Racelab AMR looking for more of this at Hampton Downs in the Super GT NZ Series
If you hadn’t already seen it but this weekend is the third round of the Rodin Cars Super GT of New Zealand Series from Hampton Downs Motorsport Park towards the north of their North Island with again two RaceLab prepared Aston Martin racing V8 Vantage GT8R competing amongst the mixed 911 class and GT4 grid.
New for 2022, this four round series has already visited both Highlands Park and the Mike Pero Motorsport Park for their respective weekend of two shorter, half races over Saturday and Sunday before culminating with an hour long race on the Sunday leaving the bright yellow #78 car of Stephen Harrison just ahead in the GT4 Class.
Last time out in Ruapuna, the #77 of Shaun Helms so nearly scored the team’s first overall race win of the season/series after rain and a favourable compulsory (BoP adjusted timed) pit stop left the black and gold Aston out in the lead with just one lap to go.
Unfortunately, a spin at the hairpin negotiating back markers put paid to that but a Class win for Helms and with Harrison coming home a close third was enough for Harrison to obtain the class lead and for Helms to move up to P4 going into the Hampton Downs event.
After the balmy weather of Highlands Park back in mid-January, Ruapuna was affected by a mix of hot sunshine and persistent rainfall and that has been the case today as early testing was again affected with heavy rainfall before drying out towards the end of the day.
Qualifying will take place tomorrow ahead of the afternoon’s half hour opener before getting straight back into in on Sunday morning with another half hour race before the hour-long race to end the day.
First race podiums for the Race Lab AMR Vantage GT8R's in the Super GT NZ Series
The second round of the Super GT New Zealand took place at the weekend from the Mike Pero Motorsport Park and marked a distinct contrast in racing and racing fortunes for the mixed GT4, Cup and GT3 field.
After the something of a ‘crash-fest’ of the opening weekend last week from Highlands Park, it took something of a stern talk and dressing down from the series Driving Standards Officer to convince the remaining field of drivers arriving at the Ruapuna circuit of the need to respect others on track and give all racing room.
Thankfully that did the trick as the twenty-four grid went from Free Practice and into Qualifying for the two half hour races and the latter headlining hour long finale for an otherwise clean weekend. Both the Race Lab Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT8R’s were again competing with Shaun Helms and Stephen Harrison taking charge of the #77 and #78 cars respectively.
After some adjustments to the series BoP defining mandatory pitstop (the faster you are the longer you wait in pit lane) had things teetered up for a great finish in the opening half race on Saturday afternoon as the #77 car of Helms was perfectly placed to score his first class podium finish in P3 after brake failure for one of the Porsche GT3 lead to that race being red flagged on the final lap.
Sunday morning’s second half hour race was almost a wash out as heavy rain flooded from the sun hardened infield and onto the track. Starting again from the midfield, both Astons struggled in the conditions for this time Harrison to come home first between them in P4 with Helms just behind in P6.
Luckily for the hour-long race, the rain had passed and the track had dried although temperatures remained lower that those at the start of the meeting.
Again the widened pit window allowed the twenty four cars to run their own race with many of the faster GT3 car electing to pit earlier than you would have otherwise expected and that allowed the GT4 runners to move to the front of the pack with certainly the two Astons picking up a two minute advantage.
With Helms assuming the race lead and Harrison not far behind in P3 with just twenty minutes remaining, it was to be a close-run thing to the flag with the faster cars closing in at a vast rate of knots. Unfortunately upon the penultimate lap, a large pack of tail enders was enough to distract Helms at the hairpin for him to spin off and into the midfield.
Whether he would have had the pace to take the overall race win we will never know but they gap to their peers behind was enough for the Race Lab crews to take P1 and P2 in the GT4 Class.
The third of the four round series will be on the North Island at Hampton Downs in mid-February.
Photo credits – SuperGT NZ
Super GT New Zealand back in action at Mike Pero Motorsport Park this weekend
This weekend is also a quick fire, back-to-back triple header weekend for the Super GT New Zealand Series as they travel up from Highlands Park to the Mike Pero Motorsport Park near Christchurch for their second round of a four-round season.
Despite the scratching of the opening half-hour race on Saturday after a red flag halted the race before 75% race distance and then further red flags and Safety Car interventions during the next two races on Sunday, the #78 Race Lab prepared Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GT8R of Stephen Harrison came away in the lead of the GT4 class after his P5 and P6 finishes on Sunday.
