PROsport Racing miss out from early Qualifying pace at the Nurburgring
Consistency remains the aim for the two Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GT4’s of PROsport Racing after another round of the DTM Trophy that saw early promise in Qualifying fall short of their hopes and ambitions by the chequered flag.
This time racing at the Nurburgring for the third round of the GT4 series, the #1 car of Tim Heinemann and the #19 car of Mike David Ortmann had hoped for more after recent some post incident repairs after the last round of the series at the Lausitzring and subsequent testing before the weekend, and that was demonstrated with sound qualifying pace from both cars.
Amongst a grid of twenty-two cars, reigning DTM Trophy Champion Heinemann Qualified P5 whilst Ortmann was in P8 – his best place to date but whilst Heinemann barged his way up to P3 going into turn one, Ortmann found himself being pushed wide in into the gravel to recover down in P13.
With each of the two races only being thirty minutes long, that gave Ortmann little time to clean up his tyres and recover the situation whilst Heinemann would spend much of his time heavily defending his podium position from the Championship leading #85 Mercedes.
In something of a ‘calm’ race by recent DTM Trophy standards, Heinemann would finish to take his second podium finish of the season whilst Ortmann would finish P10.
For Sunday’s race, the cooler track conditions suited by Astons much better as the #1 car claimed a front row start in P2 whilst Ortmann would start from a season’s best in P7 however, poor starts again from both drivers saw that effort count for nothing as both dropped into the pack in P3 and P13 respectively.
This time it was the #1 cars turn to be shouldered out into the gravel which in turn dropped him further back to P6 with neither car seemingly having the race pace to recover. Despite some last lap passes, the #1 car would finish P5 and the #19 car in P13.
These results leave Heinemann way off the Championship leaders in P6 with less than half the points of the leader whilst Ortmann shows just three points from his four races since taking over the #19 car from Patrik Matthiesen after the Monza debacle.
The next round will be at the Red Bull Ring in two week’s time.
Photo credits – DTM Trophy / Teams
PROsport Racing going for better than last time out as the DTM Trophy hits the track of the Nurburgring
After two races at each of the previous rounds at both Monza and the Lausitzring, the DTM Trophy Series moves across to the Nurburgring for two further thirty minutes plus one lap races for the entered GT4 machinery.
The locally based PROsport Racing team should again enter their two Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GT4’s (again no entry list visible) into this round for their drivers Tim Heinemann (#1) and Mike David Ortmann, a driver who took over the #19 car after a parting of company between the team and Patrik Matthiesen after an ‘eventful’ season opener in Italy.
The last round around the tri-oval and infield track at the Lausitzring ended badly for the PROsport team with Ortmann finishing the highest of the pair in P10 in race one after a late journey through the gravel trap after a Safety Car for Heinemann before the reigning DTM Champion claimed Pole position for race 2 only to be taken out at high speed (literally) by an out-of-control KTM X Box going into the tight turn 2 on the second lap.
That impact inflicted immediate race ending damage to the #1 car leaving Ortmann as the sole runner in that race where he claimed his first points of the season in P10. Recent photos seen of the #19 car testing ahead of this weekend’s round will have seen the car bearing a front grille denoted with the AGS Racing name – that we understand is simple because PROsport sauced some parts from the French team but hadn’t removed the previous team’s details in time for that test.
The DTM Trophy entry will again contact a Qualifying session ahead of each race on both Saturday and Sunday.
Photo credits – DTM Trophy / Team
PROsport Racing left to count the cost poor driving at DTM Trophy's second round at the Lausitzring
The Nurburgring based Aston Martin Racing team of PROsport Racing remained the sole AMR team within the mid-twenties grid of GT4 machinery but had a revised line up since the opening round at Monza with Dane Patrik Matthiesen falling out with the team for him to be replaced with sometimes previous team racer, Mike David Ortmann.
Saturdays opening race wasn’t a good one for the two Aston’s as each car was obviously lacking the same amount of terminal velocity of the Mercedes and BMW’s ahead and on a circuit that required effective slip-streaming to pass – that was an obvious issue.
Starting P6, reigning DTM Trophy champion Tim Heinemann quickly dropped to P9 by the first real corner of the lap whilst Ortmann did make some early gains to lift himself up from P18 to P14.
Never in the race, both Astons had to make do with what they had and a prolonged Safety Car for two cars tangling on the pit straight only served to save their blushes. Then in the final minutes, Heinemann got pushed out and into an infield gravel trap – managing to return but was by then in last place. Race one would end with #19 Ortmann finishing P10 and #1 Heinemann P15, rounding off a miserable day for them.
