Their New Zealand GT Endurance adventure started with a race win for the Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GT3 of Darren Kelly and Alex Riberas in September and it shall end with a Championship race winning performance earlier this morning.

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.

With Cozzolino having stepped into the green liveried AMR Vantage GT3 at the start of the much delayed Series after it became apparent that AMR WEC Factory driver Nicki Thiim would be permitted to enter and exit the country at will because of their national immigration restrictions, the domiciled Italian has quickly become the stronger driver of the pair and was much missed by the team last time out at Fuji when he was replaced with Takuro Shinohara because he was still serving his two week period of self-isolation after his return to the country from Le Mans.

Whilst we all continue to endure some difficult times during this ongoing pandemic saga, its great to appreciate the efforts of many to bring some new cars to our race tracks this weekend.

The Heart of Racing team debuted their Aston Martin Arcing V8 Vantage GT3 in the preliminary sessions of the New Zealand South Island Endurance Series from Teretonga overnight with drivers Alex Riberas and Darren Kelly featuring prominently at the top of the timing board in those early sessions.


With both Qualifying and the three hour race starting tomorrow (Saturday) the event now holds the added bonus of spectators now being allowed into the circuit under a now familiar social distancing and restricted access format.


Over at Magney-Cours in France, the AGS Events Racing Team are also running with a four car Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GT4 effort at the second round of the FFSA GT4 Series.

A late notification of another Am Class entry from the team confirmed that their reigning Am Champion Julien Lambert would finally get to return to the team having found a new co-driver in GT World Challenge Europe racer Romano Ricci.


After private testing yesterday and Free Practice today, the thirty three car entry goes into tomorrow with Qualifying and the first of two - one hour races.


Finally we saw the first sights yesterday of Newbridge Motorsports AMR Vantage GT4 entry into this weekends third round of the the GT Cup Championship from Donington Park. No stranger to an Aston Martin having raced one in last years British GT Championship see Alex Toth Jones join up with Matt Topham to run the distinctive purple and white GT4 in support of the Bluebell Wood Childrens Hospice.


Whilst we only know of certainly the Heart of Racing car being a full season entry in their North and South Island Endurance Series, all new cars and new drivers are certainly more than welcome and we thank all of them for their efforts in getting the cars onto the grid.

We wish them all for the weekend.

Photo credits - Heart Of Racing / SIEC / FFSA GT4 / ATJ

This morning we saw the Heart of Racing Team reveal the identity of their new Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GT3 that they will take into the New Zealand North and South Island Endurance Series alongside the charitable Partner - The Starship Foundation.

Like the #23 AMR Vantage GTD that competes within the IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Championship, the #52 car will also be used as a fundraising mechanism for the Starship Foundation, another body similar to that of the Seattle Children's Hospital that the #23 car supports and which does similar -vital work within the field of children's healthcare in New Zealand.


As announced by the team earlier this month, Alex Riberas will be joining forces with New Zealand's former National Drift Champion Darren Kelly to race within both the Golden Homes North Island Endurance and Carters Tyre Service Island Endurance Series that starts at Invercargill on the South Island in just two weeks time.


Whereas the location maybe different, the same race on the track- raise money for the good cause mentality remains.

In a period of time where funds for new motor racing ventures are incredibly tight, this is really good news for all parties involved and we wish them all well in their new venture.

Photo credits - Logan West