Vantage GTE bows out with a double podium in Bahrain
In a race free of Safety Car periods, pure performance mattered more in Bahrain than at any other race in the 2023 WEC, and this enabled Aston Martin Racing partner teams D’station Racing, Heart of Racing and ORT by TF to show the true endurance pace of the Vantage GTE and score a milestone 75th LMGTE Am podium in the category’s final race.
Japanese entrant D’station Racing, with a Vantage GTE operated by 2022 World Champions TF Sport, scored its best ever result in the WEC as series debutant Liam Talbot (AUS) qualified second in GTE Am and set a strong pace; the intensity of which was matched by team-mates Casper Stevenson (GBR) and Tomonobu Fujii (JPN) as the trio finished second, just five seconds from victory after eight hours of hard racing.
The Heart of Racing team made it a double-podium finish. Its trio of drivers, led by Team Principal Ian James (GBR), Daniel Mancinelli (ITA) and Alex Riberas (ESP) took third, with the team in contention for victory until contact delayed the #98 car with two hours to go.
Heart of Racing’s result is the latest in a long line of achievements for the team with Vantage in the past 13 months. The US-based operation won the 2022 GTD division in the North American IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship and was the first GT car home in this year’s Rolex 24 at Daytona – a first for Aston Martin.
The race result means that the Vantage GTE, the prototype version of the British-built race car derived from Aston Martin’s critically-acclaimed ultra-luxury sportscar, which shares the same aluminium body-frame and a specially-tuned version of the four-litre V8 turbo-charged production engine, completes the GTE Am era as its most successful car with a record 33 wins and a total of 75 podiums.
In what was the best event of the year for Vantage, ORT by TF ran strongly inside the top four after a quick and consistent performance by Omani driver Ahmad Al Harthy, Michael Dinan (USA) and Aston Martin works racer Charlie Eastwood (IRL) but retired with 20 minutes to go.
Combining both the GTE Am and GTE Pro classes – the latter of which was discontinued after 2022 – Vantage has amassed 52 victories in the WEC’s 85 races and has finished on the podium 119 times, at least one of which came in every single season since the FIA revived the World Championship in 2012.
Eleven world titles have been achieved in that time as well as five victories in the world’s biggest motor race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, including a GTE Pro and Am double in 2020.
“The Aston Martin Vantage GTE has completed every single one of its objectives and covered itself in glory in the process,” said Aston Martin’s Head of Endurance Racing Adam Carter. “A multiple championship-winning race car, Vantage won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in both classes and was a force throughout its six-year run in the world championship. It will be rightly remembered as one of the great sportscars in the modern era of the sport. We’re incredibly excited about what’s coming next for Aston Martin in world endurance racing, but we must also be proud of what has been achieved with Vantage GTE.”
Source material - AMR
Photo credits - Andrew Lofthouse / Drew Gibson
Sunday, November 05, 2023 |
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A question of pride for AMR as the WEC reaches Japan
The FIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC) fires back into action this weekend for the penultimate round of the 2023 season, as three of Aston Martin’s multiple championship-winning Vantage GTE return to Fuji Speedway; traditionally a happy hunting ground for the famous Wings in the Far-East.
Aston Martin Racing partner teams D’station Racing, Heart of Racing (competing under the NorthWest AMR entry) and reigning LMGTE Am class champions TF Sport are all entered in this weekend’s 6 Hours of Fuji, as Vantage seeks to record its first win in its final season of WEC competition.
Fuji has frequently been a scene of glory for the British ultra-luxury sportscar manufacturer since the former grand prix venue was introduced to WEC in 2012. In total, Aston Martin has recorded seven WEC class victories in Japan, including double-class wins in 2013 and 2019. It is also the venue where the current generation Vantage GTE recorded its first pole position, in 2018.
Since then, there have been two more pole positions that were converted into lights-to-flag victories – including last year, when TF Sport’s Ben Keating, Henrique Chaves and Marco Sørensen consolidated their championship lead with the Vantage GTE’s most recent WEC class win (and it’s third in Japan).
