The GT4 European Series joins the headlining GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup Series at the Dutch coastal circuit of Zandvoort as this fellow SRO sanctioned series also sees out their penultimate round of the season there.

This weekend’s entry of thirty-six cars again sees both full season Racing Spirit of Leman Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT4’s that will compete within the silver class for drivers Pedro Garcia and Clement Seyler aboard their #74 car as well as Florent Grizaud and David Kullmann who will be racing their #72 car within the Pro-Am class.

 

Despite previous championship winning credentials between both AMR powered crews, 2026 hasn’t necessarily been kind to either crew as a good start to the season for the #74 crew went completely the opposite was next time out with both a race ending crash and a DNS for race two at Monza whilst the team had to go looking for another driver to join Grizaud within the #72 car from round two after the original placement went walkabout.

Championship wise, the #74 silver crew are already out of contention being fifty-nine points shy of the present leaders but with a maximum of fifty-two points being available across the final four races of the season. For the Pro-Am #72 crew, their championship position is far worse, but they did enjoy a P2 finish in class in the second race of the weekend last time out at Misano.

 

Official track action begins as usual on Friday with Free Practice one and two before Qualifying one and two plus race one of the weekend on Saturday with the final hour-long race on Sunday morning.

Photo credits – Team / Series

An interesting announcement from both the Comtoyou Racing and Code Racing Development teams earlier this evening confirming a new joint venture to joins resources and opportunities with the creation of the Comtoyou Junior Team by Code in time for the 2027 season.

With both teams already well established within the GT3 field, this new venture would establish another ladder system through the two Aston Martin Racing powered teams with particular emphasis being placed upon the competitive GT4 market competing within the likes of the GT4 European Series, FFSA GT4, ADAC GT4 Germany Series and alike.

 

The project looks set to be based around two new Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT4’s with a third car initially earmarked for testing only – all featuring the colour scheme of the green and yellow Comtoyou Racing team.

With no definite plans or commitments before confirmed within the announcement, 2027 should be another interesting season for both squads.

Photo credits - Teams

 

 

Misano finally gave the two Racing Spirit of Leman Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT4 powered crews something to cheer this weekend as both silver and Pro-Am classed crews took home silverware for their efforts in the GT4 European Series.

Hitting the back stretch to the 2026 season, recent races have been difficult for team especially for the #74 Pro-Am entry which needed a new driver after the opening round to partner Florent Grizaud with Kevin Kullmann eventually stepping forward at the eleventh hour. The #72 silver class entry of Clement Seyler and Pedro Garcia started well at Paul Ricard but since then, mistakes have been made by both drivers.

 

Starting race one into the late afternoon saw the #74 getting a decent starting slot P9 overall with the sister car not too far behind in P13 as both Seyler and Kullmann took the start with the Safety Car annulling the first starting charge thanks to a stranded car in track. Both cars held their relative places on track through the two starts and up until the start of the pit stop window.

Whilst Garcia did hold station when he got behind the wheel to the #74, Grizaud did drop back in the overall stakes but did still hold onto P6 in class at the time. As the shadows got longer towards the end, Garcia found himself defending heavily from the McLaren behind for what would turn out to be a P4 overall finish for the Seyler/Garcia combination with Grizaud/Kullmann car finishing P8 in class at the end.

 

For Sunday’s race, the grid had already been determined in qualifying yesterday with Garcia claiming a P11 overall starting position over the P25 place for Grizaud.

Another clean start to the race but another early Safety Car was avoided after two slow cars on track managed to find places of safety beside the track without causing any further issues. Like race one, the #74 car ran safely within the top ten whilst the #72 car this time ran fourth in class by the time of the pit window.

 

Stops over and Seyler maintained their top ten position whilst Kullmann soon moved up to second in class with just over twenty minutes remaining before a smoky Mustang brought out a Full Course Yellow seven minutes later.

 

Getting back to green with little over five minutes to go had of course brought the pack back together bringing on three very busy final laps of the race. Originally crossing the line sixth overall, a post-race penalty for a car ahead elevated the #74 car up to fifth with the #72 car second in Pro-Am for their first podium finish of the season. Garcia would also be awarded the Rookie of the Race award to sweeten previous racing disappointments in the series.

Photo credits – Team / Series

 

 

 

 

The GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup Series are back out again this weekend at Misano, Italy for what is still only their second round of the season with the GT4 European Series again in support.

Since the season opener from Brands Hatch back in early May, the Endurance Cup Series has then taken precedence within the race calendar as they built their way up to the Crowdstrike 24 Hours of Spa event at the end of June but this and the next three rounds of Sprint Cup will now follow in quick succession.

 

Forty-four crews have been confirmed for this weekend’s two one-hour long pit stop punctuated races with both the Comtoyou Racing and Walkenhorst Motorsport teams fielding five Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT3 powered crews between them.

Nicki Thiim and Kobe Pauwels again head the Comtoyou Racing entry with their #007 Pro class entry alongside their #11 bronze class entry of Marcello Tomasoni and Felice Jelmini and the #21 silver classed entry of Oliver Soderstrom and Arthur Dorison.

 

Within the Walkenhorst camp, they will again field two silver classed entries for both Mateo Villagomez and Jamie Day aboard their #34 and Maxime Robin and Gaspard Simon aboard their #35 car.

