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 

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

After the shinanagans of Race 1 earlier today, all four entries from TeamAMR did themselves proud during the second race of the European GT4 Series Northern Cup event at Brands Hatch today.

With the second, "more able" driver starting the second race of the meeting that would see Matt Nichol Jones take the start in his #62 Vantage GT4, the colourfully liveried #007 of Street Art Racing's Denis Dupont starting P12 whilst Quantamatic Racings Mike Hart would start P20.

Despite some determined efforts by some all at least managed to make it around the first lap without spinning or crashing before the 30 car field began to spread out but just before the 20 minute mark the first Safety Car was deployed due to Porsche team mates clashing coming into Clearways. At least for all the Aston Martin entries positive progress was being made up the timing and scoring board.


Having lost ten minutes of racing to that incident the race itself would resumed straight into the opening of the pit window. Will Moore had just taken over the #62 car and had just rejoined the track when it had a major moment with a McLaren going into Hawthorn Bend but at least this time he kept it out of the gravel.

Moments later and with several cars spun off around the circuit the second Safety Car period was set.

Indeed a third further Safety car intervention period would wind things up for 8 minute dash to the line with the #62 soon snatching P3 from the #10 MacLaren, the cart that so nearly put the car into the gravel just after the pit stop. Further more Dave Robinson was also up to the rear wing of the #10 as he chased the sister Academy Motorsport prepared car for the final step on the podium.


Then came a point where you would have to question driving standards of some as the #10 McLaren again made contact with the rear of the #62 causing an instantaneous puncture just after Druids but even before Moore could limp his way back a number of other cars had crashed out around the circuit forcing Race Control to through a red flag with just over 3 minutes still remaining in the clock.

Fortunately for Academy Motorsport,  the count back to the last green flag lap restored their P3 podium position to them with their antagonists in the #11 McLaren behind them in fourth and the #61 Quantamatic car in fifth. Further back the #007 Street Art Racing car would be classified as P7 with the #144 Generation AMR in P10.


Later the #10 McLaren would be awarded a post race time penalty for the avoidable contact with the #62 towards the end of the race. That would as a result elevate the #61 car of Dave Robinson and Mike Hart up to P4 and everyone else behind them up one place.

Again, the European GT4 Series proves itself to be a very competitive series but just maybe driving standards need looking at to prevent further rounds from being blighted with repetitive Safety Cars periods. The next round for the Northern cup is at the Red Bull Ring in Austria in mid June.

Photo credits - European GT4

A fast, furious and eventful opening race of the European GT4 Series Northern Cup's Brands Hatch meeting had all on the edge of there seats this morning as 30 odd GT4 cars started their first one hour race of the day.

A poor start from Will Moore in the #62 Academy Motorsport car saw him get passed by numerous cars even before they got to the first corner with his stablemate #61 Quantamatic Car of Dave Robinson alongside from P13.


After some gutsy racing Moore had soon recovered some of the situation and was battling for fifth but a wide line coming into Sheene Curve would see his car spin out into the gravel forcing a Safety Car just before the mandatory pit stops.

Worse was to come for Academy when Mike Hart, now in the #61 Quantamatic car should an equally over quick approach into Sheene Curve, narrowly avoiding all the armco and cars around him before becoming beached in the gravel at Stirlings - another Safety Car.

The repeated demands of a Safety Car (another was to follow before the end) at least kept bunching the field back up together leading to some more, eventful racing. Matt George continued some good early work in the Generation AMR SuperRacing #144 to finish P9 whilst the remaining Aston Martin V8 Vantage GT4 of Street Art Racing's Jerome Demay and Denis Dupont finished P14.

Race 2 will start 14.25

Photo credits - European GT4

After a busy day of Free Practice and Qualifying, the four members of the #TeamAMR family have today laid down their cards for tomorrows race grids for the European GT4 Series Northern Cup round at Brands Hatch.


Featuring the two full season entries from Street Art Racing and Academy Motorsport, they have been joined by two former British GT runners for this event in the form of the Quantamatic Racing and Generation AMR SuperRacing entries - with all competing within the Pro class.


By the end of Q1 this afternoon the cars will form up in this order on the grid for Race 1

#62 Will Moore Academy Motorsport P3
#61 Mike Hart Quantamatic Racing P13
#007 Jerome Demay Street Art Racing P24
#144 James Holder Generation AMR P26

For Race 2 and with drivers having swapped the the cars qualified in this order

#62 Matt Nichol-Jones Academy Motorsport P7
#144 Matt George Generation AMR P8
#007 Denis Dupont Street Art Racing P12
#61 Dave Robinson Quantamtic Racing P20


Race 1 starts at 10:15 with Race 2 starting at 14:25 (local) with both being streamed live at HERE

Photo credits - European GT4

The two full season entries from Street Art Racing and Academy Motorsport are due to be joined by two other Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GT4's for this weekends second round of the SRO's Northern Cup Series at Brands Hatch.

The third car is of the course the return of the Quantamatic Racing Vantage of Mike Hart and Dave Robinson who will join the SRO series as a one off event as they appraise a more fuller time return to competitive motor racing. The cart was last seen out midway through the 2015 British GT Championship when Hart shared the car with Terry Langley which has since been fully upgraded to 2016 specification.


Their car will, as far as we understand things still be run by Academy alongside their existing entry for Will Moore and Matt Nichol-Jones as they look to replicate the success enjoyed in Race 1 at Misano in April.


The #7 Street Art Racing Pro entry of Jerome Demay and Denis Dupont will also be looking to progress from their relatively lowly start from the two previous races as they race at Brands for the first time.


The final, one off entry comes from the European GT4 Series Southern Cup full season entry of Generation AMR SuperRacing with James Holder and Matt George again at the wheel for which (we think) maybe the teams only planned UK race this year.

The GT4 European Series Northern Cup action starts with Free Practice 1 on 10.55am on Saturday May 6th, with a second Free Practice (14.25) and the Qualifying Session (17.35) later that day. The first Race (10.15) and second Race (14.25) will be held on Sunday May 7th. Free Practice, Qualifying and both races will be streamed live on gt4series.com/live and the GT4 European Series Northern Cup YouTube channel.
Photo credits - European GT4

Full season European GT4 Northern Cup entry, Academy Motorsport has today announced that it will be fielding a second, very familiar Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GT4 for Brands Hatch next month.

Making a competitive return to the race track for the second round of the Northern Cup for the first time since their untimely withdrawal from the British GT Championship midway through 2015 season, will be the Quantamatic liveried car of Mike Hart. He will be joined by another ex Caterham driver in Dave Robinson for the (at present) one off race as former team co driver Terry Langley has decided not to reinvigorate his GT racing career.


We understand that the car has been in the possession of Matt Nichol-Jones' Academy Motorsport team for some time now and was indeed shaken down by them at the AMR collective test in Portimao back in February.

Hart said "After a lot of effort from quite a few people, the Quantamatic car is making a one off appearance in the European GT4 Northern Cup at Brands Hatch next month.We'd like to compete again this year at the Zandvoort round, but we're looking for sponsors to help make that happen!"

Photo credit - Quantamatic Racing