Race 2 would at least start well for the PROsport team as Heinemann secured pole position with Ortmann slightly better placed in P16.
Taking the rolling start, Heinemann was again shown weaving vigorously across the track to defend his position from the BMW of Ben Green behind and the #23 KTM behind him. Losing the lead and then regaining it a few corners later it looked like it was going to be a busy thirty minutes to see who won.
The only thing was, and just a lap later, a move from the #23 KTM on Green left the KTM with little to no braking distance into the tight left hander and had the #23 car sail broadside into the side of the #1 car ahead as he turned into the corner. Ripping the driver’s door off the Aston in the process, both cars came to a halt some way away from the scene of their impact. Luckily both appeared to be unharmed although Heinemann left his feelings clearly be known as the victim in that incident.
After the clean-up with the Safety Car again controlling the race, little over half the time remained. Salt was to be later rubbed into the wounds of the PROsport team as the sister KTM X Bow robustly pushed Ortmann out wide to drop two or three places only for the KTM to go into the next corner too fast, spin the gravel and exit back onto the racetrack (backwards) just Infront on the #19 car.
Race two would finish a disappointing P11 for the #19 car and another DNF for the #1 car as the series looks to Zolder in two week’s time.
UPDATED - DTM Trophy takes on the Lausitzring this weekend
UPDATE - Further to this post being written by us a couple of weeks ago now and in the continuing absence of any provisional entry list, it appears that there has been something of a change within the PROsport Racing team and its DTM Trophy squad going into this second round of the Series this weekend.
The upshot is that out has gone Patrik Mattiesen and in has come Mike David Ortmann who will now take over the #19 Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT4 car for the remainder of the DTM Trophy season.
We understand that this is due in part to fall-out resulting from the team's decision to withdraw both remaining Aston Martin and Porsche GT4 car entries from race one at Monza following the disqualification of their #1 car of Tim Heinemann.
Having finally started last month in Monza, the 2021 DTM Trophy is back for its second round from the season at the Lausitzring this weekend after some exceptional set of events last time out.
Having had the #1 Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT4 of Tim Heinemann excluded after Qualifying for race one in Monza, German based team PROsport Racing electively pulled their remaining AMR of Patrik Matthiesen as well as their Porsche from the grid in protest just minutes from the warm-up lap.
They then managed to see sense ahead of Sunday’s one hour race to let all their cars participate again where reigning DTM Trophy Champion Heinemann placed his car on the front row of the grid and just behind Race 1 winner Will Tregurtha. Matthiesen Qualified P20 out of the 21 cars entered.
Sunday’s events were equally as eventful as Saturday’s as making a pass for the lead, Heinemann cut the first chicane only to hand the position back without foul only to do it again just before the end but this time he didn’t hand the position back.
For that, Heinemann’s race win on track was time adjusted to place him in P3 whilst the Dane’s opening DTM Trophy experience sadly went from bad to worse with the DNS in Race 1 to a DNF in Race 2.
This weekend’s round comes from the back tri-oval circuit in north-east Germany where they run part of the banked circuit as well as part of the infield much like Rockingham used to be.
Photo credits – DTM Trophy / Team
Eventful opening round of DTM Trophy for PROsport Racing AMR
As reported last night, an undefined Parc Ferme transgression with the #1 Tim Heinemann Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT4 which resulted in the team withdrawing all three of their cars from Saturday’s race 1 – the #1 car, the #19 AMR of Danish driver Patrik Matthiessen as well as their Porsche for Adam Christodoulou (why??)
Sunday fortunately appeared to be another day for the team, as Heinemann Qualified his car P2 for the days shorter 30-minute race whilst Matthiessen struggled with his car to set a time over four seconds slower than his teammate in P20.
A simple sprint race around the historic circuit of Monza sounded simple but as usual, the concertina effect of the first chicane was there to trip people up. Thankfully, all round safely for the first time but a stuck BMW in the gravel on the opening lap called for a brief Safety Car whilst it was removed.
A side-by-side restart from behind the Safety Car saw Heinemann look for a way back past into P2 having dropped a place in the opening corners and by the fourth lap he was back to where he had started but for the next fifteen minutes it would be all about getting past the then leading #2 BMW.
