A racing disaster for the Code Racing Development crew in Le Man Cup Silverstone debut
Despite starting the weekend saw the #11 car of Philipp Sager and Valentin Hasse-Clot looking racey within the earlier sessions with the venerable Austrian racer the first to fit slicks within his own bronze driver session on Friday.
Qualifying eventually saw Sager hold the top position in class within their fifteen-minute session to eventually lose out to a last lap dash from the Iron Dames Porsche to apparently claim a P2 starting position to yesterday’s race.
However, the post session scrutineering found the car to be outside of its homologation in terms of ride height so that all of its lap times within Qualifying deleted to leave the #11 car starting from the rear of the forty-three strong grid.
With Hasse-Clot going against the grain and starting the race for the team, that saw the #11 car quickly move up to second in class to then pit for a strategic driver change just as a Full Course Yellow came into effect on track at the end of twenty minutes of racing.
During that stop, the car was also noted to have had a wheel change completed whilst it was being refuelled for which the car would receive two ten second penalties before failing to complete those penalties correctly for which they were penalised with a further twenty second penalty apiece!
From that point on, the penultimate round to the season became just a formality as Sager eventually swapped out again with Hasse-Clot for the Frenchman to complete his mandatory forty-five-minute minimum drive time to end the day P6 and last in class togther with any remaining championship aspirations.
If that wasn't enough, there was to be further salt rubbed into the wounds as Sager later failed to attend a hearing with the race Stewards for which Sager would receive a financial penalty suspended until the end of the season that concludes in Portimao in a month’s time.
Sunday, September 14, 2025 |
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Good to be back at Silverstone with ELMS and the LMC newcomers
The debut of the Michelin Le Mans Cup Series was, however, first out on track the French Code Racing Development team again represented the Aston Martin Racing marque with their #11 with Philipp Sager being joined this time around by Valentin Hasse-Clot as the absence of regular co-driver Rory Van Der Steur was explained to us (a private matter unfortunately).
Despite that early upset in their equilibrium, the #11 car proved to be fastest in this morning’s Free Practice 1 session despite losing the first twenty minutes or so of the session due to technical gremlins, the session did eventually ended earlier than expected due to a red flag and barrier damage on track.
The cars of the European Le Mans Series were out next with another solo runner again from the Aston Martin Racing stable – this time from the Racing Spirit of Leman team and their #59 car Vantage LMGT3 of Clement Mateu, Erwan Bastard and Valentin Hasse-Clot.
The cars of the European Le Mans Series were out next with another solo runner again from the Aston Martin Racing stable – this time from the Racing Spirit of Leman team and their #59 car Vantage LMGT3 of Clement Mateu, Erwan Bastard and Valentin Hasse-Clot.
Despite the ever-present threat of rain, the wet stuff did at least keep away from the circuit until the very least minutes of the ELMS FP1 session, before hammering down for another fifteen or twenty minutes or so before clearing out again for a lovely (although blustery) afternoon. The #59 car would finish that session sixth fastest in class.
The two bronze driver only tests next and Sager had to go out on wets first to start that session but quickly went onto slicks before the halfway stage. A few more FCY’s for cars stranded here and there left a one or two lap dash to the flag where all bar four cars set their fastest laps of the session as the track continued to dry.
To conclude another glorious return to the circuit was the second and final Free Practice session of the Le Mans Cup Series where Sager (again) went out solo as he and his team privately hoped for rain in tomorrow’s race to help the Austrian driver along.
Tomorrows timetable sees the ELMS cars run their second Free Practice session of the weekend ahead of Le Mans Cup Qualifying and then ELMS Qualifying before the Le Mans Cup crews finally get down to racing their penultimate race of the season at 16:45hrs local.
The question about tomorrow is again about the weather whilst in Sunday, it’s hardly a questions at all!!
Friday, September 12, 2025 |
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DTM and the ADAC GT4 Germany Series move onto the Red Bull Ring this weekend
Completing this weekend’s racing activity as far as Aston Martin Racing and its Partner and Customer teams are concerned is the joint venture between the DTM Series and the ADAC GT4 Germany Series as both venture across the border to the Red Bull Ring in Austrian for their latest rounds.