TF Sport, and its drivers Ahmad Al Harthy (OMN) and Michael Dinan (USA), supported by works driver Charlie Eastwood (IRL), heads to the 6 Hours of Fuji on Sunday having inched closer to victory through this season. The team has been a front-runner almost everywhere in 2023, and two podiums in the last three races mean its embroiled in a fierce fight for the runner-up spot in the championship, sitting just two points off second place.
D’station Racing, which enjoys technical support from TF Sport, returns to home soil determined to repeat its podium glory of 2023. The team’s headquarters is based less than 10 miles from Fuji, and Satoshi Hoshino (JPN), team manager Tomonubu Fujii and young British rising star Casper Stevenson are seeking to use the local support to boost their chances of a third WEC podium finish for the team.
The Heart of Racing [HoR] returns to WEC for the first time since Le Mans with its regular line-up of team principal Ian James (GBR), IMSA race-winner Alex Riberas (ESP) and Daniel Mancinelli (ITA), as it makes its Japanese racing debut. Having taken over the #98 NorthWest AMR entry vacated when Paul Dalla Lana retired from the sport prior to Spa, the US-based team has learned fast in WEC. It’s finished both races it has contested and recorded a strong sixth place in the eventful weather-afflicted 24 Hours of Le Mans in June.
The Vantage GTE is a prototype version of the British-built race car derived from Aston Martin’s critically-acclaimed ultra-luxury sportscar and shares the same aluminium body-frame and a specially-tuned version of the four-litre V8 turbo-charged production engine. In all its variants (GTE, GT3 and GT4), Vantage is phenomenally successful, and is currently the reigning Rolex 24 at Daytona and a three-times 24 Hours of Le Mans class winner, as well as defending champion in the GT Am class of both the FIA WEC and IMSA. The Vantage GTE, introduced in 2018, has recorded 12 victories at WEC level and has won two world championship titles.
Huw Tasker, AMR Head of Partner Racing, said: “We are delighted to see three Aston Martin Vantage GTEs contesting the 6 Hours of Fuji, a venue Aston Martin has traditionally enjoyed competitive form at over the years. TF Sport has been in the mix all season, and it feels like only a matter of time before the team is rewarded with a victory. D’station Racing is always strong on home soil, and we’re excited to see what Heart of Racing can achieve on the team’s first visit to Fuji. There are only two races left for this iteration of the wonderful Vantage GTE, which has proved so successful, and yet we see no signs of it fading in competitiveness and we are hoping that it can bow out on the high its pedigree deserves.”
Official practice for the 6 Hours of Fuji begins on Friday, 8 September, at 1100 local time, with the race beginning at 1100 on Sunday.
Source material - AMR
Photo credits - D Gibson
Monday, September 04, 2023 |
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Just two Aston Martin Vantage GTEs at start of the homeward stretch to WEC 2023 campaign from Monza
Having started at Sebring in mid-March before moving across to Europe for rounds at both Portimao and Spa Francorchamps, the last run out for the Hypercar, LMP2 and GTE Am grid was of course just a few weeks ago at Le Mans where the ACO celebrated its centennial event in front of a capacity grid.
This weekend’s entry list obviously drops down again to the mainly the full season entries featuring just thirty-six entries across the board but with one conspicuously fewer GTE Am entries.
Having taken over the Northwest AMR entry following the retirement of Paul Dalla Lana to the class and the sport after the second round of the season at Portimao, the Heart of Racing team eagerly snapped up the opportunity of getting their foot within the WEC/ACO door with the #98 car entry having somewhat tentatively knocked at those very doors just the season before.
Competing within their rebranded #98 Aston Martin Racing Vantage GTE for the first time at Spa, their new driver line up of Ian James, Alex Riberas and Daniel Mancinelli quickly got to grips with their new package to finish mid-table in P7 at the first time of asking. To move onto the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the first-time last month, that application and reward continued as the same crew finished just four laps down to the eventual class winner in P6.