Running with GT4’s, Porsche Cup and mainly Porsche GT3 cars amongst what was a twenty-seven-car grid, that may change slightly in Ruapuna after several cars suffered extensive damage during those races.
Also at Mike Pero Park in an Aston Martin Vantage GT8R racing with the Race Lab team will be the #77 car of Shaun Helms who managed P16 and P12 over the two completed races.
Photo credits – Super GT NZ
New Zealand's new Super GT Series season opener unfortunately blighted with track incidents and accidents
The new for 2022 Super GT New Zealand Series kicked off its opening meeting of their four round season this weekend from the picturesque Highlands Park Circuit on the South Island.
Competing amongst the confirmed twenty-seven car, multi-class grid were two Aston Martin Racing GT8R race cars from the Race Lab team with solo drivers Shane Helms and Steven Harrison behind the wheel of the #77 and #78 cars respectively.
Starting in the southern hemisphere’s mid-summer season, temperatures were just into their thirties as the team prepared for Free Practice and Qualifying before the first thirty-minute round on Saturday, another on Sunday morning before an hour long race to round things off later in the day.
Due to the grid make up of GT4, Porsche Cup and a few GT3 cars, the balance of performance between the classes was to be via each races compulsory visit to pit lane – not necessarily to change drivers as most cars were single drivers, but to recover time between the fastest and the slowest on track. The faster you were – the longer you sat in pit lane making for a sprint – enforced short break – sprint racing scenario.
All great in theory but unfortunately the nett result was probably not what the race organisers had first intended as Saturday’s first raced was scratched from the results after multiple incidents (thankfully non serious for the driver) lead to it not fulfilling its 75% race distance criteria for it to be called a result by the Stewards after it was red flagged due to an incident.
Sunday morning’s second half hour race did at least reach another un-natural conclusion after yet more multiple Safety Car required incidences blighted the racing with another distance shortened race. In that race, Harrison however was able to be listed as finishing P5 overall with Helms further back in P16.
Then again later on Sunday, the headline one hour race suffered something much the same after multiple Safety Car interventions and red flags soured and curtailed what should have been a great race. Whether that was all down to the characteristics of the circuit and/or drivers been slightly green from their elongated winter/COVID restricted break we might only find out when the series moves onto the Mike Pero Motorsport Park Circuit next weekend for another three races.
If nothing else, the two Aston’s looked great in the sunshine!!
Photo credits – Super GT NZ
New Zealands new Super GT Series kicks off this weekend with two Vantage GT8R's aboard
Twenty-seven cars have been finally confirmed for the opening round of New Zealand’s new for 2022, the Rodin Cars Super GT Series that kicks off at Highlands Park this weekend.
Created in addition to the GT series that already compete individually on both their North and South Island, the Super GT Series has been designed not to interfere with either of the more established race programmes as like the Asian Le Mans Series, it will conclude at its fourth and final round at the end of February.
Featuring amongst the declared Porsche Cup Class and GT4 cars only grid will be two Aston Martin GT8R cars ran by the Race Lab team for drivers Shane Helms in his gold and black liveried #77 car and Steve Harrison in his familiar bright yellow #78 car each photographed an an early GT race this month.
Without further confirmation, these rounds are proposed to run two half hour races over the weekend plus one one-hour race later on the Sunday.
With the Dubai 24hr now not running a Vantage GT8R class at their event this weekend, New Zealand remains the only place where you can watch these enhanced GT4 race cars actively compete.
Photo credits - SGTNZ
First Aston Martin GT8R confirmed for New Zealand's new Super GT Series
One of the early bird series in 2022 will be the new Rodin Cars Super GT Series down in New Zealand as they kick off a four round series starting the weekend of the 15/16th January at Highlands Park.
Back in early September, it was reported that all thirty slots within the new series had been sold to prospective entrants including two Aston Martins entered by the Auckland based Space Lab team.
Today saw the second of their indicated three car entry for the series confirmed and the first of an expected two AMR Vantage GT8R entry (alongside their Ginetta G55 GT4 entry already confirmed) for local driver Shane Helms.
Having only recently acquired the GT8R, Helms is yet to drive the car but is hopeful of some track time before Christmas. Coming with a huge amount of race experience from both the North and South Island Endurance Series, Helms said that “the GT4 platform is great, they’re fast and reliable cars, and they’re cool. But also for me, it’s about racing against similar machinery that are similar in speed.”
