Win one - lose one as two Aston Martins return for Michelin Pilot Challenge from Road America this weekend
Featuring another healthy grid, we welcome back the two Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT4 crews of the #7 Volt Racing of Alan Brynjolfsson and Trent Hindman as well as the #09 Stoner Car Care car of Rob Ecklin and Ramin Abdolvahabi after they elected to sit out the fast and tight circuit of Lime Rock Park last time out.
Since the last round however, we have also had it confirmed from multiple sources that the #12 Corsa Horizon crew of Manny Franco and Josh Hurley will not be competing again within the series this season for what has been described as a personal preference from the teams customer racer.
That is a great shame considering just how far they had come since their audition within the series at no other venues than Daytona having never raced that car before!!
Last time out at Lime Rock, the sole Aston Martin of Brynjolfsson and Hindman brought home their car for another podium finish in second overall to extend their overall GS Champiosnhip lead from the Mercedes of Eric Foss and Christian Szymczak after they endured another lowly points finish there.
There two hours race will start of Saturday at 14:15hrs local
Photo credits - Teams
Monday, August 01, 2022 |
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Third best the best that Volt Racing could do in IMSAs return to CTMSP
With many citing the additional bureaucracy needed to cross either way over the Canadian/American border and Canada’s heightened COVID-19 vaccination demands saw many teams and personnel skip the event leaving us just the #7 Volt Racing Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT4 of Alan Brynjolfsson and Trent Hindman amongst its GS entry of eighteen cars.
Like all the series that utilise the SRO Balance of Performance system, the Aston Martins within the Michelin Pilot Challenge have seen a distinct drop of in performance relative to their season opening performances that has seen the Mercedes AMG GT4 become the car of the moment.
Qualifying in fourth for this two-hour race, the series return to Canada was at least blessed with a clam and methodical start from all the GS and TCR runners which saw the #7 car penalise itself for an early move for position that cost it one place on track during the opening laps.
Twenty minutes in and a failing Porsche 718 GT4 had parked itself close to the recovery crews based off circuit but the racing rules of IMSA again stagnated the race with another of their twelve minute long Full Course Yellows that ended up needing a class split after the offerings of the pit lane.
With one GS car taking that option of fuel during that caution, it became evident that most would be running a simple one stop strategy – running until the halfway mark before stopping for full service close to the mid-way point with further yellows only serving to help save fuel.
Pitting from third, Brynjolfsson had done his bit with just the two Murillo Racing Mercedes ahead of him but a close call with a Camaro in pit lane nearly ended it all for Volt Racing as the #71 car was released right into Brynjolfsson’s path.
Three more FCY’s for stranded vehicles again affected the flow of the race during its second hour but on each of these restarts, Hindman was at best only able to close the gap to the two Mercedes ahead without ever being able to challenge for position.
Fortunately, the final fifteen minutes were caution free and allowed the top five GS cars (now all line astern) to race to the end. Whilst the Mercedes were comfortable ahead, Hindman was coming under increasing pressure from the #71 Camaro which saw Hindman having to run a completely defensive final lap to hold onto their P3 position to the end to help extend their Championship lead.
Next up for this series will be a visit to Lime Rock Park in just two weeks’ time.
Photo credits – IMSA / Team
Sunday, July 03, 2022 |
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Disappointment for the Aston runners in Michelin Pilot Challenge at Watkins Glen
The fifth round of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge from Watkins Glen in upstate New York again didn’t disappoint in terms of excitement and intrigue, although this time the final excitement was sadly left to teams other than the three Aston Martin Racing runners.
Being run under high ambient temperatures and track temperatures even higher, it was to be a race blighted with technical and tyre related matters that stopped the Corsa Horizon, Volt Racing and Stoner Car Care with Automatic Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT4’s off the winning steps, although some did come close despite these issues.
The opening news from race weekend was that of Pat Gallagher standing in for an absent Manny Franco aboard their #12 Corsa Horizon car, with Gallagher then placing that car highest of the three Aston’s after Qualifying in forth – reminiscent of his GT4 days with the RS1 Notlad Racing Aston Martin GT4 with Steven McAleer!! Alan Brynjolfsson then placed his #7 car a disappointing for him P11 whilst Ramin Abdolvahabi Qualified P24 in GS with his #09 Aston Martin.
Another fast and furious rolling start form Watkins Glen with a circuit that simply encouraged speed through its sweeping opening set of corners but with high track temperatures, that was always to come at a price.
Small early gains from the #7 and #09 cars were soon cancelled out by the first FCY after the #21 Toyota impacted heavily into the barrier having been battling the #09 of Abdolvahabi just moments before with that car electing to take service at the re-opening of the pits whilst the #21 and #7 passed the pit entry by on a strategic decision for both.
At the restart, a determined Brynjolfsson passed Gallagher for position, but it quickly became apparent that the #12 car was in trouble with what appeared to be another nearside puncture. Getting the car back to the pits, that would be the last we would see of the #12 car as that, and other engine related issues forced the Gallagher/Josh Hurley driven car into retirement.