This weekend, the #98 Heart of Racing car will not be in attendance as the team will be competing within the latest round of the IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Championship from the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park Circuit in eastern Canada. That we find a little strange as although their IMSA commitment started before their WEC opportunity, next year’s restriction to just two entries per OEM manufacturer within the new LMGT3 Class might see their preference to be absent in Italy count against them (and Aston Martin Racing) in the long run as only Riberas is doubled booked for driving duties this weekend. We hope not!
That leaves the two TF Sport prepared AMR Vantage GTE entries of the #25 ORT with TF car of Ahmad Al Harthy, Michael Dinan and Charlie Eastwood as well as the #777 D’Station Racing AMR of Satoshi Hoshino, Tomonobu Fujii and Casper Stevenson.
Whilst the #25 finished upon the podium at Le Mans for an incredible P2 finish, the #777 car again found their car being ruled out during the night with technical issues after the chassis issues of last year. For the Japanese based team, Monza has been good to them historically within the Championship with Hoshino/Fujii and back then Andrew Watson finishing third in the 2021 season.
After the results of Le Mans, the domineering #33 Corvette of reigning WEC GTE Am Drivers Champion Ben Keating sails high above the rest of the class – some seventy-four points ahead of the #25 ORT with TF Aston Martin in second. The D’Station Racing crew need a decent points haul this weekend if only to overhaul their new American based stablemates who already sit nineteen points above them but with Stevenson having resampled the taste of champagne after last weekend’s 24 Hours of Spa, that young Englishman will be out to impress again!
Fresh Balance of Performance data released by the WEC earlier this week sees no major tweaks being made other than the usual success weight penalties being applied to the previous round’s podium winners so that now sees the #33 Corvette running 45kg heavier than the #25 ORT car.
Track action will begin on Friday with the first Free Practice session before Qualifying to end of Saturday with the start of Sundays six-hour race being waved off at 11:30Hrs local.
Wonder what colour the #25 car will be this time..........?
Photo credits – Andrew Lofthouse / Drew Gibson
Photo credits – Andrew Lofthouse / Drew Gibson
Tuesday, July 04, 2023 |
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Five AMR Vantage GTEs looking for the final class win of its kind at Le Mans
After two days of scrutineering under full public viewing down at the Le Pesage in Le Mans town, yesterday say the teams have two three hours sessions to use as they would whilst many would need that time within which to tick off any mandatory requirement of ten timed laps per event debutant driver.
Again under intense sunshine, the high ambient temperatures lead to the large numbers attending Sunday’s test day to seek relief from part of that within the circuits many grandstands within the central arena of the expansive circuit as the five Aston Martin Racing powered teams went about their business.
Within the morning session, the #25 ORT with TF Sport AMR of Ahmad Al Harthy, Michael Dinan and Charlie Eastwood was the fastest of the quintet finishing that session in third place within their GTE Am class, just three tenths off that sessions lead pace.
Fortunately for all five cars, no significant incident or issue blighted their running as each car clocked up at least twenty-five laps with many ‘ticking off’ their ten-lap requirement at the earliest opportunity.
It was a similar case within the days second and final session, but this time the bragging rights went to the #777 D’Station Racing crew of Satoshi Hoshino, Tomonobu Fujii and Casper Stevenson after the young Englishman placed the car seventh quickest with a lap time similar to that of the #25 car earlier but this time nearly two seconds down to the class leader.
What did become clear during both sessions was the issue of track limits with all five cars getting reported to Race Control with the #55 GMB Motorsport AMR of Gustav Birch, Jens Moller and Marco Sorenson being forced to serve a five-minute stop and hold as their consequence of repeated reports.
The laps time recorded during Test Day are of course now irrelevant as teams now prepare their cars again ahead of this Wednesday’s first officially timed session of this 100-year anniversary race. With ambient temperatures around the circuit expected to rise in line with the attending public, this year’s visit to Le Mans should reach boiling point just in time for Saturday afternoons wave off as the GTE platform races its final race at the venue as a mainstream event. There are, however, thunderstorms now being listed over the weekend which might get interesting is a perverse kind of way!!
