Four weeks after the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the World Endurance Championship is back in action again this weekend with only their second fly away round of the season so far in Brazil.

Four rounds of the eight-round season now under their belts, the thirty-seven full season entry still face another complete day of motor racing ahead of the before the chequered flag finally comes down on season 12 in Bahrain in late October.

Whilst we wait to see the latest evolution of the Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT3 race car to hit the track of Portimao in Portugal for a two-day Goodyear tyre test, a few conversation points over the weekend certainly put ‘some more meat onto the bones’ for us regarding the car’s finer detail.

With all GT based race cars heavily homologated against it’s road car equivalent, we understand that the timing and secrecy around this test and development programme has indeed been hindered/delayed by the requirements of that road car equivalent pushing back the timings of this new race car.

With that development having started just over a year ago when both Ross Gunn and Maxime Martin hit the tracks of southern Europe testing what turned out to be hidden, internal components of the car, that rate of development only recently ramped up to a position where visual details of the car were only allowed to be released at a recent track testing event at Silverstone a couple of weeks ago.

In between these test sessions (which have usually been abroad) a similar hard sell effort to that of the 2018 variant has also been underway with countless Aston Martin Racing Vantage GTE/GT3 team owners already having sampled the goods. This week’s two-day event in Portugal will be no different with similar Customer and Partner team participation expected.

Whilst the exact technical detail remains a closely guarded secret, we understand that it would be fair to say that all bar the doors and the roof has been changed as each corner and full aero package has been revisited and revised into what we see today. We also understand that the engine and gearbox remain unchanged – mechanically at least although we would expect some form of digital remastering of its controlling software to come into play to cater for this new cars apparent performance improvements.

When asked about any 2024 racing endeavours, one team owner remarked that it was already his car down in Portugal and when we looked at what was on offer at Donington, that was indeed chassis 16A-22-2, the chassis we take it that was written off after an incident last season at Paul Ricard which had to be rebuilt in time for the Spa 24 and not his usual platform.

That means that we already know about the test and development chassis down in Portimao as that car was the original 2017 GTE test bed before being converted into the 2018 GT3 test bed, first seen in public at the Le Mans Festival with Ross Gunn before being run by the Beechdean AMR team and Andrew Howard as his latest  R&D car acquisition from Prodrive.

Was it better than the current model we asked? – “oh, yer!” was the answer, along with a massive smile!

Photo credits – Auto Express

 

For the first time in three years, another long trip up the M1 beckoned yesterday as the British GT Championship held the return of their Media Day ahead of this season’s opener that will be around the beautiful circuit of Oulton Park on its traditional Easter Bank Holiday weekend date.

Confirming another capacity GT3 and GT4 split grid, the 2023 season has seen another increase in the top-flight GT3 class with GT4 cars also returning to levels last seen before the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

The fourth round of the International GT Open Series has come around again, this coming weekend from the Hungaroring with something of a surprise for us too.

Also supporting the GT3 series will again be the GT Open Cup Series for GT4 cars and for us Aston Martin Racing fans, that means an AMR Vantage apiece in each series as the Belgian Street Art Racing team returns to the track after another enforced sabbatical from the last round at Spa Francorchamps.

 

The Dorr Motorsport Aston Martin Racing team leave Holland tonight with some extra silverware after today’s dramatic final one hour race of the ADAC GT4 Germany Series visit to Zandvoort and after the excitement of yesterday.

Running as their third round after previous visits to both Oschersleben and the Red Bull Ring, the #69 AMR Vantage GT4 crew of Phil Dorr and Andreas Wirth were looking to capitalise on their two P3 Junior Class finishes in Austria around the tight and twisting 2.6mile coastal circuit that is Zandvoort – this time with some technical assistance with an engineer from Prodrive in attendance.