“Sometimes you enter an endurance race and for the first couple of laps it’s all go, then you just settle into a groove and get to the end. I expect the actual racing in this series to be pretty close.”
Having seen photo’s recently on-line of both the #111 and #77 cars testing at Highlands Park, we still await confirmation of the driver line up in the yellow GT8R – the car that secured the GTB Class Championship win in the North Island Series back in June.
Photo credits – Super GT NZ, Space Lab / NIESC
Two AMR GT4's confirmed for New Zealand's newest GT Series
Featuring a heavily time penalty BoP system for the faster cars to serve during their mandatory pit stops, the new “Super Gt Series” (they may be required to change that title) will feature a four round season consisting of three races per round – two at thirty minutes and another hour-long race.
Featuring a GT4 class, a Ferrari Challenge and Porsche Classes, we understand that two Aston Martin Racing GT4’s have been entered and accepted into this series that starts at the Highland Park circuit in mid-January 2022.
We do know that Aston Martin Racing Australasia have multiple AMR Vantage GT8R’s available to them at the moment (like the one that has raced in the New Zealand North Island Endurance Series) but we are not sure if there are any Vantage GT4’s down there yet or indeed the identity of the entrants and their potential drivers.
Further information will be released by series organisers nearer the time.
Photo credits – AMR NZ
Heart of Racing claim North Island Endurance Series win at a rain soaked Pokekohe
Arriving at Pukekohe Park for the weekend’s final three-hour race, Alex Riberas and Darren Kelly were in points arrears to the #22 Audi R8 of Neil Foster and Jonny Reid but with the #22 car not competing at the final round, a race win was still essential for the team on count back if they didn’t!
Throughout a rain sodden race meeting, it was only fitting that former National Drift Champion Kelly secured his first pole position in the GT3 in such trying conditions having come so close last time out.
What followed next was almost a ‘demonstration run’ of prowess as the #52 car posted purple sector after sector as the laps passed by yet the rain continued to fall.
For the #111 GT-B class AMR Vantage GT8R of Steve Harrison and Shane Merlin however, their race would end before the end of the first hour as a long brake pedal forced them into the garage for lengthy repairs. They did finally make it back out on track towards the end but that was by then just a formality.
As the rain appeared to lessen, the #52 car eventually took the chequered flag with a three lap margin to secure not just another rave win in the Series but also to claim the overall and GT-A class wins as well. That goes nicely with their South Island Endurance Series win of 2020 – something that the team will be defending as that series kicks off in September.
Great job guys!
Photo credits – HoRT / NIES
Misfortune of others cost Heart of Racing a win in North Island Endurance Series
After having to settle for second place behind the #22 Audi last time out at Hampton Downs, hopes were again high for today’s race as the #52 car claimed pole position, five places ahead of the #22 car going into today’s three-hour race with both cars tied for the Championship lead on 185 points each.
Also in the race again was the AMR Australasia Vantage GT8R of Steve Harrison and Shane Murland after their unopposed class B win at Hampton Downs two weeks ago.
Despite this event being Kelly’s and Riberas’ first competitive visit to the circuit, Riberas was soon off into the sunset as others held themselves up around a twisty, tyre punishing circuit but soon throttled back to conserve those tyres for the full expected hour duration of his stint. In the meantime, the Reid/Foster Audi R8 had moved up from P5 to P3.
Pitting from the lead at the seventy-minute mark, Riberas handed over to Kelly for what would be his only stint of the race again, but the #22 Audi stayed out in an attempt to gain track position.
Just before the halfway mark, a sickening looking accident for a young driver within a brand-new McLaren 570s GT4 with apparent brake issues brought out an immediate Safety Car. Losing the best part of an hour whilst the safety barrier and debris was repaired, another two-car spin on the green lap race left a two-horse race to the flag for the #52 and #22 cars but with each owing a final stop.
With forty-two minutes remaining the #22 assumed the race lead whilst the #111 car continued at the head of the non GT3 classes and would go on to take another class win.
For the #52 crew and Riberas short on minimum drive time by just one minute, their final stop came with less than three minutes remaining but unfortunately the damage had already been done with the #22 Audi having looked after its tyres more than the Aston to create a big enough gap to retain the lead and ultimately, the race win.
This result has Reid and Foster take the overall lead outright with just one round remaining!