The #98 Northwest AMR listed entry of the Heart of Racing team after they assumed control over the #98 entry after Paul Dalla Lana’s exist from the Championship after the second round of the season in Portimao. Their line-up of Ian James, Alex Riberas and Daniel Mancinelli mirror the all-debutant line up within the #72 TF Sport prepared car of the all-French Max and Arnold Robin alongside AMR factory driver Valentin Hasse-Clot.
Tomorrow’s action will be kept within the constraints of the pit lane with another autograph session ahead of the team’s new pit stop challenge where the TF Sport crew are defending champions!!
Photo credits – A Lofthouse / N Dungan / LM24
Monday, June 05, 2023 |
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Best get ourselves ready for Le Mans 2023!!
Having been multiple GTE Pro and Am class Champions at Le Mans, this 2023 event sees the final time that the GTE class will compete at the highest level of GT racing with the final bastions of the class due to be retired at the end of this season’s World Endurance Championship.
To help celebrate these facts, the three Aston Martin Racing powered entries presently competing as full season entries within the WEC will see two further stablemate entries compete around the Circuit de La Sarthe for that rare but lucrative honour.
This week has seen multiple lorry loads of equipment leave the Prodrive factory in the UK, destined for the circuit as well as one of these strictly invitational entries announce a very French, very Le Mans livery to go with their TF Sport prepared entry.
Also, out of the factory has come a repaired chassis for the GMB Motorsport invitational entry after their heavy impact during the opening round of the European Le Mans Series at the end of April.
Overseas, and the Japanese based D’Station Racing team have been busy mentoring both their own domestic racers at the recent Fuji 24 but also teaching their new recruits into the ways of 24-hour racing, both on track as an additional teaching aid but also in the cloud via the teams new sim facilities.
Going into this weekend’s Official Test Day will see all sixty-two scheduled entries partake within the now traditional Le Pesage or scrutineering process within full public view within the Place de Le Republique where cars and indeed drivers and team personalities are open to public scrutiny and conversation.
With that process extending into both Friday and Saturday, that evening will also see the official ‘launch’ of the 100 Year Anniversary Race Week before the first of two test sessions around the full 13.2km circuit where all rookie drivers must complete 10 laps apiece as well as getting some ‘housework’ in order being the start of race week proper.
For some, this will be just another exciting visit to Le Mans whilst many of those within the AMR ranks, this will all be for the first time or first time within the main event with more detail published as we get near to each significant occasion within the timetable.
For ourselves, we will not be at the circuit this year, but we have (hopefully) secured the use of someone else’s photographic material who going from next week.
Photo credits – Teams / social media
Monday, May 29, 2023 |
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Either side of the racing coin for AMR teams at the weekend
While reigning GTD class champions Heart of Racing saw their dynamic duo of Roman De Angelis (CAN) and Marco Sørensen (DEN) finish second on Saturday, three further AMR partner teams contested the second round of the FIA World Endurance Championship at the 6 Hours of Portimão, in Portugal.
The demands of the tight and bumpy Long Beach street circuit could not be in more stark contrast to those of the Daytona International Speedway, where Heart of Racing’s De Angelis and Sørensen were part of a winning crew that headed a one-two result for Vantage in the GTD category in January. But despite this the Aston Martin proved the perfect machine to tackle the bay-side circuit with three-time FIA World Endurance GTE champion Sørensen storming to pole position in a time 0.2 seconds under the previous lap record.
Sørensen led the opening stint and handed over to De Angelis as he reached his minimum mandatory drive time after 37 of the 100 minutes. Running side-by-side with another car, the 2022 GTD champion ran in close contention for the rest of the race and finished second.
The result put the duo second in the GTD points standings with Heart of Racing second in the Teams’ standings and Aston Martin second in the Manufacturers’ Championship.
