As the noose of the COVID-19 virus took a further stranglehold around UK motorsport today with the immediate cessation of all testing at MSV owned circuits, here's Part 3 of our Instagram - Aston Martin Racing / Customer / Partner team gallery to help numb the pain!






















Keep well!!

A crisp, frosty January morning welcomed the Optimum Motorsport team to the Snetterton circuit in Norfolk yesterday, as the team started its first on-track pre season preparations of their 2018 British GT Championship campaign.

Having announced their participation in the national championship just before Christmas, the Yorkshire based team only took delivery of their new Aston Martin Racing V12 Vantage GT3 just a week ago readying it for drivers Flick Haigh and Jonny Adam for this weeks test.


To answer many questions, the team will be racing chassis #27 which is the ex. MacMillan GT3 car used so successfully last year by drivers Jack Mitchell and James Littlejohn.

Today was Haigh's first actual laps aboard her new stead for the season and following the wishes of the team not to disturb her focus we kept our camera's pretty much away from her outside of the car.


Despite the bright sunshine, the day got off to something of a slow start as the team waited for any remaining black ice to disappear before Adam first completed a few installation laps aboard the car in readiness for Haigh to take over for pretty much most of the day.

Being the first of a two day test, times were not of the essence but as the morning wore on any trepidation soon disappeared and her lap times visibly improved as the track dried which the team will hope to build upon going into tomorrow and subsequents tests next month.


The British GT Media Day is at Donington Park on the 8th March.

Contrary to all the recent good news coming out of #TeamAMR with all these new cars, teams and driver line ups, it is with much regret that we learn of another fan favourite team pulling down the shutters (for the time being at least) on any return to competitive motorsport in 2018.

MacMillan Racing first appeared on the British GT scene back in 2016 with a single Generation AMR prepared Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GT4 for young guns Jack Mitchell and Matty Graham before stepping up another gear in 2017 with a Prodrive supported GT4 and GT3 entry.


Last season saw Mitchell step up from the team's GT4 to win the GT3 Silver Cup with co driver James Littlejohn despite having to sit out the final round at Donington in September and it was hoped that 2018 would be yet another year of improvement for the team.

We understand that the team's two cars and equipment has all been 'mothballed' whilst other ‘options’ are considered but it is unlikely that we will see them race next year.

Photo credit - MacMillan Racing

Forgetting that the final round of the 2017 China GT Championship was moved forward a week by virtue of the annual Communist Party Conference being in session this week, we find that Prodrive supplied another familiar name from the British GT scene to help out the China Equity AMR team.

With Ross Gunn already having made his mark in the previous two rounds at Shanghai and Chengdu it was the turn of MacMillan Racing's Jack Mitchell to help out in the #618 China Equity AMR car in the final two races of the year from the Zhejiang International Circuit in eastern China.


In the footsteps of Gunn, Mitchell and co driver Yang Mengquai placed their V8 Vantage GT4 car on pole for the first race before converting that to a twenty second race win before then going on to claim P2 for the second and final race of the year. Sadly, it was not to be in the second race as Mengquai crashed out on the installation lap in horrible track conditions immediately prior to the start and was hence not classified as a starter.


The results from Zhejiang leave China Equity AMR P2 overall in the GT4 class behind championship winning team - The Winning Team! Customer Team ZEA FEA Racing, who incidentally were able to call apon the driving services of Adderly Fong for last weekend finish P5 overall

Photo credits - China GT

With the past six months having seemingly passed in a flash, last weekend saw the final round of the 2017 British GT Championship play itself out from Donington Park.

Sadly with no Aston Martin Racing team in the mix for any of the then undecided GT3 and GT4 championships all that was at stake was personally pride and to finish the job that many started way back at the turn of the year in a fitting and glorious style.

Things didn't exactly get off to a great start however with the last minute withdrawal of both MacMillan Racing GT3 and GT4 cars due to unforeseen circumstances leaving just TF Sport an Academy Motorsport to fill the voids in both classes.


Very mindful of the championship stakes for those immediately around them, both GT3 cars from TF Sport went out to dominate proceedings in both Free Practice and then Qualifying to claim the front two places for Sundays two hour race. Not to be out done, the #62 car of Matt Nichol-Jones and Will Moore also snatched the GT4 pole to make things a clean sweep for the marque.

Life in the old Vantage yet!!


With the Am Drivers starting the race, the biggest risk was for both cars to take each other out at the first corner and despite a little 'rubbing' going in all thankfully materialised out the other side Redgate to race another lap. Interrupting the TF Sport proceedings was the championship contesting Barwell Lamborghini of Jon Minshaw who split the AMR symmetry for a brief while before the pressure of the event caused him to spin out at the Fogarty Esses restoring the status quo.

That allowed Mark Farmer to doggedly defend his overall lead from team mate Derek Johnston in his new red liveried car for the entire length of their one hour minimum drive time with some great car craft  being on display from both.


Unfortunately for Will Moore, the reoccurrence of an old intermittent electrical issue abroad his V8 Vantage GT4 was causing him to periodically loose power, dropping positions all the time until an unfortunate Ginetta GT4 behind collided heavily with the rare of the #62 after one such event ending his own race and GT4 championship aspirations on the spot but at least the #62 was able to continue.

