PROsport Racing left to count the cost poor driving at DTM Trophy's second round at the Lausitzring
The Nurburgring based Aston Martin Racing team of PROsport Racing remained the sole AMR team within the mid-twenties grid of GT4 machinery but had a revised line up since the opening round at Monza with Dane Patrik Matthiesen falling out with the team for him to be replaced with sometimes previous team racer, Mike David Ortmann.
Saturdays opening race wasn’t a good one for the two Aston’s as each car was obviously lacking the same amount of terminal velocity of the Mercedes and BMW’s ahead and on a circuit that required effective slip-streaming to pass – that was an obvious issue.
Starting P6, reigning DTM Trophy champion Tim Heinemann quickly dropped to P9 by the first real corner of the lap whilst Ortmann did make some early gains to lift himself up from P18 to P14.
Never in the race, both Astons had to make do with what they had and a prolonged Safety Car for two cars tangling on the pit straight only served to save their blushes. Then in the final minutes, Heinemann got pushed out and into an infield gravel trap – managing to return but was by then in last place. Race one would end with #19 Ortmann finishing P10 and #1 Heinemann P15, rounding off a miserable day for them.
Race 2 would at least start well for the PROsport team as Heinemann secured pole position with Ortmann slightly better placed in P16.
Taking the rolling start, Heinemann was again shown weaving vigorously across the track to defend his position from the BMW of Ben Green behind and the #23 KTM behind him. Losing the lead and then regaining it a few corners later it looked like it was going to be a busy thirty minutes to see who won.
The only thing was, and just a lap later, a move from the #23 KTM on Green left the KTM with little to no braking distance into the tight left hander and had the #23 car sail broadside into the side of the #1 car ahead as he turned into the corner. Ripping the driver’s door off the Aston in the process, both cars came to a halt some way away from the scene of their impact. Luckily both appeared to be unharmed although Heinemann left his feelings clearly be known as the victim in that incident.
After the clean-up with the Safety Car again controlling the race, little over half the time remained. Salt was to be later rubbed into the wounds of the PROsport team as the sister KTM X Bow robustly pushed Ortmann out wide to drop two or three places only for the KTM to go into the next corner too fast, spin the gravel and exit back onto the racetrack (backwards) just Infront on the #19 car.
Race two would finish a disappointing P11 for the #19 car and another DNF for the #1 car as the series looks to Zolder in two week’s time.
Photo credits - DTM Trophy / Team
Sunday, July 25, 2021 |
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Two Astons finally become three for GT4 European opener
After some last minute negotiations with the series organisers, it looks as if Academy Motorsport will indeed be entering both of their Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GT4's into this weekends GT4 European Series opener from Zolder.
Having previously advertised a two car entry into both the GT4 European Series and its sister SRO series (the British GT Championship) the Worcester based team has been struggling to fill their final seat in the second of their cars, but have today received a change of driver grading that will now allow the one confirmed driver to race alone.
Just after the AMR Collective test from Portimao in Portugal in early March, team boss Matt Nichol-Jones announced that he would indeed be returning to the Pro/Am class of the European Series but with a new co-driver in Walero race wear boss and former Dutch Supercar driver Fiona James.
Now racing solo in the team's other car will be (now) Bronze rated driver Immanuel Vinke, a name that many of you will recognise as a man who raced with Beechdean AMR in their Vantage GTE at the final round of the European Le Mans Series in Portimao last year.
Joining the two Academy cars will the Street Art Racing V8 Vantage GT4 #7 car of Pascal Bachmann and Julien Darras who will also compete in the Pro/Am class. They will race a car with the livery that competed in the FFSA GT4 Championship last year having sold their former GT4 European Series car to - Academy Motorsport over the winter!
Forty four cars from ten manufacturers are presently down on the Zolder entry list!
Sharing the meeting with the Blancpain GT Sprint Series, all races will be streamed live via the series webpage.
Photo credits - Jacob Ebrey / GT4 European
Wednesday, April 04, 2018 |
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Academy with a seat available at GT4 European Series opener
Academy Motorsport is looking for a driver who is interested to race the team's second Aston Martin Vantage GT4 for the start of the 2018 GT4 European Series which hits the track at Zolder this weekend.
The team has a proven track record with second place finishes in the Silver Cup and the Teams' championship in the 2017 GT4 European Series Northern Cup and the max'ed out 47 car entry for 2018 season should make the championship no less exciting.
The team has two cars entered in this year's series, as well as a pair of cars in the British GT championship.
More information by e-mail or by phone, please contact Matt Nicoll-Jones.
E: bighmnj@hotmail.com
T: +44 (0) 1905 840085
M: +44 (0) 7814 705352
Photo credits - Jacob Ebrey
Monday, April 02, 2018 |
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James joins Academy in GT4 European Series
Soon after testing with the crew at the collective Aston Martin Racing test at Portimao last weekend, Dutch Supercar Challenge racer Fiona James has confirmed that she will be joining Academy Motorsport in one of their V8 Vantage GT4 for the 2018 GT4 European series.
Founder and owner of the race underwear company Walero, James has been racing since 2006 in a number of series and cars most recently her Praga in the Dutch run Supercar Challenge but now she faces her toughest challenge yet as she joins team boss Matt Nichol-Jones in the European series that starts in just three weeks time.
"I'm really excited to be racing with Matt in the GT4 Aston Martin Vantage, & am looking forwards to progressing with his help. It's a big step up to be racing in European GT4 but I'm really looking forwards to the challenge!" said James as she broke the news
It will be a busy three weeks for the Worcester team having had two cars confirmed in both the British GT Champion and the GT4 European Series, events which run just a week apart.
The driver line for the teams second car will be announced in due course.
Photo credits - Supercar Challenge
Wednesday, March 14, 2018 |
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Academy double up in both British and European GT4
Good times in GT4 racing are obviously here as the Worcester based Academy Motorsport double their entries in both the British GT and GT4 European Championships for the 2018 campaign.
With final detail of their British GT entries finally confirmed at Donington Park yesterday, the team will field a car for new young guns Jan Jonck and Tom Wood whilst team boss Matt Nichol-Jones will again share a car alongside team returnee Will Moore.
Missing both series Media Day test day's yesterday by virtue of being at the Aston Martin Racing collective test from a rather soggy Portimao circuit in Portugal, the team have also been confirmed tonight as having two entries in the parallel SRO European GT4 Series with an (as yet) un-named driver line up.
The team have also purchased one of the Street Art Racing V8 Vantage GT4's over the winter months which they presently have with them down in Portugal for testing alongside a third car.
Street Art Racing meanwhile were at the series rain soaked test at Zolder yesterday and have a single car entry now confirmed for the European series having run a car in each of the (as then) Northern and Southern Cups. The 2018 GT4 European series will field a capacity grid of 47 cars.
Friday, March 09, 2018 |
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