Photo credits – HoRT / NIES
All to race for still at Rd 3 of North Island Endurance Championship
Next weekend sees the third round of four North Island Endurance Championship for the Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park in Taupo.
Back to the tradition of never seemingly able to track down an accurate entry list from the race organisers, we would believe that the #52 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage of Darren Kelly and Alex Riberas will of course be there but we are not so sure about the AMR Australasia Vantage GT8R of Steve Harrison and Shane Murland.
Both cars being podium winners after another eventful race last time out at Hampton Park, where the GT3 crew had to settle for a P2 slot and the GT8R crew took an unopposed class win again to lead their GT-B class.
Kelly and Riberas meanwhile are tied for the GT-A and overall Championship lead with the Audi crew of Neil Foster and Jonny Reid who beat them to the top step two weeks ago.
Photo credits – NIEC / HoRT / AMR Aus
Double podium for AMR runners at Rd 2 North Island Endurance Series
A highly entertaining second round of New Zealand’s North Island Endurance Series left the #52 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Racing team having to be satisfied with a second-place finish at the end of today’s three hour race from the Hampton Downs circuit.
Having qualified second behind the #1 McLaren 650S and with light rain beginning to fall as the cars assembled on the grid, it didn’t take Darren Kelly more than the length of the pit straight before taking the lead before gapping the chasing pack by some considerable margin and lapping the #111 AMR Australasia Vantage GT8R car by as early as the tenth minute.
Running as deep as the seventy eighth minute, Kelly pitted to swap over to Alex Ribera before a Safety Car period for a stranded car all but destroyed their race lead soon after their first stop. The restart lap then allowed the new generation #33 Audi R8 to come through into P2 to begin what would become a challenging time for Riberas with just an hour remaining.
Pass and counter passes were made between the #52 and #22 cars as each battled for the lead before ultimately the #22 car broke the tow and made it’s get-away and through their final stop of the race to claim the race win over the #52 car.
Without any real class competition, the #111 Vantage GT8R of Steve Harrison and Shane Murland finished the race P6 overall as fastest finisher behind the other GT3 class cars – so it wasn’t all bad!!
Both Aston’s now lead their respective classes at the halfway stage of the season.
Photo credits – NIES / Team
AMR Australasia Vantage GT8R and Heart of Racing AMR GT3 back out at Hampton Down this weekend
Two cars from the Aston Martin Racing stable feature in this weekend’s second round of the New Zealand’s North Island Endurance Series from Hampton Downs.
With one race win already under their belts from the Series opener at Pukekohe earlier this month has the #52 Heart of Racing AMR Vantage GT3 again featuring within the entry list of thirteen cars for drivers Alex Riberas and Darren Kelly.
Joining them this weekend will also be the #111 AMR Vantage GT8R from AMR Australasia for drivers Steve Harrison and Shane Murland who will again compete within the GT B Class.
3 Hour competitors | |||||
Driver name | Driver 2 Name | Vehicle Make: | Vehicle Model: | Race Number: | Class entry |
Geoff Short | Martin Short | Audi | GT3 | 5 | Class GT A |
Glenn Smith | John DeVeth | McLaren | 650s GT3 | 1 | Class GT A |
Neil Foster | Jonny Reid | Audi | R8 LMS | 22 | Class GT A |
Andrew Fawcett | Sam Fillmore | Audi | R8 LMS | 10 | Class GT A |
Alex Riberas | Darryn Kelly | Aston Martin | GT3 | 52 | Class GT A |
Lance Hughes | Chris Van der Drift | Nissan | GT3 | 84 | Class GT A |
Shane Helms | Greg Murphy | Renault | RS01 | 77 | Class GT A |
Todd Murphy | Andy Greenslade | Hyundai | I45 | 17 | Class GT B |
Don McIntyre | Rob Williams | Porsche | 997 GT 3 Cup | 24 | Class GT B |
Steve Harrison | Shane Murland | Aston Martin | GT8R | 111 | Class GT B |
Matt Dovey | Jono Lester | Audi | RS4 | 80 | Class 1: 3501 cc and over |
Tony Head | Seton Head | Toyota | Altezza | 20 | Class 1: 3501 cc and over |
Marco Giltrap | Simon Evans | Toyota | GT86 | 4 | Class 3: 1601 cc to 2000 cc |
Saturday’s race is again another three hour affair!
Photo credits – HoRT / AMR Australasia