Qualifying for Saturday’s race in P5, Dorr quickly used the new banking of T3 to grab P4 from the #77 Audi before turning his attention to the #13 Zakspeed Mercedes of Marschalkowski but a Safety Car for debris sadly put a premature stop to that battle but on the restart, a similar high line through T3 for Dorr let the #77 Audi back through.

The third round of the ADAC GT4 Germany Series moves across the border to Zandvoort for another pair of hour long GT4 races around the scenic, yet sometimes treacherous coastal circuit.

Within an expected grid of about twenty-three cars will again feature the Dorr Motorsport Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GT4 of Phil Dorr and Andreas Wirth. After their somewhat boom then bust opening round at Oschersleben back in mid-May where a deserved podium was followed up with an unfortunate DNF, the last round of the Series at the Red Bull Ring a month ago provided a more consistent result for the #69 car with a pair of P6 overall finishes with each P3 in their Junior class.

These early results from a six-round season have Dorr and Wirth sitting in P6 within the overall Championship and likewise in their class but with a lesser points deficit to the class leader.

We understand that their AMR GT4 has recently been back at the Prodrive factory in the UK for some fine fettling and the team can also look forward to some direct AMR factory technical support at this weekend’s event as well.

Up to 3000 fans are permitted to attend each day’s events with both races again being streamed live via the Series social media channels.

Photo credits – ADAC GT4 Germany

Round three of the GT World Challenge America from the Virginia International Raceway at the weekend proved itself to be a massive step forward for the sole Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GT3 Ian Lacey Racing car of Frank Gannett and Drew Staveley after stepping into the GT3 class almost cold at the start of the season.

With the series moving on from the opening round at Sonoma in early March where the team had little to no time to familiarise themselves with their new GT3 having competed in GT4 America with Ford Mustangs last season to the Circuit of the Americas last time out in early May, the team had the benefit of technicians and engineering staff over from the Prodrive factory to help them familiarise themselves with the racing characteristics of the new car at those events.

Still testing hard between events, this weekend’s third round at VIR was with the team running the car solo on site (we don’t know if they utilise their remote on-line assistance offered by AMR to its Partner teams) and the weekend’s results proved that they have made significant steps forward with their 2021 programme.

Penalised in Q1 for track limits, Gannett would again have to start from the rear of the grid as a consequence of his actions but nevertheless, he had moved up to P11 (out of the 15 runners) by the end of the first half hour of the ninety-minute race just ahead of a Safety Car for a Lamborghini on fire and just before the pit window which brought everyone back together again.

With Staveley now in the car, he would run as high as P6 overall (P3 in Pro-Am) before eventually finishing in a season best P8 overall (P5 in Class).

For R2, Staveley would start P13 but was soon up to P11 by the time an early FCY for tyre debris on track before running as high as P8 overall just ahead of the pit window. With Gannett back behind the wheel to the close, he took the #12 AMR back up to P8 on track as he clocked off the laps from his 45-minute cycle before completing a very positive weekend for the team in P11 overall (P8 in Pro-Am).

These results lift the team and drivers up to P10 in the Pro-Am Drivers Championship and P5 in the Pro-Am Team’s Championship as the Series moves onto Road America at the end of August.

A great set of results for all concerned.

Photo credits – GTWCA / Team

Prodrive has created a remote support hub to provide real time technical support for its hundreds of race and rally customers competing across the world.

The remote support hub is housed in the company’s headquarters in Banbury, UK, with live data feeds allowing engineers to monitor the performance of customers’ cars while on events. With cars competing everywhere from Australia and Asia to the Middle East, Europe and the Americas every weekend and Covid travel bans and quarantines making it difficult to attend events, the hub was set up to ensure customers could still receive the best technical advice.

Gus Beteli, head of performance at Prodrive, said: “Our primary aim is still to have engineers and technicians on stages and at circuits whenever possible as there is nothing to beat that face-to-face contact. However, some outright travel bans and lengthy quarantine periods mean remote support is often the only practical option.”