Having already cut turn 1 and given the place back, Heinemann’s only way past the BMW was by doing the same again but this time the gesture wasn’t repeated for the #1 to go on and take the chequered flag. The trouble was that even before the podium celebrations had started, a two second penalty had been applied to the #1 car’s race time – putting them back to P3 overall.
Either way, the #1 car showed good pace for the reigning DTM Trophy Champion – Matthiessen will need to look back at what went wrong for them before they move onto the Lausitzring at the end of July.
Photo credits – DTM Trophy / Team
PROsport Racing cars missing from grid of DTM Trophy opener
We are hoping for better things in tomorrow’s second race of the open weekend of the 2021 DTM Trophy Series from Monza after all three cars from the PROsport Racing team failed to make the grid in todays opener.
Fielding two Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GT4’s as well as a Porsche, and despite ongoing technical issues for the Adam Christodoulou Porsche during Free Practice, all three cars set a representative Qualifying time that would have seen reigning DTM Trophy Champion Tim Heinemann start today’s race in P4, Christodoulou P12 and Patrik Matthiessen P19 out of the field of twenty-two car.
However, none of these cars featured on the grid for the start of the race and none started the race from pit lane either.
We understand that a parc-ferme transgression after Qualifying for the #1 Heinemann car ultimately lead to that car being disqualified from the race for which the team withdrew their other cars (in protest?) just ten minutes prior to the race start.
Hopefully, tomorrow will bring greater clarity on that situation that will allow all their cars to race tomorrow.
Photo credits – PROsport Racing / DTM Trophy
DTM Trophy kicks off this weekend in Monza with two AMR GT4's from PROsport Racing
Running for their second season, the DTM Trophy this year has two Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GT4’s running a full season campaign with the PROsport Racing team for drivers Patrik Matthiessen and Tim Heinemann.
Winning the opening season last year aboard a Mercedes AMG GT4, 23-year-old German driver Heinemann swaps to an also proven AMR chassis (appropriately numbers #1) alongside former British GT racer Matthiessen. Having already undertaken the official series test at the Lausitzring earlier in the year, Matthiessen also ran his #19 car during the Free Practice sessions of the GT4 European Series event at the circuit back in mid-April.
The series will again run on a basis of single drivers competing in two 30 minute plus one lap race over the weekend with the successful cars then running a ‘success ballast’ at the next race. The winning driver at the end of the year will also win €75,000 as well as a DTM test.
Photo credits – PROsport Racing
PROsport Racing secure Heinemann for his DTM Trophy title defence
German based PROsport Racing have completed their two-car driver line up for the 2021 DTM Trophy season this week with the signing of last year’s Champion from his Mercedes team of last year.
Having already raced with the team last season at the penultimate round of the ADAC GT4 Germany Series, 23-year-old Tim Heinemann joins PROsport team aboard one of their two Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GT4’s that will be entered by them this season, in a car that he will drive alongside Patrik Matthiessen (in another) who was announced earlier this year.
Sporting the #1 aboard the car for Heinemann and #19 for Matthiessen, this season will see them compete at seven double header race weekends after their season official test from the Lausitzring at the beginning of May.
Photo credits – PROsport Racing
PROsport Racing hard at it around the race tracks of Europe
A busy few day still awaits the PROsport Racing team this week as they transition from testing to (hopefully) racing at two of the nicest racetracks on continental Europe.
The German based time have already spent time at a cold and snowy Red Bull Ring in Austria this week as they help Patrik Matthiessen prepare for his DTM Trophy debut aboard one of the team’s Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GT4’s in time for the season opener at Monza in June.
This weekend, the team returns to its ‘local’ track at the Nürburgring where the second four-hour round of the Nürburgring Langstrechen Serie is due to be held around the Nordschleife. The opening round to the formerly named VLN Series late last month was cancelled due to heavy snow around the circuit and this time we just see the AMR Vantage GT4 from PROsport Racing in its usual SP10 class.
The #176 car will again be driven by Guido Dumarey and Alex Walker.
Photo credits – PROsport / Nico Verdonck / 24H Series
PROsport Racing secure P2 in Class at 24H Series Dubai 24
Competing again with the PROsport Racing team with their orange and white Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GT4, the Belgian gentleman driver and diver coach duo were joined by countryman racer Stephane Lemeret, returning guest driver Constantin Scholl and PROsport’s latest DTM Trophy recruit in former British GT GT4 racer Patrik Matthiesen.
Having Qualified their #401 car into P4 in class it didn’t take the #401 long to reach the class lead of the early stages of the race before a time penalty of their own pushed them back down the order.