Moments later, the #7 car would also get a nearside front puncture (about the fourth of fifth of the race so far) with still another quarter of an hour to go to the midway points of the two-hour race and which would cost the Volt crew the lead lap in limping back for repairs.
Luckily for them, the FCY’s just kept coming as debris and stranded vehicles forced race control to neutralise the race and allowing the #7 car to get the wave around back onto the lead lap. The #09 car meanwhile had found itself up in the top ten thanks to the sequence of the caution periods although that wasn’t their true running position at the time.
The end of the fourth FCY left just twenty minutes remaining for Trent Hindman to catch and pass the GS car ahead of him if he wanted a podium finish from his then P13 position on track. As the laps counted down, his position on track improved by time this time was not to be their friend as they crossed the line down in P6 overall at the end.
Not the finish or indeed the race they had hoped for but a decent points finish non the less having been leading the GS class coming into the event. The #09 Stoner Car Care car of Abdolvahabi and Rob Ecklin would finish P21 overall at the end, thanks in part to an intermittent power steering issue adding to further discomfort for the drivers inside an already hot cabin.
Their next round will be a relatively short trip north and across the Canadian border as IMSA revisits the Canadi an Tyre Motorsport Park for the first time since lockdown in 2019.
That’s another day – another race!!
Photo credits – Teams
Sunday, June 26, 2022 |
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Just a slight change to this weekends Michelin Pilot Challenge AMR runners
After previous rounds from Daytona, Sebring, Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca and most recently at Mid-Ohio six weeks ago, this fifth round of the season sees the #07 Volt Racing Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT4 crew of Alan Brynjolfsson and Trent Hindman hold a 130-point lead over the Mercedes AMG GT4 driver of Eric Foss thanks to a string of podium finishes (including a race win in California) to carry that edge within another highly competitive GS class.
Again competing for another of its renowned two-hour races, the Tioga Downs Casino Resort 120 will host the other two usual AMR incumbents with the #09 Stoner Car Care AMR of Ramin Abdolvahabi and Rob Ecklin still looking for a little bit of luck within their Bronze Cup class that would otherwise elevate them somewhat up the overall finishing order rather than just in class.
They too will of course be joined again by the new for 2022 Corsa Horizon AMR Vantage GT4 of what is listed still to be Manny Franco and Josh Hurley, but we understand from social media that Pat Gallagher will be deputising for Franco at this event.
Since their tentative steps within the series at all places than at the opening round of the series from Daytona in January, the #12 crew have enjoyed progressive steps forward to sit P22 in the GS Championship going into this round.
Free Practice begins on Thursday with another Free Practice and Qualifying on Friday before the green flag to their two-hour race being shown at 15:45pm local on Saturday.
Photo credits – Teams
Wednesday, June 22, 2022 |
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Three AMRs again of the fourth round of the Michelin Pilot Challenge from Mid-Ohio
Featuring another thirty-nine-car combined grid of GT4 and TCR based race cars, three Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT4’s will again compete amongst their grid of twenty-four cars at Saturday’s two-hour race.
Last time out at Laguna Seca, the #7 Volt Racing AMR of Alan Brynjolfsson and Trent Hindman lucked in with the periods of caution to come out in front by the end of the pit stop cycle to come home triumphant overall winners for the first time this season to now lead the GS class.
The #12 Corsa Horizon AMR of Manny Franco and Josh Hurley also had their best Qualifying of the season to date last time out to start from the third row of the grid, although did miss out on the fortunes that Volt Racing enjoyed by pitting early for fuel. That move followed the action of others meaning that the best that they could do by the end was a P12 finish.
The #09 Stoner Car Care AMR rounds off the trio as drivers Rob Ecklin and Ramin Abdolvahabi continue within their Bronze Cup GS sub-class that runs for the first time this season. They too got caught up again in the mistakes of others that compromised their race at Laguna Seca as early as the first corner when their Vantage GT4 got turned around by a competitor.
Still no sign of a return for the Automatic Racing prepared AMR of Paul Kiebler after his initial two opening rounds at both Daytona and Sebring, before declaring a full season intention to then not race at either Laguna Seca or Mid-Ohio.
Whatever happens, we know that this will be another great race.
Photo credits – Teams
Wednesday, May 11, 2022 |
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Volt Racing take a fuel risk to eventually claim a Michelin Pilot Challenge race win at Laguna Seca
Having had something of a disappointing Qualifying session for their standards earlier in the day, saw Brynjolfsson start down in tenth and four places further back than the #12 Corsa Horizon AMR Vantage GT4 of Manny Franco and Josh Hurley after that team enjoyed their best Qualifying session of the season so far.
The #09 Stoner Car Care AMR Vantage GT4 of Ramin Abdolvahabi and Rob Ecklin started further in back P25 in GS and fourth in their new for 2022 Bronze Cup class as the race went green for another two-hour event.