With the GT3 based DTM Series running their seventh round to their season this weekend whilst the GT4 Germany Series run only their fifth – both are running their penultimate rounds to the season with familiar faces again returning in each.
Gilles Magnus and Nicolas Baert go again within the DTM Series with their #7 and #8 Comtoyou Racing AMR Vantage GT3’s respectively. Debuting within this season for the first time either as drivers or as the team, 2025 has certainly been a very trying season for of aspiration and disappointment as the crews younger years sometimes gets the better of them or with just the Vantage GT3 not getting the Balance of performance it perhaps deserves.
Most recent rounds have certainly seen better performances in qualifying only for the results of each hour-long race falling short of that generated expectation. Either way, the team has already suggested that they will be back for more in 2026.
Then, within the GT4 Germany Series, we again have the now three established runners from both the full season entered Prosport Racing team with their older 17A variant of the Vantage T4 and the recently entered Eastside Motorsport crew with their newer Vantage GT4 Evo.
Again, 2025 started reasonably well for the Marek Bockmann and Anton Abee aboard the green liveried #19 car with former series champion Hugo Sasse and Roman Fellner-Feldegg doing likewise aboard their #17 car. Recent rounds, however, have seen both crews struggle with consistency and have fallen away from the championship battle as a result.
Then we saw the return of the Eastside Motorsport team to the series with their new driver line up of Jan Philipp Springob and Storm Gjerdrum where the young Norwegian Gjerdrum secured a Rookie podium finish first time out at the Nurburgring before Springob grabbed an overall pole position last time out at the Sachsenring.
These three crews and the further nineteen entries will again race a two – one hour race programme over the weekend.
Photo credits – Teams / Series / social media
Wednesday, September 10, 2025 |
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Four AMR Vantage GT entries for this weekends four four NLS double header
Whilst a certain Dutch racer driving a Porsche GT4 in the pursuance of his full Nordschleife permit will obviously be grabbing all the headlines this weekend, there will be four Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT3 and GT4 powered crews competing within their respective SP9 Pro-Am, SP8T and SP10 classes.
The Walkenhorst Motorsport team will be fielding the sole Vantage GT3 crew with Christian Krognes teaming up with Mateo Villagomez and Anders Buchardt whilst the locally based Prosport Racing team this time fields three of its AMR Vantage GT4’s.
Full season NLS entrants Guido and Maxime Dumarey return with their #140 Vantage GT8R in SP8T with Benjamin Hites and Jorg Viebahn aboard the #175 SP10 classed entry alongside new recruits Patrick Skoog and Markus Lonnroth also running within the SP10 AM class with their #191 entry.
As usual, each NLS event will operate as a stand-alone event with both qualifying and each respective race being ran over both Saturday and Sunday.
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Wednesday, September 10, 2025 |
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Aston Martin Vantage GT3 crews lose out at Barber Motorsport Park
The GT America Series races was unfortunately another short and (not so) sweet affair for the #2 car of Jason Bell as he looked to bounce back in the series after some literal damaging rounds prior to this penultimate round at Barber.
This time qualifying in P8 within a total entry list of just nine cars saw the #2 car make up early ground as the race got underway amid a rain shower leaving the grid split over tyre selection. Electing to start on wets, Bell quickly moved up to third in the opening laps but was penalised for having crew members working upon the car whilst on the grid for which they received a drive through penalty.
Initially returning to the track in sixth, the now drying track lead to the cars who started on slicks to finally come through leading to another disappointing P8 finish. For race two on Sunday, the #2 car failed to take the start for (as yet) unknown reasons.
Then, within the longer GT World Challenge America Series, the #24 Heart of Racing AMR Vantage GT3 of Gray Newell continued his GT3 development under the watchful eye of AMR factory driver Darren Turner who was racing at the circuit for the first time.
A change in strategy within the #24 car saw Newell ran longer in his opening stint in race one for the car to eventually return home fourth in class after Turner lost out to contact from another car whilst challenging for a podium position.