While covid restrictions were the catalyst for the remote support hub, Prodrive has found that it is now helping many customers, where previously on event technical support was not deemed necessary. From the remote support hub in Banbury, engineers can live stream cars’ telemetry from anywhere in the world, analyse the data and provide advice directly to the teams and drivers on the ground.

“The time and cost savings of not having to travel around the world means we can offer a very cost-effective remote service,” said Beteli. “This has led to a significant increase in the number of customers, who previously ran their cars themselves, now seeking our additional technical support, which can help find those fractions of a second which make the difference between winning and losing.”

Source material - Prodrive

 

World Endurance GT Champion and 24 Hours of Le Mans double-class winner Aston Martin will switch the strategic focus of its Vantage GT motorsport programme to concentrate on customer operations from 2021 onwards, bringing an end to a hugely successful nine-year run as a manufacturer team in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC).

Concluding with its double world championship triumph in the 8 Hours of Bahrain last month, where Marco Sørensen (DEN) and Nicki Thiim (DEN) added the WEC GT Drivers’ endurance crown to the Manufacturers’ title that Aston Martin clinched at Le Mans, the British sportscar manufacturer has achieved every target it set for the 4-litre V8 Vantage GTE – based on the highly acclaimed Vantage road car. Aston Martin will now apply its vast experience and expertise with front-engined GT race cars to drive more success across the international GT racing landscape.

Aston Martin is one of three car manufacturers to have been a mainstay of WEC since the series’ inception in 2012. In its nine years and seven seasons of WEC, Aston Martin has recorded 47 class wins and 103 podiums, nine class championships and four 24 Hours of Le Mans class victories. And there could yet be more for Vantage with Aston Martin hopeful that it will retain a WEC presence through a partner team in 2021 and beyond.

Outside of WEC, Aston Martin’s Vantage GT customer race car has achieved breathtaking success in its second full season of competition. Teams recorded 62 victories and 157 podiums from 323 starts in more than 20 series around the world. One in five race starts for Vantage ended with a win, while half of them concluded on the podium. Of those starts, 14% were from the race or class pole position. In total, including Aston Martin Racing’s two world championships, Vantage captured 26 GT or endurance titles internationally.

With the brand poised to return to Formula 1TM in 2021 for the first time since 1960, Aston Martin will now strive for more accolades in GT racing with Vantage. It is targeting blue riband endurance events with partner teams competing in the Intercontinental GT Challenge, the GT World Challenge, the US-based IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Championship, the Super GT Championship as well as other significant high-profile series.

The shift in strategy for Aston Martin’s endurance programme comes as a new and revised agreement with Prodrive has been concluded for the Banbury-based organisation to continue exclusively manufacturing and distributing the current generation of front-engine GT race cars in a multi-year deal for Aston Martin Racing.

President, Aston Martin Racing, David King said: “This year has been one of unprecedented success for Vantage in international motorsport. At all levels, from GTE, through GT3 to the entry level GT4, we have experienced significant championship success, winning 26 titles across the spectrum of world, international and domestic series. But there is more to achieve, and there is more to come from Vantage, which is why we have concluded that now is the time for us to shift the weight of factory support to our partners as we go in pursuit of success in the most important events in GT racing.”

Chief Executive Officer, Aston Martin Lagonda, Tobias Moers said: “Vantage proved it has world champion pedigree in 2020, and in its GTE variant is a 24-hour race winner. Now with the Vantage GT3 we wish to give our partners and customers the best opportunity possible to fight for victory against our closest rivals in the toughest endurance challenges GT racing has to offer.”

Source material - AMR

Japanese Aston Martin Racing Partner team, D’Station Racing certainly saved their best till last with their best performance of the season at the finale of the 2020 Super GT Series from the Fuji International Speedway earlier today.