Aston Martin works driver Ross Gunn (GBR) qualified second in the GTD Pro class and finished fourth in the race in the #23 Heart of Racing car he shared with Alex Riberas (ESP). The pairing hold fifth in the GTD Pro points.
Less than 24 hours later it was the turn of the three partner teams contesting the FIA World Endurance Championship [FIA WEC] to do battle in the 14-car LM GTE Am field in the 6 Hours of Portimao.
The highest-finishing Vantage GTE was that of the ORT by TF entry – run by 2022 GTE Am world champions TF Sport. The trio of Oman’s Ahmad Al Harthy, Michael Dinan (USA) and Charlie Eastwood (IRL) finished eighth.
The FIA WEC continues with the 6 Hours of Spa – the final warm-up ahead of the centenary 24 Hours of Le Mans – on April 27-29 while the IMSA season continues at Laguna Seca on May 12-14.
Before either race, however, attention will turn to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, which hosts the opening rounds both the European Le Mans Series and the Le Mans Cup next weekend (April 21-23).
Three Vantage GTEs are entered in the ELMS with two for TF Sport. The team’s #95 car features an all-British line-up of Ben Tuck, John Hartshorne and double 24 Hours of Le Mans class winner Jonny Adam. A French trio is aboard #72 with Aston Martin works driver Valentin Hasse Clot alongside Arnold and Maxime Robin.
Joining them is new AMR partner team GMB Motorsport, who step up after winning last year’s Le Mans Cup GT3 crown with Danish trio Jens Moller, Gustav Birch and Nicki Thiim; the latter a multiple WEC GT world champion and Aston Martin works driver.
Hasse Clot and Arnold Robin will be on double-duty in Spain as they pilot Racing Spirit of Leman’s Vantage GT3 in the Le Mans Cup.
Source material - AMR
Photo credits - Jamey Price / D Gibson / A Lofthouse
Monday, April 17, 2023 |
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No joy for the three Aston Martins around the bumps of Sebring at the WEC opener
With the thirty seven full season strong Hypercar, LMP2 and GTE Am crews already having spent last weekend at the circuit testing as part of the Championship’s Official Prologue, the TF Sport, D’Station Racing and Northwest AMR crews all took an early step forward between those ‘housekeeping’ sessions that were the Prologue Test to that of Qualifying that would place the three AMR Vantage GTE cars in the front to midst of the fourteen strong GTE Am Class come the 1000 Miles of Sebring race.
In between the Prologue and the race week itself, we also heard from the Northwest team that Axcil Jefferies would be their silver grade driver alongside their bronze of Paul Dalla Lana and platinum of Nicki Thiim after the Zimbabwean racer had participated within the Prologue test against Thomas Merril in back-to-back comparative running.
The GTE Am Qualifying times were again set by their respective bronze ranked driver with Ahmad Al Harthy setting a time worthy of a P3 start with their #25 ORT with TF Sport AMR that he shared with Michael Dinan and Charlie Eastwood, with Dalla Lana from eighth and Satoshi Hoshino place his #777 D’Station Racing Vantage just behind in ninth on the grid.
At the start of Fridays race, it would be Dinan who would start the #25 car with Dalla Lana in the #98 and Tomonobu Fujii as usual within the #777 car.
Clean opening laps quickly saw the first safety intervention period as the #83 Ferrari spun into the tyre wall of turn one and rolled – thankfully without injury to the driver but would mean the end of their own race and race time lost behind the Safety Car whilst the circuit workers to make the necessary repairs to the safety fencing.
The first roll of the team’s strategy dice was also rolled at this stage as both most of the GTE grid elected to pit, including the #25 and #98 cars but the #777 stayed out to accept the lead role in class.
Ninety minute into the race however, and suspected side to side contact with the #7 Toyota left Dinan’s race in tatters with a rapidly deflating tyre at the far the far end of the circuit to the WEC pit lane. Pushing just that little bit too hard would see the flailing carcass cause more damage to the #25 which would see them quickly return to pit lane for further works and effectively ruled themselves out of contention in the early stages of an eight-hour race.
