Whilst the ACO and its 24 Hours of Le Mans dominated the racing headlines around the world last weekend, the SRO were doing their best to publicise their GT3 and GT4 race series both in Australia and North America where the Aston Martin Racing brand again found themselves represented within each.

Down under, last weekend was the third round of the GT World Challenge Australia Series which saw the Sydney based Volante Rosso team field their third driver line up the year as GT3 debutant Cameron Rees was welcomed into their #14 AMR Vantage GT3.

 

Not just a rookie to his race car but also a rookie to the Queensland Motorsport Park circuit, the odds were truly stacked against the solo driver as he competed within the Trophy class and with just fifteen runners again scheduled, his work was already cut out. Admitting to mistakes within Q1, the #14 car would start Saturday’s hour-long opener from P14 overall and P3 in class to come through to take a deserved race finish just two laps down to the overall winner P12 overall and P3 in class.

 

Sundays Qualifying run was much better as he secured a Trophy class pole position out of the three class runners but again his GT3 inexperience proved costly as Rees finished race two again in P12 overall and P3 in class.

 

Then over in North America, both the GT World Challenge America and GT America Series were racing out their fourth rounds to the seasons from the Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta with one AMR Vantage GT3 and one AMR Vantage GT4 this time flying the flag.

Again, there were no changes within either line up as Frank DePew and Robin Liddell raced within their #71 Rebel Rock Racing Vantage GT3 within Sundays three-hour Gt World Challenge race whilst Jason Bell would again run solo within his #2 Racers Edge Motorsport AMR Vantage GT4 within the two forty-minute GT America Series races.

 

With just two GT4’s running within the GT America Series races, Bell didn’t have too much difficulty in maintaining his 100% race winning streak since returning to the series last time out.

 

Within the GT World Challenge America Series meanwhile, the #71 crew still had their work cut out in Liddell’s driver coaching for the more mature DePew as he continues his transition between GT4 and GT3 platforms and by the end of that Safety Car interrupted race, the #71 crew would secure their best result of the season so far finishing P13 overall and P10 in class.

Photo credits – Teams / Series / social media

 

 

 

Fairly timely as the third round of the season sees the third driver line up reshuffle of the year for the Volante Rosso Aston Martin Racing powered team within the GT World Challenge Australia Series.

This weekend racing at Queensland Raceway sees the #14 AMR Vantage GT3 powered team throughout a solo driver in Cameron Rees for their Trophy classed entry this time around.

 

Last time out at The Bend Motorsport Park, the time ran a revised line up of both Alex Gardner and Ben Porter together for the first time where that duo secured a podium double with a P3 and P2 finishes in class across the two one-hour races.

It will be the same race format again this weekend where Rees will be competing within an entry list of fifteen multi-classed entries where he will be making his national debut within the series

Photo credits – Team / Series

 

Missed their true potential was the verdict given from the two drivers after the Volante Rosso Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT3 crew failed to capitalise upon their speed as the GT World Challenge Australis Series visited Queensland at the weekend.

Having promised so much at the opening round of the season from Phillip Island only to struggle last time out at Sydney Motorsport Park, the #1 car of Liam Talbot and Declan Fraser looked back at this weekend’s two races that looked to be going back in the right direction after race one only to fall foul with technical issues and driver errors during the second.

Fourteen crews return for this weekend’s third round of the GT World Challenge Australia Series as Queensland Raceway this time plays host to the SRO series.

Having had something of a great start to the season, the Volante Rosso Aston Martin Racing team of Liam Talbot and Declan Fraser has something of a reality check last time out as the series raced both a night and day race from Sydney Motorsport Park.

Having scored a near maximum twenty-eight points at the season opener from Phillip Island, SMP only delivered the #1 AMR Vantage GT3 crew with just seven points over the two, hour long races which has dropped them down to fourth in their Pro-Am class.

Since then, Fraser has just been named within this year’s Aston Martin Racing Drivers Academy process which will see him get both remote and personal driver coaching assistance which will hopefully see the #1 car elevate itself within the championship by the end of the weekend and at the halfway stage to the season.

Photo credits – Team / Series / social media

 

It was to be something of a reality check for the #1 Volante Rosso Aston Martin Racing powered crew at last weekend’s second round of the GT World Challenge Australia Series at the Sydney Motorsport Park after their herculean efforts at the opening weekend of the season.

Eager to continue their early visits to the podium, the Liam Talbot/Declan Fraser driven 16A variant of the Vantage GT3 had, like the thirteen other crews, a night race to contend with on Saturday before normal GTWC service resumed for the second race on Sunday.

 

It was certainly a ‘difficult’ affair for the two Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT3 powered crews at the latest round of the GT World Challenge Australia Series as they got down to business at the Queensland Raceway at the weekend.

Whilst it was business as usual again for the Trophy classed entry from the venerable #38 KMB Motorsport V12 Vantage GT3 of Valentin Astuti and Darren Currie whilst it was certainly a bunch of new as the Volante Rosso team debuted their ‘new’ turbo charged Vantage GT3 for drivers Alex Gardner and Ben Porter in the #14 car.

 

Eighteen cars line up for this weekend’s fourth round of the GT World Challenge Australia Series from the Queensland Raceway with the Aston Martin Racing powered line having been doubled after the announcement from the Volante Rosso team earlier this month.

New crews aside, todays entry list sees the #38 V12 KMB Motorsport Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT3 of Darren Currie and Valentino Astuti return for another two races within the Trophy Class having debuted together last time out at The Bend back in May where they rounded off that meeting with a season best P9 overall as the then solo running Trophy class car.

Some of you may have noticed that over the last few days a few of next months Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12hrs Aston Martin runners have been testing prior to the big event.

Miedecke Stone Motorsport tested last week at the Queensland Raceway circuit with drivers George Miedecke and Ashley Walsh reuniting and Tony Bates in the teams spare V12 Vantage GT3 chassis for the first time.


Yesterday, we learned that Young Driver AMR boss, Jan Struve is quietly getting up to speed at a two day test at the exclusive Ascari circuit near Malaga in southern Spain.

What has he been driving? Only his Aston Martin Zagato we last saw out at the Aston Martin Racing Festival at the Le Mans 24 in 2015!!


Try this link to see /hear more HERE

Today, we find that Darren Turner has been putting his Base Performance simulator facility to good use as he and fellow R-Motorsport Vantage GT8 driver Florian Kamelger get to grips with the virtual Bathurst circuit - least they had a nice sunny day by the looks!!


First track action of the 2017 event takes place on the morning of Friday 3rd February (local) with the start of the race itself in the early hours of Sunday 5th (local)