IMSA also started off their 2026 season this weekend with the opening two races of an extended ten round season for their VP Racing Sportscar Challenge Series at their Roar before the 24-hour test weekend at the Daytona International Speedway.

Double dutying their GT4 commitments this weekend within both this and the Michelin Pilot Challenge Series test saw Mike Fitzpatrick take to the track for these opening two forty-five-minute races within his own #89 89X Motorsport Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT4.

Still something of a raw recruit within the IMSA programme, Fitzpatrick qualified for both races towards the rear of the relatively small twenty-two LMP3 and GT4 grid for each race with Saturdays race being run under clear blue skies and sunshine whilst todays was in more difficult wet conditions.

 

 

With the exception of a couple of spins, the opening race ran caution free for Fitzpatrick to record a P10 finish in class – up one from his starting position.

Race two was a totally different affair with the race starting behind the Safety Car for multiple siting laps before a usual start five minutes in as heavy rain continued to fall around the infamous banked and infield circuit. Despite the tricky conditions, the first Full Course Safety came just ten minutes from the end as an LMP3 spun off into the tyre wall which made for a last lap dash to the flag however, the #89 car had pulled into pit lane just before this incident to be the only retiree of the race.

Photo credits – 89X Motorsport

 

 

 

Completing the trilogy of GT series with Aston Martin Racing powered participation this weekend at the IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Championship from Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta also sees the final round and races of the VP Racing Sportscar Challenge Series.

Their sixth round of the season has usually just seen the zebra like livery of the #72 Rebel Rock Racing AMR Vantage GT4 of Frank DePew but again this weekend, he will be joined by the #89 entry of Eric Zitza and Mike Fitzpatrick's 89X Motorsport team

 

Success can be measured in many ways but usually that’s by finishing well within your class. Whilst that could be said for the 89X Motorsport team, the Racers Edge Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT3 powered team would have to take a harder look after both cars return to the GT America Series this weekend.

Returning to the picturesque Virginia International Raceway saw Mike Fitzpatrick return to the SRO Series with his #89 AMR Vantage GT4 as that in turn, turned out to be two AMR Vantage GT4’s as both he and co-driver John Dean took out a car each for the weekends two GT America races as well as two GT4 America races.

 

Another race series debutant enjoyed at least early race success as Mike Fitzpatrick added the GT America Series to his long list of race series involvement as he and his 89X Motorsport team entered one of his Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT4’s.

Racing this weekend at Sebring International, the inclusion of the 89X AMR entry at least maintained three GT4 entries within the GT3/GT4 mixed series after the Van Der Steur AMR team and driver Max Hewitt crossed over to the more competitive GT4 America Series, leaving just a nine-car entry for this weekend’s two races of their fourth round to the season.

 

This weekend also sees the Stefan Ratel Organisation busy Stateside with its trio of GT3 and GT4 based series getting ready to contend with the bumps of the Sebring International Raceway for its third and fourth rounds of those series.

Between this round and the previous one from the Circuit of the Americas three weeks ago, there have been a couple of changes within the Aston Martin Racing powered ranks as one crew steps across from the GT America Series to that of the GT4 America Series with another AMR crew taking their slot within the former series.

 

Last weekend’s penultimate round of the World Racing League Series from the Sebring International Raceway in Florida proved itself to be a successful one for many of the Aston Martin Racing runners, although some certainly didn’t have it all their own way.

For this events 8 + 8-hour race format drew the attention of over sixty runners within the WRL’s multi-class format with four Aston Martin Racing powered crews featuring amongst them with their allotted GTO class.