With many shorter periods of Full Course Yellow’s being shown, mainly for debris on track and with routine stint lengths taking effect upon the running orders, it would the turn of the #98 to assume the lead role of the Aston Martin’s second in class before Dalla Lana was also forced to pit, handing the #98 over to Jefferies for his first racing taste of the WEC.
The #777 was running a great opening gambit to the race as first Fujii had taken the class lead and Hoshino had held steady before he too handed his car over to the also WEC debuting Casper Stevenson for his first GTE racing laps.
More FCY’s, and this time for the leading Iron Dames Porsche as the #85 car went wide and ripped off their entire undertray and defuser before disaster was to hit the #98 car as contact between Dalla Lana and the #86 car lead to a rear puncture of their own and again, another long drive back to pit lane.
At the halfway stage, the #777 was running strong in third but the #25 were ten two laps down to the class leader and shortly, the #98 would be three laps down to the Corvette – all thanks to their own puncture and resulting issues in the earlier stages.
As the race progressed, the performance of the #777 D’Station also began to drop off – first off, the lead lap as the Corvette passed them just before pitting and also as their tyre options became limited to what was left in stock as we had to wait until just about three-quarter distance before we saw all three Pro drivers back within their cars.
With the shadows around the circuit lengthening as the end to the eight hour of racing approached, the lack of pace and luck showed its hand to the three Aston Martin’s as each struggled to maintain a running position that supported the level of effort so far used by each to eventually take the chequered flag again at the lower end of the finishing order with only the #25 ORT with TF Sport #777 D’Station Racing crews securing the last of the available Championship points on offer.
The Championship will now move back across the Atlantic to its next round at Portimao in just over three weeks’ time.
Photo credits – Teams / D Gibson / A Lofthouse
Sunday, March 19, 2023 |
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WEC Prologue sorted - now for this weeks opening from Sebring (updated)
Another important milestone within the Championship with more OEM machinery enters its highest Hypercar class but also 2023 sees the final year of the production car-based GTE class in Am after the curtain fell on its Pro class at the end of last season.
Officially designated as private testing, this weekend’s four available track sessions were many crews first and final opportunity to settle themselves into what may be for them a new car, race platform and circuit ahead of this week’s race preparation.
Within the three Aston Martin Racing Vantage GTE powered entries of Northwest AMR, ORT with TF Sport and the D’Station Racing teams, that was certainly the case as new combinations were prevalent throughout compared to their running orders of last season.
The obviously talking point ahead of the Prologue test was the vacant seat position within the #98 Northwest car alongside Paul Dalla Lana and Nikki Thiim having ‘lost’ David Pittard over the winter to FIA driving grading but with seemingly nobody else mentioned as a suitable replacement until the day.
Only ahead of the first track session on Saturday did we learn that both Axcil Jefferies and Thomas Merril would be going head-to-head for the seat – just like Pittard had done with Henrique Chaves this time last year when there was still debate over the validity of Pittard’s then silver grade so there is still a big decision to be made there for the team again.
In the #777 D’Station car, it was something new for Caspar Stevenson as he steps up a GT grade to the GTE class for the first time having spent a successful season last year within a GT3 based platform. Whilst the car, team and circuit would have been familiar for Satoshi Hoshino and Tomonobu Fujii, it would have been important for Stevenson to hit his datum points of performance early on seeing the reliance upon the cars silver grade driver within the GTE Am class.
Finally, there is the new for 2023 Oman Racing Team with TF Sport entry of Ahmad Al Harthy, Michael Dinan and Charlie Eastwood as the Omani and American racers step up to the WEC for the first time and into a GTE for the first time for Dinan. With Eastwood having much more experience of both compared, the Prologue data would suggest that the #25 car was there or their abouts compared to their peers at the end of the day.