As the long hours of Arabian darkness slowly passed and the five drivers cycled through their rotas, the #401 seemed more than able to hang on to its P2 position in class that it held at the one and two thirds race distances.
‘Surviving’ the night in one piece as Verdonck would message out, the #401 still circulated in P2 in the GT4 class just one lap behind the leading BMW with just an hour to go. Gillion would end up being the one bringing the car home to take a much-deserved chequered flag – three laps behind the class winning ST Racing BMW but three laps ahead of the car that would finish in P3.
Congratulations to the team and the drivers for a much-deserved result as they prepare themselves for other events around Europe later this year including the Spa Francorchamps, Portimao and Sebring rounds of the 24H Series calendar.
Photo credits – 24H Series
Single Aston Martin for 24H Series opener at Dubai 24hr
Now expanded to a five-driver line up, the ‘usual’ Belgian pairing of Rodrigue Gillion and Nico Verdonck have been joined by countryman Stephane Lemeret as well as the teams latest DTM Trophy recruit in Patrik Matthiesen as well as Austrian Constantine Scholl.
Competing in a class of six cars amongst the indicated grid of fifty two cars, the #401 crew will want to do better than last year where their Newbridge Motorsport supplied Vantage GT4 failed to take the start of the race due to electrical issues within their car.
Official track action will commence this Thursday.
Photo credits - 24H Series
British GT - Optimum Motorsport
Like TF Sport - Optimum Motorsport have also decided to attend an open test day today at the Oulton Park circuit rather than attend the British GT Championship's Media Day event just down the road at Donington Park.
Similarly to TF Sport, they too are all change for 2019 and will be running one example of the new Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GT3 as well as two examples of the new Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GT4 in this season British GT Championship.
Only last week did the Wakefield based team confirm that their 2018 International GT Open pairing of Ollie Wilkinson and Bradley Ellis would step up to conduct a near parallel race programme in both International GT Open and the British GT Championship aboard their new V8 Vantage GT3 - we say near parallel as there is a clash between the two programmes at the BGT Silverstone round and the GT Open round at Spa Francorchamps.
This pairing (who did race last year with the team in GT Open in their Audi R8) have at least had the chance of a day and bit of initial shakedown testing with their new car in part one of the GT Open winter test from Paul Ricard the week before last. Some good times came back from the duo on day one before a 'new car gremlin' cut them back in track time on the second day.
Two new Vantage GT4's for the team this year as well with three new team members and one stepping up from the teams Ginetta GT5 series entry of 2018. Connor O'Brien takes that monumental step up the race car ladder to GT4 with the team he knows and in a car that he will share with former LMP3 racer Jack Butel. We understand that this pair have only last week collected their car from the Prodrive factory with the second car still outstanding in time to be used at this test.
The second GT4 car was announced last week of including former BGT GT4 Champion Mike Robinson who will be racing with experience GT4 racer Patrick Matthiesen.
So with only one full day of testing under their belts in GT3 and no GT4 testing so far this year, it will be imperative for the team to get in some good track time between now and the start of the season in April - something that they feel that they cannot achieve at the restrictive running of the Championship's Media Day.
Sad for us but perfectly understandable for them!
At least we know about all the liveries!!
Photo credits - Optimum
Optimum confirm second Vantage GT4 for British GT
First intimated last year, Optimum Motorsport have today finally confirmed the driver line up that will compete aboard the teams second brand new Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GT4 in the forthcoming British GT Championship.
Joining the team's young guns of Connor O'Brien and Jack Butel previous announced by the team some weeks ago will be the more experienced GT racing line up of Mike Robinson and Patrik Matthiesen.
Having first started in the British GT Championship back in 2015, Robinson has won the overall GT4 Championship once and finished runner up once with the Optimum team and their then Ginetta G55 entry before moving away to the McLaren 570S car of Balfe Motorsport last year where he and co driver Graham Johnson again finished in the runners up position.
Danish driver Matthiesen has one year of British GT GT4 experience under his belt from last year where he achieved one race win and a fourth place overall finish in the Championship with his HHC prepared Ginetta G55 as well as success in the 24H Series by Creventic.
Both drivers will add a large degree of knowledge and experience to the team as they embark on their first season running multiple cars again in the Championship.
With the new V8 Vantage GT4 cars now being released to national and European customers it won't be long before we start seeing these guys on track testing.
Driver photo credit - Jacob Ebrey
