An additional Aston Martin at this weekends Imola FIA WEC event
Racing their second round of the new season after their opener from Mugello earlier this month, this weekend’s entry list sees the return of the #23 Team Spirit Racing AMR Vantage GT4 for Mathias Lyngbye as he continues his racing transition to the GT format.
Lyngbye started his GT4 experience with an untimely DNF in the opening race before coming back with a P6 finish in class to get his championship account underway.
If you are thinking that the link between the TSR team and the Lyngbye name – you would be correct after Henrik Pederson-Lyngbye raced within the GT4 European Series with the team back in 2022. We are just not too sure of the actual family connection though.
Again, the series will run a thirty minute sprint race over both Saturday and Sunday with its twenty two strong multi-classed grid.
Photo credits - Series
German based Racing One confirm FOUR Aston Martins into the GT4 European Series
A big day today for the German based Racing One team as they announce a mighty four car entry into this season’s GT4 European Series that starts at Monza at the end of the month.
Last night saw an early revelation that American racer Kenton Koch will now be conducting race programmes on either side of the Atlantic as he pairs his GT America/GT4 America duties with the Bsport Racing team with that of the GT4 European Series where he shall share one of the team’s Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT4’s with Dutchman Thijmen Nabuurs in the Silver Cup Class.
Neither of these pair come short of experience and skill with both finishing their last year’s programme at the sharper end of the table in their respective series and make for a car in class to be closely watched.
Then today, the Series have also confirmed a further three cars from the team – one for returning Am Class pairing of Henrik Lyngbye Pederson and Marcus Lungstrass as well as a car apiece from the Gisy family as the father, Christian converts to the AMR platform and sons Moritz and Vincent make their GT race debut at Monza.
Christian will partner established series rather Ralf Kelleners in the Pro-Am class whilst both Moritz and Vincent share the teams fourth car in an as yet undetermined class.
All the Gisy family (and others listed above) have spent a number of days testing and racing their new cars in both Spain and Portugal under the watchful eyes of both Lungstrass and Kelleners in series like the GT Winter Series.
This news also brings the Aston Martin ‘head count’ up to nine so far with entries still yet to be confirmed from the likes of GPA Racing, Team Speed Monkeys and Mirage Racing.
The GT4 European Series might just get extremely busy!
Photo credits – GT4 European / Teams / GT4 America
Scrappy opening round secures podium finish for latest AMR team in GT4 European Series
The opening round of the GT4 European Series hit the track of Monza in Italy this weekend with six Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GT4 crews competing in both the Silver and Am Classes amongst the resurgent 46 car entry.
With weather conditions more than favourable over the weekend for the GT4 timetable at least, good qualifying positions for Saturdays first race raised the hope of continuing where the Vantage had largely left off last season having secured the Silver Cup and Am classes with AGS Events Racing.
The latest AMR team, Racing one with Marcus Lungstrass and Henrik Lyngbye Pederson where surprisingly at the front of the AMR pack in P6 overall (P1 in AM) with the Mirage AMR of Ruben Del Sarte just behind in P8 (P6 in Silver).
Unfortunately for some, the opening laps of the race would prove pivotable in their later successes (or not) as the #45 AGS car of Hugo Conde found the outside wall of the circuit to be retired from the race on the spot with significant front-end damage.
Not long after the resumption of racing from that caution period and the race was back behind the Safety Car as four more cars tangled – this time luckily not involving any Aston but these caution periods need require the pit stop window to be moved back.
Cycling through their respective stops, Tom Canning now aboard the #55 Mirage Racing AMR had the best chance of an opening podium but he and Del Sarte had to settle for a P4 in class finish by the end.
Race two’s opening laps were equally as dramatic as Canning was hit from behind going into turn 1 for the first time, causing him to spin around and collect numerous cars as the wreck of his car went through the pack before settling just off-line and awaiting collection by a snatch vehicle.
As with any Safety Car, they do have a tendency of producing further periods of incident and accident and this race was no different as further contact into turn 1 again brought out the yellow flags.
A short period of jubilation was when the #27 AGS AMR of Cesar Gazeau lead the race for a brief period as those in front pitted but that was addressed by the time that all cars had completed their final stops.
There would be good news however by the end of the race as Lungstrass avoided a final ‘moment’ at a chicane to bring his #18 car home P14 overall but P2 in the Am Class for some vital points. The #27 AGS car of Gazeau and Konstantin Lachenauer was the next best AMR finisher - just off the Silver Cup podium in P4 with the Street Art Racing car of Pascal Bachmann and Paul Theysgens completing the AMR finishing ranks in P26. The #45 and #89 AGS Events Racing cars as well as the #55 Mirage Racing car were all listed as DNF’s.
The next round of the Series will be at Paul Ricard at the end of May.
Photo credits – GT4 European