Lap times wise – stating the obvious that all three Aston Martins never featured above the final three cars in class is probably nothing to worry about as we have seen this time and time again where the crews simply run through their test and set programme without really showing any absolute indication of pace (or lack off). Comparing this weekend’s pace with that of the race weekend last year, they were all running at least 0.6 second slower but with a differing Balance of Performance set up to then.
The crews will now be stripping down their cars again ahead of this week’s Free Practice sessions that start again on Wednesday through to Thursday evening’s Qualifying session and Fridays start to the 1000miles of Sebring opener.
UPDATE
Just a few hours after posting this, the Northwest AMR team confirmed that Axcil Jefferies will be their third and silver graded driver within the #98 car alongside Paul Dalla Lana and Nikki Thiim.
Photo credits – A Lofthouse / D Gibson / Teams / social media
Photo credits – A Lofthouse / D Gibson / Teams / social media
Monday, March 13, 2023 |
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WEC Season 11 about to kick off over at Sebring with the Prologue test
2023 will also see the final year of the GTE class as the gentleman class races out its final season of ACO rules racing having seen their Pro class pull down the curtain at the end of last season in Bahrain.
Before the Championship moves across to its own version of the GT3 class next season, three Aston Martin Racing Vantage GTE crews will again compete with returning faces probably balancing out others new to both the car and class of racing.
The #777 D’Station Racing GTE is again being supported by the TF Sport team with team boss Satoshi Hoshino again being partnered by his team manager in Tomonobu Fujii but with the former open wheel racer Casper Stevenson replacing Charlie Fagg within the teams silver grade position after a decent debut GT year for the twenty-year-old last season within the GT World Challenge Europe Series with the similarly functioning Mercedes AMG GT3.
Last year’s winning #33 car of Ben Keating has this year be replaced by Ahmad Al Harthy’s Oman Racing crew – still with the assistance of the TF Sport team as his #25 AMR Vantage GTE entry is listed under the banner of ORT by TF Sport.
Joining the WEC debuting Omani within that car is another WEC debutant in Michael Dinan each competing under the more experienced guiding hands of Charlie Eastwood. With many of these drivers (and Casper Stevenson) having tested last week at both Paul Ricard and at Monza with Al Harthy’s last year’s European Le Mans entered Vantage GTE, the Prologue will also reveal the cars new livery in the flesh for the first time on track.
Finally but certainly no means least, we have last year’s WEC GTE Am runners up in Paul Dalla Lana and Nicki Thiim aboard their #98 Northwest AMR Vantage GTE. Still only a couple of days away from the start of track action, do we still not know the identity of their third, silver ranked driver – as similar situation to this time last season with David Pittard's eligibility.
This weekend’s four – three-hour test sessions over both Saturday and Sunday will probably not give us any surprises in who’s fast and who’s not as regulation compliance and housekeeping needs ahead of next weekend’s opening 1000mile (8 Hour) round will take precedence over the risk of damage putting in a pointlessly fast lap. Then doing that, there is also the risk of affecting your platforms BoP setting – something which has already been established by the Championship’s technical boffins.
That sees the three Aston’s start with a full level of 88 litres which is a minor change of +2 litres on the last round in Bahrain but -1 litre to what was permitted at Sebring ’22. Turbo boast remains roughly the same too, but the cars base weight has also been levelled out at 1245kg against a starting base weight of 1237kg at Sebring ’22. This class will still use a system of success ballast at the next round as another form of continual assessment as the season progresses.
Another regulation change for all classes in 2023 will be the banning of forced and implied tyre warmer with the words ‘ambient’ temperature being used to describe the temperature that all tyres must be prior to fitting. It will be such that tyres may still be scrubbed being sessions but must be down more than two hours before the next round and that tyres must not be stored in full sunlight in order to artificially change their temperature.
With the weekend’s testing sessions over, the thirty-seven cars will then be prepared for Wednesday’s opening two Free Practice sessions before Thursday’s third Free Practice and Qualifying ahead of a Friday midday (local) green flag for the 1000miles of Sebring.
Photo credits – AMR
Thursday, March 09, 2023 |
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