Unfortunately for the #09 car, their race would go ‘south’ as early as the first corner when their sveltely liveried car was turned around by others and into the dusty infield at turn one. Abdolvahabi would recover but he would run for most of his opening forty-minute stint towards the back of the pack such was the time lost.
Also dropping back at the start was the #12 car of Franco, losing a couple of places to lead Brynjolfsson around the opening laps but with the race leader (Kenton Koch) steaming off into the distance, an unseen event for the #7 car would drop them down to P11just ahead of the first, and inevitable Safety car.
Whilst recovering the stricken Toyota, the pit lane was then opened for GS runners with the then highest placed Aston (#12) taking the opportunity to take fuel which both the Volt and Stoner cars decided against taking track position over an early and maybe not sufficient splash.
Another stranded car twenty minutes before the hour mark saw another Safety Car and that allowed many to pit for a driver change as their forty-minute minimum drive time had now been served. Brynjolfsson stayed out and assumed second in the race overall before pitting just a few minutes before the hour as another car became beached in one of the many gravel traps.
Cycling through the remaining TCR class pit stops following the Safety Car, the #7 car of Hindman now assumed the lead overall but the question would be one of fuel endurance for them to the end and that problem was helped no end as a tangling Porsche and Mustang sent the Ford heavily into the wall for another extended Safety Car period.
Losing eleven minutes of race time to that as well as another five for yet more stranded cars with just fifteen minutes remaining was enough to give the #7 car the capacity, they needed to see out the race to claim their first win of the season from the RS1 Porsche of Stevan McAleer and Alex Premat.
The #12 Corsa Horizon car would finish the race a disappointing P12 after they lost time in mid field battles during the multiple restarts with the #09 Stoner car completing the trio of AMR finishes down in P25 in GS and P4 in their Bronze Cup. Their performance was obviously mainly due to the time lost at the opening corner followed by vibration issues and losing out with one on the Safety cars just a lap after their stop to miss out getting back on to the lead lap.
The series now moves onto Mid-Ohio in just two weeks’ time.
Photo credits – IMSA / Teams
Sunday, May 01, 2022 |
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Corsa Horizon AMR head the the trio of Astons going into Michelin Pilot Challenge race at Laguna Seca
Formalities over at the Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca with the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Series soon to be getting down to their third round of the season later today around the California circuit.
After rounds on the east coast at both Daytona and Sebring in Florida, three Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GT4’s have made the long haul over to virtually the Californian coast near Monterey for this two-hour event.
Now all confirmed as full season entries, the #12 Corsa Horizon AMR of Manny Franco and Josh Hurley have come away with their best Qualifying session of the season so far to head the AMR trio into this evening’s race.
Clocking a time of 1:32:030 was enough for Franco to pip the more established #7 Volt Racing car of Alan Brynjolfsson to claim P6 overall in the GS class, ahead that of 1:31:258 and P10 for the bright yellow Volt car that Brynjolfsson will share with Trent Hindman.
The #09 Stoner Car Care AMR of Ramin Abdolvahabi and Rob Ecklin ended Qualifying in P32 overall, P25 in the GS class and P4 in their own GS sub class.
Pole position went to the #56 Murillo Racing Mercedes AMG GT4 and Eric Foss and a certain Kenton Koch (from Bsport Racing GT4 America fame) after some dominating running from the two Murillo cars over the day to snatch pole from the so far series dominating RS1 Porsche of Stevan McAleer and Alex Premat.
The race is scheduled to begin at 16:00hrs local.
Photo credits - Teams
Saturday, April 30, 2022 |
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Another Aston Martin GT4 confirmed as a full season entry in the Michelin Pilot Challenge
Its back to the USA for today’s news as the NTE Sport entered Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GT4 team entered at last weekend’s opening round of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge has had an early change of mind.
Debuting at Daytona for what should have been just an inaugural ‘toe into the water’ with the series followed by selective round by round entries thereafter has this weekend proven to be their first round of a now full season entry for the Corsa Horizon sponsored #12 car.
Stepping up to Daytona with a trio of drivers that didn’t actually race together at Daytona at the end, the team have confirmed that drivers Manny Franco and Josh Hurley will be their primary pairing moving onto the next round of the series at Sebring next month.
Running the former Beechdean AMR British GT GT4 Pro-Am Championship winning / former Fred Roberts GT4 America car, an oil leak probably caused by sustained riding of the kerbs at Daytona forced the car into early retirement at the halfway stage of the four-hour opening so with the next round around an equally punishing course of a former WW2 airbase, the team will be looking to preserve their car during that two-hour race.
They will join the other confirmed full season entries from both the Volt Racing and Stoner Car Care (Automatic) racing teams (maybe more) for the next round of the Michelin Pilot Challenge Series at the IMSA/WEC double header weekend in March. We await confirmation of the intention from the other Automatic Racing car entered at Daytona for the year!
Photo credits - Teams
Saturday, February 05, 2022 |
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