Having endured what could only be described as a ‘difficult’ season with their AMR Vantage GT3 competing in the GT300 class, circumstance finally allowed the green liveried #9 car to race its own race at a chilly Fuji circuit to end the year with a magnificent P5 result. 

 

This weekend sees the concluding round of the 2020 Japanese Super GT Series, back again at the Fuji International Speedway Circuit for the fourth time this year in another racing season ravaged by the effects of the global pandemic.

The D’Station Racing team and their title sponsors Pacific had high hopes for the new season having secured the racing services of a one, Nicky Thiim but a lot of those hopes and aspirations quickly faded as it soon became apparent that neither Thiim nor the supporting Prodrive engineers would be able to freely travel in and out of the country as the world slowly worked out how to deal with the virus.

Aston Martin Racing has created the Vantage Legacy Collection to commemorate one of the most successful periods in the luxury British sportscar brand’s racing history, as well as one of the company’s most successful racing cars – the Aston Martin Vantage.

This period, between 2009 and 2018, brought Aston Martin two 24 Hours of Le Mans class victories (in 2014 and 2017) and seven FIA World Endurance Championship titles, as well as numerous international sports car championship titles in British GT, GT World Challenge (Europe) and the European Le Mans Series.

The trio of Legacy Vantages, based on V8 Vantage road car launched in 2005, have been created in Aston Martin Racing’s workshops and is being offered for sale as a collection. It includes a V8 Vantage GTE, a V12 Vantage GT3 and Vantage GT4. All three are brand new chassis, ready to race, and have been identically liveried in sterling green with the distinctive and classic Aston Martin yellow trim lines around the radiator and cant rail.

The Vantage GT4 was the first racing car created around the VH-era architecture. It made its debut in 2009 and, by the end of 2018, Aston Martin Racing had built 107 cars, winning races and international championships across the world. Many of these cars are still competing today. The car in the collection is the 108th and final car to be made.

The V12 Vantage GT3 followed the GT4 three years later, making its debut in 2012. It soon became the dominant car in the British GT championship, winning outright titles in 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2018, proving its competitiveness right up until it was replaced by the new Vantage in 2019. Over seven years, up until the end of 2017, 46 cars were built.

The V8 Vantage GTE made its debut with the Aston Martin Racing works team in 2012 at Sebring. It spearheaded Aston Martin’s works return to production-based racing following three years of competing in the LMP1 class. The V8 Vantage GTE took its first win at the final round of the FIA World Endurance Championship in Shanghai in October that debut year.

Only six V8 Vantage GTEs were originally built, with the car racing for the last time in the GTE Am class at Le Mans in 2018. During this time, it became the most successful car in the FIA World Endurance Championship, winning seven titles and two Le Mans class victories, including a famous final-lap triumph in 2017. The GTE in this collection is the seventh and final car to be made, chassis number 007.

President of Aston Martin Racing, David King said: “For a collector, this trio of Aston Martin Racing Vantages represents the ultimate tribute to a halcyon period for the brand in international sportscar racing. While Aston Martin has since gone on to record world championship titles with the current generation turbo-charged V8 Vantage, the foundations laid by the huge success of the original car won it admirers the around the globe and led to it becoming a firm favourite with racing fans. The Legacy collection is a beautiful sign-off for this wonderful car.”


CAR SPECIFICATIONS

VANTAGE GT4

Engine & Transmission
Aston Martin Racing 4.7-litre V8 engine
Weight-reduced rear silencer or straight-through tailpipes
FIA-approved bag type 115-litre centrally mounted fuel tank with twin fill
Six-speed Sportshift (ASM) transmission
Twin-plate cera-metallic clutch with lightweight flywheel


Chassis
FIA approved full rollcage in 15CDV6 high-strength steel
Integral air jacks
Polycarbonate side and rear windows
Side sills with exposed carbon fibre rib
Quick-release bonnet and tailgate
Carbon fibre side strakes
Reduced weight wiring harness
Lightweight battery