Their chances in race two a thwarted at an early stage on Sunday after the car found itself being boxed in during the opening corners where Turner lost momentum to then become baulked by slow cars on track up until the pit stop window. Again pitting differently to the pack, it was hoped that Newell could achieve the undercut but eventually lost out after himself being punted off track before returning for a lowly P7 finish.
The season will now conclude at Indianapolis for their eight-hour finale next month.
Photo credits – Team / Series / social media
Monday, September 08, 2025 |
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One Aston a piece for ELMS return and Le Mans Cup debut from Silverstone this weekend (UPDATED)
Back in 2019 when the event was last run at the Silverstone circuit, the GTE platform was still in operation as opposed to the LMGT3 platform ruleset that is used today but unlike that August date in 2019 – there were no Aston Martin Racing powered entries.
This year we have of course been blessed by the presence of the #59 Racing Spirit of leman AMR Vantage GT3 of Clement Mateu, Erwan Bastard and Valentin Hasse-Clot – a crew who finally delivered upon their possibilities last time out when the-all French driver line won the LMGT3 class outright at Spa Francorchamps two weeks ago.
As a result of that finish in Belgium, the #59 crew now find themselves lifted to lead the LMGT3 Drivers Championship table by one solitary point with just the races from Silverstone and then Portimao still to go.
They join forty-three other LMP2, LMP3 and LMGT3 entries for this four-hour race on Sunday around the full 5.6-mile Grand Prix circuit where track action will begin with Free Practice 1 on Friday before Free Practice 2 and qualifying across Saturday before the four-hour race starting at 13:00hrs local on Sunday.
Joining them at Silverstone for what will be their first time in their history will be the LMP3 and GT3 teams and crew that make up the Michelin Le Mans Cup Series who will bring along a near capacity grid of forty-three entries of their own.
Within this series we also have the early GT3 class pace setters from the French based Code Racing Development AMR Vantage GT3 with drivers Philipp Sager and Rory Van Der Steur usually behind the wheel of the #11 entry together.
However, for Silverstone, the young American is this time absent (not sure why just yet) and his place is now being taken by the increasingly busy Valentin Hasse-Clot as the Frenchman double stints in both the ELMS and Le Mans Cup Series this time around
Having started the season so well at Catalunya and Paul Ricard, high end performances started to wear off over the two Road to Le Mans races at Le Mans before most recently at Spa Francorchamps where the crew qualified in fourth, but countless track and pit lane penalties put them back to a disappointing P8 in class finish.
Having started the season so well at Catalunya and Paul Ricard, high end performances started to wear off over the two Road to Le Mans races at Le Mans before most recently at Spa Francorchamps where the crew qualified in fourth, but countless track and pit lane penalties put them back to a disappointing P8 in class finish.
From leading the class after round two, the #11 crew now find themselves fourth in the table and sixteen points behind the new leaders going into this Silverstone and Portimao final run in for the season.
Also starting their track activities on Friday with Free Practice 1 and 2 before Qualifying and race on Saturday.
Photo credits – Teams / Series / social media
Sunday, September 07, 2025 |
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A frustrating visit to The Bend for the Volante Rosso AMR team down under
Again having to fly halfway around the world following on from his GT World Championship Europe Endurance Cup efforts from the Nurburgring, The Bend was just another circuit to the young Englishman for this penultimate round to the Australian series for only the second time of asking this season having debuted at Sandown last time out.
The weekend started well for the team and crew though as Am driver Talbot secured a pole position start for Saturday’s opening one long race but an error by the driver defending his race position going into turn 13 saw the car dip its tyres off the circuit and spin off into the tyre wall.
Despite damage to the side and rear of the car, Talbot was surprisingly able to continue at the same race pace as his had before the incident but had also dropped down to sixth before he eventually handed over to Day at the stop. Initially dropping to tenth overall, Day soon recovered the #1 cars position to end the day P8 for their efforts.
Race 2 on Sunday started with Day opening the proceedings for the team from his earlier qualifying position of seventh which is where the Pro from the Pro-Am side of their entry remained for much of his stint.
Completed their stop with just over twenty minutes remaining, Talbot emerged from pit lane in seventh but was then one of two cars who suffered from unassisted spins on their out laps to lose himself over six seconds before the race was then interrupted by a Safety Car for another stranded vehicle on track.
