Dorr Motorsport add two Aston Martins for this weekends ADAC Total 24H Qualifying weekend
Having only just embarked upon an ultra-busy, four AMR car effort within the ADAC GT4 Germany Series, the team also has desires in performing at the toughest GT endurance race that there is – around the Nurburgring Nordschleife where the hard work for qualifying for the main event at the end of May starts this weekend.
Posting on social media today, the team has confirmed their #69 car as running with drivers Phil Dorr, motorsport journalist Christian Gebhardt, new AMR Vantage DTM Trophy racer Nick Hancke and Michael Funke. Whilst this car did take part in the pre-season NLS test at the circuit earlier in the year, it did not compete within the opening race despite being listed as a runner.
Their #150 car will run with drivers Stefan Kenntemich, Rolf Scheibner, Dierk Moller, and Frank Weishar with both cars entered in the SP8T class.
These cars are of course in addition to the AMR Vantage GT3’s from both Prosport Racing and TF Sport as well as the AMR GT4 cars from the Prosport team.
Photo credits – Dorr Motorsport
Monday, May 02, 2022 |
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Winning audition for the AMR Vantage GT4 at ADAC Total N24
The new Aston Martin Vantage GT4 made a victorious debut in the 2019 ADAC TOTAL 24 Hours (N24), dominating the SP8T class for close-to-production vehicles in the legendary Nürburgring Nordschleife-based endurance race. Meanwhile back in the UK, partner team TF Sport delivered the most significant win yet for the Vantage GT3, in the British GT Championship.
Aston Martin’s Nürburgring success was particularly emphatic with one of the two works-entered cars leading their class for more than 20 hours of the race. It marked a triumphant first outing in the event for former European Le Mans Series champion and current LMP2 driver Alex Brundle (GB) and was the second 24-hour race victory in an Aston Martin for W-Series championship points leader Jamie Chadwick (GB). It was also the second class win for their co-driver in the #37 works entry, Aston Martin regular and Nordschleife veteran Peter Cate (GB).
This was the ninth class victory in 14 attempts for Aston Martin at the notorious N24, and run out of the locally-based AMR Performance Centre, the two Sterling Green Vantage GT4s ran almost faultlessly with only minor issues experienced. That an accident during the night involving the sister #36 Vantage prevented a likely double-podium for the car, is testament to the Vantage’s competitiveness. A true reflection of the quality of the Vantage road car the GT4 racer is heavily based on, both race cars finished the ultimate endurance test with #37 finishing 28th overall.
Jamie Chadwick said: “It’s rare that I’m lost for words, but this is one of those moments when it’s hard for me to put my emotions into sentences. It was a bit stressful at the end as we managed the car and the nerves but I am just so happy! I have done three 24-hour race and I’ve won two of them in Aston Martins.”
Alex Brundle said: “A debut class win the in the N24! It’s hard to put in to words what this means to me. I’m really thankful for the opportunity to come and race here firstly. The team we had behind us was magnificent. So many of them had so much experience, and I’ve learned an enormous amount this week. It’s just such a hard event. It’s so macro, so tough. You lose massive amounts of time when things go wrong and because the circuit is so hard on cars it’s always hovering over you. The chance to make an error that is going to cost you 20 minutes to an hour in the pits. That kind of pressure that puts on you gives you a massive release when you cross the line”
The #36 Vantage GT4 piloted by three-time Le Mans class winner Darren Turner (GB), Aston Martin’s high-performance test driver Chris Goodwin (GB) and Auto Motor und Sport’s Christian Gebhardt (D) recovered gallantly to finish fourth in the SP8T class.
Aston Martin chose to concentrate its efforts on a two-car works attack in the closely-contested GT4-based SP8T class to showcase the newly developed Vantage GT4 race car’s true potential. Launched in 2018 the British marque has seen significant interest in the car designed specifically as an entry level customer GT race car, with more than 40 Vantage GT4’s already racing competitively globally.
Source material - Aston Martin Racing
Sunday, June 23, 2019 |
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New AMR Vantage GT4's fly at ADAC Total N24
All four new Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT4's entered by both the AMR Performance Centre and PROsport Performance customer team made significant improvements over the course of yesterdays weather interrupted track sessions, all ahead of this weekends ADAC Total 24 H race from the infamous Nordschelife circuit in southern Germany.
Having 'baptised' their new GT4 racing chariot at the most perhaps the most difficult racing circuit in the world last month in the events preceding Qualification Race, available track time yesterday afternoon was somewhat limited due to torrential rain around parts of the 26km during the earlier Free Practice session that resulted in it being red flagged and not resumed due to the number of cars having incidents around the circuit.
During Free Practice, representative lap times were at least being entered by three of the five Aston Martins competing at the event (the fifth being the AMR performance Centre entered Vantage GT8 customer car) and they were headed by the #36 Darren Turner / Chris Goodwin / Christian Gebhardt SP8T car which was ahead of the #68 PROsport Performance car of Jorg Viebahn / Joonas Lappalainen / Nicolaj Moller-Madson car by just 1/10th of a second.