Suspension
Double wishbone suspension adjustable for toe, caster and camber
2-way adjustable Koni dampers
Stiffened front and rear anti-roll bars
Spherical bearing suspension


Interior
Recaro competition seat embroidered with Aston Martin Racing logo
Recaro HANS compatible seat (optional)
Sabelt six-point safety harness
FIA compliant Lifeline plumbed-in extinguisher system
Lightweight door casings
Weight-reduced facia, trimmed in Alcantara
Quick-release steering wheel


Aerodynamics
Adjustable carbon-fibre rear wing
Increased protrusion front splitter
Carbon-fibre front dive planes


Brakes
Four-piston monoblock calipers fitted with
high-performance Pagid RS 29 race pads
Uprated two-piece front brake discs
Twin front brake cooling ducts
Endurance brake package
Bosch race-developed ABS and traction control system


Wheels
Magnesium 5-stud wheels
Front - 10” x 18”
Rear - 11” x 18”


V12 VANTAGE GT3

Chassis
Lightweight aluminium chassis
Steel rollcage to FIA safety standards
High speed pneumatic jack system
Low engine position


Engine
Lightweight 6-litre V12
Dry sump oil system
Engine repositioned to optimise weight distribution and centre of gravity
Power 600 bhp
Torque 700 Nm


Transmission
Xtrac six-speed semi-automatic paddle shift transmission
Racing clutch
Limited slip ramp/plate differential
Easily accessible drop gears
Carbon fibre prop-shaft


Cockpit
8862 safety seat
Six-point safety harness
Racing seat nets
Lightweight battery
Carbon fibre dash
Fire extinguisher8862 safety seat system
Driver display and shift lights


Body
Front splitter
Adjustable full width carbon fibre rear wing
Aerodynamically optimised bumpers, side sills and rear fenders
Removable carbon-fibre body panels
Aluminium roof


Fuel system
125-litre fuel cell to FIA safety standards
Twin quick-release couplings


Suspension
Double wishbone suspension with uniball bearings
Four-way adjustable Bilstein dampers
Optimised geometry for lower ride height


Brakes
Six-pot front calipers
Ventilated front & rear brake disc
Four-pot rear caliper
Manually adjustable front/rear brake bias


Wheels
Front 12.5” x 18”
Rear 13” x 18”


Weight
Dry weight 1250 kg


V8 VANTAGE GTE

Chassis
Lightweight aluminium chassis
Steel roll cage to FIA safety standards
High speed pneumatic air jack system


Engine
Lightweight V8
Dry sump oil system
Engine repositioned to optimise
weight distribution
Power > 500 bhp*
Torque > 500 Nm*


Transmission
6-speed semi-automatic paddle shift gear change
ZF Sachs Racing clutch
Limited slip combination VC and ramp/plate differential
Carbon fibre propshaft


Body
Full aerodynamic update to 2016 LMGTE regulations
Lightweight carbon fibre bodywork
Aluminium roof with driver safety access hatch
CFD optimised aerodynamics with splitter and diffuser
Adjustable carbon fibre rear wing


Fuel system
Designed to FIA safety standards
Twin quick release couplings


Brakes
Front: six pot Brembo calipers
Rear: four pot Brembo calipers
Vented discs
Pagid RS pads
Bespoke lightweight pedal box
Goodridge hydraulic brake lines


Wheels & Tyres
TWS Mg front 12.5” x 18”
TWS Mg rear 13.0” x 18”
Dunlop 305-680R18
Dunlop 312-705R18


Weight & Dimensions
Length 4550 mm
Width 1963 mm
Height 1185 mm
Wheelbase 2600 mm
Dry weight 1240 kg*
*Dependent on Balance of Performance BoP

Source material - Aston Martin

It gets worse - the UK motorsport calendar today has been moved back till the end of June 2020 at the earliest so we continue or Instagram based thread.

Please feel free to join in!!