Just fifteen minutes later and only thirty minutes into the race what would later turn out to be a catastrophic failure of the cars gearbox casing saw the sveltely liveried #62 to come to a premature end after a brief oil fire on the side of the track - it was over and out for them.

Meanwhile, the two TF Sport cars were still racing hammer and tongs with the race decisive move coming as Farmer elected to pit on his hour mark leaving Johnston a clear track on which to do his own in lap unhindered. A ten second success penalty then applied against the #11 car pitstop after their result at the previous round at Brands Hatch allowed Jonny Adam to exist the pit lane now in the #1 car a pit lane length just ahead of the #11 car with Jon Barnes now at the wheel.


With racing of the highest calibre for the next hour that would be how the race would ultimate finish with a fine 1-2 for the Tom Ferrier led team - just six races too late to make anything of it!

Speaking with both Mark Farmer and Derek Johnston afterwards, both confirmed that with 'all planets aligning and everything else remaining equal' it would be their desire to return to the British GT Championship with the TF Sport team if at all possible. The only doubt seemed to be regarding whether or not AMR factory driver Jonny Adam would again be available to mentor Johnston.


With Johnston assuring us that despite his recent LMP3 test at Donington the other week he had absolutely no desire to follow the prototype formula as his body was too old for them and he had been spoiled by the AMR Vantage GT3 which has again proven itself to remain as a race winner despite its age.

And for Farmer - its like Jon Barnes said on the starting grid - "he's had unbelievable performance this weekend but there's always room for improvement!"


Hopefully see you next year guys!

Photo credit - Jacob Ebrey (podium shot)

MacMillan Racing's Jack Mitchell has today confirmed his position within the BRDC Rising Stars programme thanks to his racing efforts in British GT and Ginetta Supercup this year.

He joins a long line of AMR drivers to this accolade, some of whom have gone into lofty heights of GTE competition.

Well done Jack - hope to see the BRDC roundall on the Vantage at Donington for the final round of the British GT season in a few weeks time.

Photo credit - Jacob Ebrey

Dual SRO Series duo Matt Nichol-Jones and Will Moore finally hooked it together this afternoon to claim pole position in the GT4 class for tomorrows penultimate round of the 2017 British GT Championship from Brands Hatch.

With all the teams facing some really tricky track conditions today with sometimes very heavy rain showers between sessions (and importantly just before GT Qualifying itself) the crew of the #62 car carried calm heads to claim their first class pole of the season by over a tenth from the second placed #100 McLaren 570S in the incredible strong 18 car entry.


Further to the front go of the grid, top honours in the GT3 field again went to the #24 MacMillan Racing Vantage of Jack Mitchell and James Littlejohn who finished second to the 'absolutely flying' championship leading Lamborghini of Phil Keen and Jon Minshaw.

Just behind them was the #11 TF Sport entered V12 Vantage of Jon Barnes and Mark Farmer, who at one point this morning had to get their car dug out of the gravel at Paddock Hill bend following a 'miscalculation' on Farmer's part during Free Practice.


The remaining full season entered GT3 of Jonny Adam and Dereck Johnston finished their Qualifying in P7 whilst the remaining GT4 entry of Jan Jonck and Will Phillips finished mid table in P10. The one off entry from Ultimate Speed Racing struggled for pace throughout the day to finish at the rear of the GT3 grid some seconds off the time of the car in front.

Tomorrows two hour race starts 14 14:10hours and should the weather be anything like it has been today it would be a brave person who would predict the podium in either class.

Photo credits - Jacob Ebrey

The British GT Championship rolls back into town this weekend with their penultimate round of the 2017 season at the Brands Hatch circuit with another two hour race enduro.

With both the GT3 and GT4 Championships not yet confirmed it is all to play for for the teams and crew still retaining a mathematical possibility of lifting the championship come the end of the season at Donington. For TeamAMR it is already virtually all over bar the racing for either full season team within the GT3 category baring a minor miracle to the leading Lamborghini and Bemtley but at least the #24 MacMillan crew of Jack Mitchell and James Littlejohn have already secured the GT3 Silver Cup


Inconsistencies and technical issues throughout the season have seen reigning GT3 Champions, Derek Johnston and Jonny Adam's chances of retaining the championship disappear already with team mates Mark Farmer and Jon Barnes not fairing much better.


For Brands Hatch, the two full season GT3 entries from MacMillan and TF Sport will be joined by the Mike Brown Racing V12 Vantage GT3 after a podium winning (provisional)  'shakedown' in the GT Cup Series at Oulton Park last weekend. Mike Brown will again be joined by regular team mate Matty Manderson - neither of whom are strangers to the British GT Championship.



In GT4, neither the #42 MacMillan nor the #62 Academy car are in the running for the championship - the first time that that has happened in the last three years during which an AMR runner secured either the title or second place.

Free Practice for the race takes place on Saturday morning with class qualifying in the afternoon before a 14.10hrs start for the two hour race on Sunday.