With the circuit eventually drying out enough for the first of the Qualifying session yesterday evening, these times became history as again the #36 car wiped nearly twenty seconds off its best lap time to end the session the fastest AMR car in overall P40 with a lap time of 9:03:493. This time all five cars were able to enter the required number of laps per driver to 'Qualify' for the race with further qualifying sessions to be used to determine their precise starting position and were spread between P40 and P77 of the 155 car grid that completed Q1.
Early issues with the GT8 and #37 Vantage GT4 were quickly overcome to allow each crew to get their schedule back on track despite the earlier loss of track time with the GT8 ending its first day 4th fastest in its SP8 class.
As the crews now look forward to todays further two Qualifying sessions, all are presently placed as follows in the proceedings:-
So after Q1, positions are: SP8T
P1 #36 Darren Turner / Chris Goodwin / Christian Gebhardt
P4 #37 Jamie Chadwick / Alex Brundle / Peter Cate
SP10
P2 #68 Jorg Viebahn / Joonas Lappalainen / Nicolaj Moller-Madson
P5 #76 Christoph Breuer / Alex Mies / Kay van Berlo / Mike David Ortmann
SP8
P4 #35 Marco Muller / Tony Richard / Heinz Jurgen Kroner / David Thilenius
The start of the ADAC Total 24 H race itself starts at 15:30hrs so there is still a long way to go!
Photo credits - AMR / Frozenspeed
Friday, June 21, 2019 |
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Two new AMR GT4's to ADAC Zurich 24 Qualifying race next weekend
Two of Aston Martin Racings latest V8, turbo charged Vantage GT4's have today been confirmed as participants within next weekend's Qualification Race at the Nordschleife ahead of the full ADAC Zurich 24 hour race later in June.
As expected, AMR Factory driver Darren Turner has been scheduled to race alongside Garage 59's Chris Goodwin and Chris Harris in the #36 car whilst the sister #37 car has been scheduled to include newly appointed AMR Junior driver Jamie Chadwick along with Peter Cate and Alex Brundle. Both cars have been entered by and will be run by the AMR Performance Centre which is located at the circuit.
Having first run the new iteration of Vantage GT4 at the infamous 'Green Hell' at the last round of the VLN Series last month where the then #156 car finished 5th in Class, it was assumed that both cars would be running with their full contingent of four drivers each.
Aston Martin customer driver Christian Gebhardt was originally announced to be included within the #36 and AMR Reserve driver Ross Gunn within the #37 car. All chatter on social media and indeed the formal announcement of this project from the factory team back in April have indicated that Gunn would be present at the Qualifying Race. We shall wait and see what happens as he is presently busy with Beechdean AMR at the second round of the Le Mans Cup from Monza!!
The Qualifying Race weekend over the 18/19 May will allow the teams up to 3 x1 hour sessions around the Nurburgring Grand Prix loop ahead of a Free Practice and then evening Qualifying around the full Nordschliefe itself.
Sunday morning will see a further Qualifying period ahead of the start of the six hour race that is due to start at noon (local).
The ADAC Zurich 24Hr event itself starts on Thursday 20th June with the race being over the Saturday and Sunday 22/23rd June - the weekend after Le Mans!
Photo credits - Aston Martin Racing
Thursday, May 09, 2019 |
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Aston Martin get the job done in a rainswept VLN3
Like so many races around the historic Nordschelife circuit, the weather plays a significant part in determining the outcome of such events and todays VLN3 race was no different.
Whereas the previous round of the series earlier this month never really got started due to lingering fog and unexpected snow falling around the circuit, todays ADAC ACAS H&R Cup started under heavy clouds that soon started to deposit their large volume of precipitation around the circuit just as the cars assembled on the grids for the start of the four race.
For Aston Martin there were no championship standings to go chasing after - rather than just getting their selection of drivers through the event so that they then qualify for their full VLN Permit and to settle some other drivers in to the mannerism's of the new V8 turbo charged AMR Vantage GT4 all ahead of the full ADAC Zurich 24H race in mid June.
Going for their permits were again Martin Brundle and Alex West who would this time be joined by Aston Martin's High Performance Test Driver and Garage 59 driver Chris Goodwin, whereas already qualified for that qualification - Jamie Chadwick, Peter Cate and Christian Gebhardt would drive the new Vantage GT4 around the Green Hell for the first time in competition.
Despite the deluge of rain that fell onto the circuit during the first hour and whilst many of other cars were systematically crashing out of the race, cool heads within the two AMR Vantage GT4's cars kept them on the tarmac but unfortunately for the #134 AMR Performance Centre Vantage GT8 of Marco Muller and Tony Richards, they became victim to their own tail end damage to their car that would prove end their race early.
Cycling through their require nine racing laps apiece, the #150 AMR Development Centre supported Vantage GT4, the trio of age old experienced drivers also came through to win the SP8 class by over 11 seconds to their only other class finishing rival. Not a bad achievement considering the atrocious conditions.
For the trio aboard the new Vantage GT4, racing in the different class of SP8T because of its turbo charged engine, they were to finish P5 in class and leaves things comfortably placed ready for the Qualifying race in just three weeks time.
Photo credits - Social media
Saturday, April 27, 2019 |
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