Leaving a thirteen-minute dash to the flag, Talbot had to work his way back up from eighth in the pack before contact between the #1 car and the #77 Ferrari saw the Ferrari spin off for which the #1 car would then be awarded a fifteen second time penalty to their final race time for that contact.
Finishing fourth on track, the time penalty sadly dropped the #1 car down to sixth as the series now prepares itself for its finale from Hampton Downs in New Zealand at the beginning of November.
Photo credits – Team / Series / social media
Sunday, September 07, 2025 |
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The same seven Aston Martins in SRO America travel to Barber this weekend with three races in store for some
With high ambient temperatures again this weekend at the 2.4-mile circuit, the threat of thunderstorms again on Saturday could put paid to the efforts of the many runners in each series.
Much like last time out at Road America three weeks ago, there will be one Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT3 apiece in each of the GT World Challenge America and GT America Series racers as the #24 Heart of Racing AMR of Gray Newell and Darren Turner look to duplicate their P3 class winning podium winning efforts at Road America whilst the #2 Racers Edge AMR Vantage GT3 of Jason Bell just looks to get in some quality racing laps after another miserable venture out last time again.
Whilst the #24 HoRT AMR will again compete against fourteen other Pro, Pro-Am and Am class rivels, the entry list for the GT America races has thankfully increased to (albeit just) nine GT3 only based entries. For both crews, championship winning aspirations are not upon the radar this time around.
Finally, there will be the three, one-hour long races of the GT4 America Series as its scheduled twenty-three strong entry list- again featuring Aston Martin Racing powered entries across its silver and Am classes.
Road America started well in Qualifying for the JMF Motorsport and Van Der Steur AMR Vantage GT4 crews of Braydon Arthur and Mike David Ortmann secured pole position in their #4 car ahead of their #3 sister car of Jesse Webb and Jonathon Neudorf in second and the #39 Van Der Steur AMR of Max Hewitt and Luca Mars in third but for the rain storm that descended upon the circuit immediately prior to the start of that opening race. For that reason, race one from Road America has been rescheduled to run within this race weekend on top of its usually rostered two races.
For race 2 which did run on Sunday from Road America saw the #4 JMF crew take an overall solo race win for Ortmann after Arthur proved to be unwell on the day with the Am classed Skip Barber Racing AMR of Michael and Alex Garcia who claimed a second in their class whilst the #26 Heart of Racing Vantage Gt4 of Hannah Grisham and Hannah Greenemeir finished just off the podium this time around, P4 in silver.
Championship wise – the #4 JMF crew of Arthur and Ortmann do still retain something of a mathematical possibility of lifting the silver class drivers crown at Indy, but they would need to certainly finish upon the podium for the remaining five races whilst hoping that the falter along the way themselves.
In Am, the Garcia brothers have a slightly easier points deficit to climb being just forty-two points the current leaders in fourth with these five races to go.
The revised race programme for the GT4 America Series will see the Road America make-up race being ran after Free Practice 2 on Friday before reverting back to its more usual race programme format over both Saturday and Sunday.
Photo credits – Teams / Series / social media
Wednesday, September 03, 2025 |
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Day and Talbot go again in this weekends penultimate round of GT World Challenge Australia
Round five of a six round season sees Day pair up with Liam Talbot for only the second time this season having been sent to replace Declan Fraser aboard the #1 Volante Rosso AMR Vantage GT3 Pro-Am entry from the previous round at Sandown at the end of July. The mixed-race conditions on the day and with most things being new to the squad allowed them to convert a P8 overall finish in race one of the weekend into an overall race win on Sunday.
Unfortunately, that may prove itself to be too little too late for the team as Talbot rests P4 within the Pro-Am Drivers Championship and a whopping eight one points shy of the current leaders but with still a possible one hundred and four points on the table over the four remaining races of the season – never say never as they say!!
Fourteen cars will again compete across the two – one hour pit stop and driver change punctuated races weekend at The Bend starting with Free Practice 1, 2 and Pre-Qualifying on Friday before Qualifying 1 and 2 on Saturday morning before race one later in the day and race two on Sunday.
