still at Rd 3 of North Island Endurance Championship
Next weekend sees the third round of four North Island Endurance Championship for the Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park in Taupo.
Back to the tradition of never seemingly able to track down an accurate entry list from the race organisers, we would believe that the #52 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage of Darren Kelly and Alex Riberas will of course be there but we are not so sure about the AMR Australasia Vantage GT8R of Steve Harrison and Shane Murland.
Both cars being podium winners after another eventful race last time out at Hampton Park, where the GT3 crew had to settle for a P2 slot and the GT8R crew took an unopposed class win again to lead their GT-B class.
Kelly and Riberas meanwhile are tied for the GT-A and overall Championship lead with the Audi crew of Neil Foster and Jonny Reid who beat them to the top step two weeks ago.
Photo credits – NIEC / HoRT / AMR Aus
Sunday, June 06, 2021 |
Read more...
Double podium for AMR runners at Rd 2 North Island Endurance Series
A highly entertaining second round of New Zealand’s North Island Endurance Series left the #52 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Racing team having to be satisfied with a second-place finish at the end of today’s three hour race from the Hampton Downs circuit.
Having qualified second behind the #1 McLaren 650S and with light rain beginning to fall as the cars assembled on the grid, it didn’t take Darren Kelly more than the length of the pit straight before taking the lead before gapping the chasing pack by some considerable margin and lapping the #111 AMR Australasia Vantage GT8R car by as early as the tenth minute.
Running as deep as the seventy eighth minute, Kelly pitted to swap over to Alex Ribera before a Safety Car period for a stranded car all but destroyed their race lead soon after their first stop. The restart lap then allowed the new generation #33 Audi R8 to come through into P2 to begin what would become a challenging time for Riberas with just an hour remaining.
Pass and counter passes were made between the #52 and #22 cars as each battled for the lead before ultimately the #22 car broke the tow and made it’s get-away and through their final stop of the race to claim the race win over the #52 car.
Without any real class competition, the #111 Vantage GT8R of Steve Harrison and Shane Murland finished the race P6 overall as fastest finisher behind the other GT3 class cars – so it wasn’t all bad!!
Both Aston’s now lead their respective classes at the halfway stage of the season.
Photo credits – NIES / Team
Saturday, May 29, 2021 |
Read more...
AMR Australasia Vantage GT8R and Heart of Racing AMR GT3 back out at Hampton Down this weekend
Two cars from the Aston Martin Racing stable feature in this weekend’s second round of the New Zealand’s North Island Endurance Series from Hampton Downs.
With one race win already under their belts from the Series opener at Pukekohe earlier this month has the #52 Heart of Racing AMR Vantage GT3 again featuring within the entry list of thirteen cars for drivers Alex Riberas and Darren Kelly.
Joining them this weekend will also be the #111 AMR Vantage GT8R from AMR Australasia for drivers Steve Harrison and Shane Murland who will again compete within the GT B Class.
3 Hour competitors | |||||
Driver name | Driver 2 Name | Vehicle Make: | Vehicle Model: | Race Number: | Class entry |
Geoff Short | Martin Short | Audi | GT3 | 5 | Class GT A |
Glenn Smith | John DeVeth | McLaren | 650s GT3 | 1 | Class GT A |
Neil Foster | Jonny Reid | Audi | R8 LMS | 22 | Class GT A |
Andrew Fawcett | Sam Fillmore | Audi | R8 LMS | 10 | Class GT A |
Alex Riberas | Darryn Kelly | Aston Martin | GT3 | 52 | Class GT A |
Lance Hughes | Chris Van der Drift | Nissan | GT3 | 84 | Class GT A |
Shane Helms | Greg Murphy | Renault | RS01 | 77 | Class GT A |
Todd Murphy | Andy Greenslade | Hyundai | I45 | 17 | Class GT B |
Don McIntyre | Rob Williams | Porsche | 997 GT 3 Cup | 24 | Class GT B |
Steve Harrison | Shane Murland | Aston Martin | GT8R | 111 | Class GT B |
Matt Dovey | Jono Lester | Audi | RS4 | 80 | Class 1: 3501 cc and over |
Tony Head | Seton Head | Toyota | Altezza | 20 | Class 1: 3501 cc and over |
Marco Giltrap | Simon Evans | Toyota | GT86 | 4 | Class 3: 1601 cc to 2000 cc |
Saturday’s race is again another three hour affair!