Photo credits – Team / Series / social media
Tuesday, September 02, 2025 |
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The Verstappen.com AMR nearly clinch the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup Gold crown in Germany (UPDATED)
Despite taking the chequered flag in yesterdays race first within their gold class, the #33 Verstappen.com 2 Seas Motorsport Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT3 crew of Chris Lulham, Thierry Vermuelin and Harry King received a post race ten second time penalty for earlier contact which has dropped them down to third within the race results. That penalty keeps alive the class battle into the final round in Span later next month.
Having been so dominantly consistent with their class over the 2025 season so far, the #33 Red Bull sponsored Aston Martin came from fifth in class at the start to today’s three hour penultimate round to the season in Germany to make use of a Full Course Yellow and Safety Car restart to end the day on the top step of their class podium to win that class outright with one round still remaining.
There were high hopes for the Comtoyou Racing AMR Vantage GT3 of Nicki Thiim, Mattia Drudi and Marco Sorensen going into this round after they qualified in fourth after the initial pole setting BMW was penalised for contact with another car during the days earlier qualifying sessions.
Despite the cooler and overcast conditions, the race was run in essentially dry conditions after rain earlier in the race weekend with Thiim initially dropping down the order ion the opening laps after a ‘round the outside’ plan of attack into turn one backfired for the Dane.
Recovering from that early error, however, the #7 car would hold station within the top five throughout most of his stint before pitting earlier than most to hand the car over to Drudi. That difference in strategy allowed the Italian to quickly catch and pass the Rowe Racing BMW for the race lead which the #7 would then hold onto until what appeared to be a routine third stop and full service, allowing Sorensen to take the car to the flag.
The same FCY/Safety Car intervention for a multiple car incident at turn eight which favoured the #33 Verstappen AMR did the complete opposite to the #7 cars programme after they had pitted at full race pace only for their immediate Pro class competitors to be allowed their own final stop at Safety car speed. That time difference alone dropped the #7 car from what was the race lead and down to P8 in class by the time the third pit stop cycle had been completed. The #7 crew would eventually finish sixth.
The Nurburgring was also not the day for the remaining four Aston Martin Racing powered crews after the silver classed #35 Walkenhorst Motorsport entry of Mateo Villagomez, Romain Leroux and Oliver Soderstrom dropped a lap in the opening minutes after (presumed) contact with others on lap one whilst the similar classed #21 Comtoyou Racing entry of Nicolas Baert, Kobe Pauwel and Jamie Day dropped from their P3 qualifying position to end the day P7 in class.
The #34 Walkenhorst Pro entry of David Pittard, Christian Krognes and Henrique Chaves maintained a disappointing weekend at the office for them converting their P12 qualifying position into a P12 finish in class whilst the #270 Comtoyou Racing bronze classed entry of Jessica Hawkins, Antoine Potty and Alexandre Leroy at least saw an improvement by finishing the weekend from their P16 class start into a P13 finish.
With the Gold class already sorted, the final round of the season from Barcelona in mid-October will become something of a non-event as no other AMR powered crew can win anything more than the race or their class by the end of that final three hours of racing.
Photo credits – Teams / Series / social media
Sunday, August 31, 2025 |
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Six Aston Martin Vantage GT3s go again in GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cups visit to the Nurburgring
Rounds so far from Paul Ricard, Monza and Spa Francorchamps leaves just this round from Germany and its more traditional end of season event from the Circuit De Catalunya near Barcelona left for their sixty plus strong entry to conclude their respective Pro, Gold, Silver and Bronze class championship battles.
Within the top-flight Pro class there will again be the #7 Comtoyou Racing Aston Martin Racing entry of Nicki Thiim, Marco Sorensen and Matia Drudi as well as the #34 Walkenhorst AMR Vantage GT3 of Christian Krognes, David Pittard and Henrique Chaves.
Results so far this season place the #7 crew in P6, twenty-three points behind the present class leaders whilst the #34 crew are unfortunately way down the order in P20 with just four championship points to their name.
There is again another car and crew from each team competing within the silver class where the situation within class is a near reflection of that within Pro as the #35 Walkenhorst crew of Matteo Villagomez, Oliver Soderstrom and Romain Leroux stand P9 in class – thirty five points behind the present class leaders whilst the #21 Comtoyou Racing entry of Jamie Day, Nicolas Baert and Kobe Pauwels sit P26 with just two points to their name. Whilst the #21 has been great up to and including Qualifying, incidents and accidents have prevented anything more than a single point apiece from Paul Ricard and Monza.
The Bronze class has been even crueller to the #270 Comtoyou Racing crew of Jessica Hawkins, Antoine Potty and Alexandre Leroy as whilst they finished P11 in class at the season opener, they failed to even make the start to the race at Monza thanks to an accident in an earlier test session before again failing to finish at the Spa 24.
There is happier new however within the Gold class as the #33 Verstappen.com (2 Seas Motorsport) prepared Vantage GT3 of Thierry Vermuelin, Harry King and Chris Lulham presently lead that class by a margin of twenty-five points from the chasing pack.
It’s now been over two months since the last round of the season from Spa Francorchamps as the series gets back underway on Thursday with private testing ahead of more formally timed sessions starting on Friday before Qualifying on Saturday and the wave off to this three-hour race on Sunday starting at 15:00hrs local.
Photo credits – Teams / Series / social media
Tuesday, August 26, 2025 |
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Another #doningtondecider in store after another barnstorming race from Brands Hatch in British GT
Having qualified their #7 Blackthorn Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT3 onto the front row of the grid behind just one of their 2 Seas Motorsport Mercedes AMG advisories, the Giacomo Petrobelli and Jonny Adam car didn’t get off to the best of starts as despite taking the race lead out of Paddock Hill Bend for the first time, the car was served with an unwanted drive through penalty for using external devices upon the car during the formation grid.
That transgression by the team dropped their car into the midst of the GT4 field on only about the third full racing lap having been behind the Safety Car from the second lap due to an off for a GT4 car at Druids on the opening lap.
Slightly further back meanwhile, the #97 Beechdean AMR Vantage GT3 of Andrew Howard and Tom Wood had also gotten off to a great start from their aggregated P7 position that Wood had earned the crew on Saturday by topping the Pro drivers qualifying session. After the earlier Safety Car restart, Howard had progressed up to P6 and distanced their class rivalling #86 Bridger Motorsport Honda who were then down in nineth.
Thwarting the Blackthorn’s progression through the lower order of the GT3 class was an on-track fire for one of the Ginetta GT4’s but fortunately for them, the driver was able to vacate the vehicle quickly for the trackside staff to bring things to a swift and safe conclusion although that did lose nearly eighteen minutes on the race clock.
Later after that restart, Petrobelli found himself being baulked by the #86 Honda which, whilst it was bad for them, that delay only helped their Beechdean AMR counterparts further ahead in the pack. Only just before the opening of the GT3 pit stop window did the #7 Aston pass the Honda before all bar the race leading Mercedes pitted for service at the first availability.
Pit stops done and Adam had come out in fourth thanks to the success time penalties affecting three cars out front in class whilst Wood was now P6 overall, still with a healthy lead of his own from the Honda in the silver-am class as Adam even got a warning for track limits such was his degree of determination for a decent finish this time around.
Further track drama was soon to follow as contact between a McLaren and a Porsche GT3 cars saw debris left upon track and one of those cars stranded in a gravel track – all of which necessitated a further Full Course Yellow and later Safety Car restart to sort out the mess.
With ten minutes to go, Wood put a lap onto the Honda so all he had to do was to finish to secure another class win but Adam had more problems upon his hands as he soon had other, faster cars upon him looking for track position as he became the head of a five car train with Wood immediately behind the Scot doing what he could to defend the #7 cars position.
Eventually the chequered flag came with the #7 Blackthorn car taking P4 with the #97 Beechdean car just one place behind in P5 – also taking the class win. With 37.5 points on offer at the final round from Donington Park in early October, both crews still need to perform if they want to have a chance at the class titles. The #7 car is now 28.5 points behind the championship leading #42 Mercedes whilst the #97 crew are still just 14 points ahead of the Honda powered crew.
Still all to race for at Donington then!!
Monday, August 25, 2025 |
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