Photo credits – HoRT / AMR Australasia
Tuesday, May 25, 2021 |
Read more...
It started with a win down under...................
There’s no better way in starting the day with news of another Aston Martin Racing Customer/Partner team win, this time for the Heart of Racing AMR Vantage GT3 crew down under at the opening round of the New Zealand North Island Endurance Series.
With the #52 crew of Darren Kelly and Alex Riberas having missed out on pole position by the smallest of margins from Jonny Reid/Neil Foster Audi at Pukekohe Park earlier this weekend, the HoRT car came back to win an exciting opening three-hour round by a massive two lap margin from the Reid/Foster Audi despite some very changeable track conditions.
With fans being allowed free access to this weekend’s event, its hoped that the team were able to continue raising much needed funds for the country’s Starship Foundation before they all move onto the next round of the Series at the Hampton Down circuit for round two in two weeks’ time.
Photo credits - HoRT
Sunday, May 09, 2021 |
Read more...
A busy weekend in the Australasia arena for AMR teams old and new
A busy weekend ahead over in the Australasia theatre of motorsport as the GT World Challenge Australia moves onto its third round of their season at The Bend Motorsport Park but also sees the opening round of the North Island Endurance Series from New Zealand. Then on top of that, and after more than a year of nothing sees the first GT race within mainland China with all events involving at least one Aston Martin Racing Customer or Partner’s race car.
A month since their last round at Mount Panorama, the GTWC Australia Series moves onto the shorter 4.95km circuit variation of circuit at The Bend for its grid of nineteen GT3 cars that compete within the Championship Pro-Am and Am and Trophy classes.
After a double class win at Bathurst, Tony Quinn in his 2019 AMR Vantage GT3 now leads the Championships Am Class by thirty points whilst Michael Bailey got his first points on the board at Bathurst after his disastrous start in race 1 of the season at Phillip Island in his older generation V12 Vantage GT3.
Down is New Zealand, they start their first of four North Island races at Pukekohe Park Raceway before moving onto the South Islands Series later in the year.
With the absence of any official entry list, we know that the #52 Heart of Racing AMR Vantage GT3 for both Darren Kelly one of New Zealand’s latest domicile in Alex Riberas will certainly be racing again I both series to raise funds for the Starship Foundation that supports sick children and their families in the country. What we don’t know yet is whether there will be any AMR Vantage GT8R’s from the regional AMR strategic partner.
Finally, and by no means least sees the resumption of motor racing activities in mainland China this weekend for an all-new series that targets solo amateur drivers who want to race in GT2, GT3, GTC or GT4 machinery.
A few weeks ago, you will have seen that the first 2019 turbo powered AMR Vantage GT3 was imported into China and then ran at the Zhuhai circuit. That car will race for the first time this weekend at the Shanghai International Circuit in the opening round of the GT Super Sprint Challenge Series under the Uno Racing banner with David Pun behind the wheel.
Last associated with a GT4 effort with BSEM AMR in the China GT Championship, this will be Puns first race in an AMR GT3 at an event that will feature two – twenty-seven minute races. Presently, Pun’s #91 car entry features in an impressive 18 GT3 car field plus another 12 from the GTC and GT4 classes in a series that will run for five events.
Photo credits – GTWCA / HoRT / AMR Australasia / Pun
Tuesday, May 04, 2021 |
Read more...
Going the extra mile in New Zealand
What we didn’t know was that at the Series prize giving evening after their final round of their delayed season at the Levels Raceway in Timaru was that most class winners elected to donate their prize fund to the Starship Foundation via the Heart of Racing Team.
That generosity equated to over $6,000 NZ being donated on top of everything else collected but the team.
Photo credits - SIES
Sunday, November 22, 2020 |
Read more...
Heart of Racing - New Zealand Endurance Series Champions!
Not the first 2019 specification AMR Vantage GT3 to hit the race track in the Australasia racing theatre but certainly the first to grace the best race tracks that New Zealand’s North and South Island have to offer, the Starship Foundation supporting race effort went onto to secure the South Island Series title with a trio of podium finishes.
Not quite so effective in the North Island Series, the #52 car returned to the Hampton Downs circuit to compete in today’s ‘winner takes all’ three-hour endurance race which they did with a lights to flag win, having taken pole position earlier and eventually finishing a clear lap ahead of their closest rivals.
Many congratulations to all concerned and can’t wait to hear of any racing ambitions down under in 2021!!
Photo credits - HoRT
Saturday, November 07, 2020 |
Read more...
One last dance in New Zealand for Heart of Racing at Hampton Downs
Having ‘unfortunately’ found himself isolated and all alone in New Zealand whilst on holiday, a chance meeting between the then Heart of Racing IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Championship driver Riberas and New Zealand’s former Drift Champion Kelly rapidly formed and actioned into race plan to compete within the limited but still highly competitive GT race scene of the country.
For their efforts, a brand-new AMR Vantage GT3 was shipped out to the country for them to compete and raise much needed financial support for the Starship Foundation for sick children just like the team does in IMSA.
The #52 car eventually went on to win the opening round and then the overall South Island GT Championship, but this weekend sees them return to Hampton Downs to race in a one-off event against the best that the North and South Island series can muster in a winner takes all three hour race.
They in turn will again be joined by the AMR Australasia Vantage GT8R GT4 with Shane Helms & Steve Harrison behind the wheel having already secured two Class podiums at this year’s North Island events.
Photo credits - New Zealand GT / HoRT
Wednesday, November 04, 2020 |
Read more...
Heart of Racing's bitter pill at Petit Le Mans after an earlier boost down under
Having already secured both a win and a second placed finish so far this season, drivers Darren Kelly and Alex Riberas secured another P2 finish on Saturday aboard their #52 Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GT3 at the Levels Raceway near Timaru to secure the South Island Endurance Series itself. The team now move back north to finish off what they have already started within the North Island Endurance Series next week.
Both North and South Island Endurance Series meetings have been completed by the team in aid of the New Zealand Starship Foundation.
Back over at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, USA this weekend, the #23 AMR Vantage GT3 of Roman De Angelis, Ian James and a returning Darren Turner were back for the latest round of the IMSA Weathertech Championship for the annual 10 hours of Petit Le Mans.
Having started at the back of the grid of thirty-one cars, it looked like it was to be a long hard slog for nothing but even by the end of James’ opening stint, progress for the #23 car through the GTD pack was impressive as the cars recent Balance of Performance change had made it into a race car and not just another participant.
Under the clear blue skies of Road Atlanta, progress remained positive as the #23 forged its way into well within the top ten in class by the halfway point of the race and as the sun began to set beyond the tree line of the circuit. Then, in the dead of the night around the unlit circuit, De Angelis was to make inadvertent and unavoidable wheel to wheel contact with another GTD car.
Initial pitting for immediate repairs, the car did re-join the race but immediately pitted again from where it was to disappear behind ‘the wall’ and sadly not return. It was later confirmed that the unseen damage within the body of the car was just too great to repair safely in the time remaining for their efforts to be remain viable for a positive result. Heavy heads within the team were obvious as all their effort and recent Championship form had come to nothing.
With no time to dwell over what might have been, the team move onto the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in two weeks-time for the penultimate round of the 2020 season.
Photo credits – IMSA / HoRT
Sunday, October 18, 2020 |
Read more...
Heart of Racing back on duty in New Zealand
After their pair of podium finishes on both the north and South Island of New Zealand, the #52 Heart of Racing Team are back on the south Island this weekend for the second round of the South Island Endurance Series.
Having already taken a race win and then a P3 last time out at Hampton Downs, drivers Darren Kelly and Alex Riberas will have equally new GT3 race machinery to contend with at Mike Pero Motorsport Park for this weekends three hour race.
With fans again welcome at the circuit over the weekend, for those of us further afield a limited live stream will be available via the South Island Endurance Series Facebook page.
Photo credits - HoRT
Thursday, October 01, 2020 |
Read more...