The best results of last time out in the UK came from the #34 Walkenhorst car after they secured (after post-race penalties had been applied) P3 in race one and P4 in race two so for the other crews – there is much to improve upon this time out with the #11 Comtoyou Racing car competing within their first race of the year having skipped Brands Hatch.

 

Within the supporting GT4 European Series, thirty-eight crews have been confirmed within the provisional entry with both Racing Spirit of Leman Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT4’s again being listed.

David Kullmann and Florent Grizaud again compete within the teams #72 Pro-Am entry with Clement Seyler and Pedro Garcia within their #74 silver classed entry within what will be for them, their fourth round of the season having raced already in France, Italy and Belgium.

 

Last time at Spa Francorchamps during the SRO’s Speed Week became something of a torrid affair for the two full season entries with neither crew finishing higher than P11 in class having been outshone by the guesting Grange Motorsport AMR from the British GT Championship.

They too will race two one-hour pit stop punctuated races over the course of the weekend.

Photo credits – Teams / Series / social media

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sadly, there was nothing much to cheer for again as the three Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT4 crews endured some extreme conditions at their third round of the GT4 European Series from a baking hot Spa Francorchamps this weekend.

Starting a day earlier than usual thanks to the series again supporting the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup Series and their Blue Ribband Crowdstrike 24 Hours of Spa, their first into the night race of the weekend on Friday gave the forty-four crews little solace from the extreme heat that has been affecting much of northern Europe of late.

Indeed, it was the guesting #23 Full Send Racing entry for Dan Lavery and Darren Turner who nearly stole the march on the two full season Racing Spirit of Leman AMR entries as the British crew used their British GT GT4 race winning experience of last weekend to good effect to eventually come home just off their Pro-Am podium in fourth but that luck would run out in race two on Saturday.

The #74 RSLM silver pairing of Pedro Garcia and Clement Seyler had looked to have put their misfortunes of Monza last time out behind them, but the pace within their car was simply not their compared to their class rivals – that and the fact that Gracia was racing at each European circuit for the first time this year!

Track limits would always be a ‘thing’ for all the runners in both races and the #72 RSLM Pro-Am entry of Florent Grizaud and Kevin Kullmann would soon attract the attention of Race Control and that would severely hinder their own race that would see them finish a lowly P11 in class.

Whilst race one had at times threatened heavy rain at the circuit as the humidity increased, race two on Saturday was again in the rapidly climbing heat of the morning as track temperatures exceeded fifty degrees as many drivers and teams again reported high temperature issues within their cars.

For Lavery, his race would end fairly quickly as a errant Ginetta attempting to pass on the inside at La Source only damaged the Aston Martin but his own car that saw both cars pit the next time around but for the #23 – it was the end of the line with steering/suspension issues.

The damage to the #74 cars hopes had also been shredded during Qualifying earlier in the weekend as the Brazilian could do no better than P36 overall, but after a determined fight back during that hour long race, the pairing one place higher than what they had done in race 1. It was to be a similar tail for the sister #72 car as although they had again qualified within the top half of the grid, they could again do no better than P11 in class.

The series now moves onto Misano, Italy in just three weeks’ time.

Photo credits – Teams / Series / social media

If those woods are the trees that surround the 7km Spa Francorchamps circuit in Belgium, you certainly will be in for a very big surprise as over seventy top-flight GT3 cars and crews now settle themselves down at the circuit for this weekend’s Crowdstrike 24 Hours of Spa.

Not only functioning as the third round of the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup or even the third round of the Intercontinental GT Challenge Series, but this race also contains a few wild card or guest entries amongst them that will certainly spice things up come the green flag on Saturday.

 

We of course feature six full season Aston Martin Racing powered entries into the GTWCE Endurance Cup Series from the likes of the locally based Comtoyou Racing team, the German based Walkenhorst Motorsport team as well as a solo effort from the British based Ecurie Ecosse with Blackthorn as automatic entries into this event but we will also see a further (fourth) entry from the Comtoyou Racing team full of national importance.

The bronze ranked drivers enjoyed their first track action of the week earlier today (after a collective private test for all) with the #11 Comtoyou squad of Marcelo Tomasoni/Aaron Muss/Kyle Marcelli and Felice Jelmini had a few of their drivers eligible for that session as did the #56 Ecurie Ecosse by Blackthorn AMR of Giacomo Petrobelli/Jonny Adam/Lorcan Hanafin and Romain Leroux. We are, however, saddened to see the likes of Tom Wood miss out on his previously indicated drive within the #56 car despite previous confirmation by the team and series.

 

Next up the order are the two silver classed entries from both the Belgian and German teams in the form of Oliver Soderstrom/Kobe Pauwels/Sebastian Baud and Arthur Dorison aboard the #21 Comtoyou Racing entry with Mateo Villagomez/Than Ischer/Gaspard Simon and Maxime Robin aboard the #35 Walkenhorst AMR Vantage GT3.

Each team then field a Pro class entry apiece with former race winners Nicki Thiim/Marco Sorensen and Mattia Drudi looking to make for being taken out of the last race event at Monza very late on and without fault after some very poor driving standards had been on display whilst the Walkenhorst will field Henrique Chaves/ Christian Krognes and Jamie Day aboard their #34 entry.

 

That leaves the all-Belgian effort from the Belgian bases team as Nicolas Baert Xavier Knauf, Sarah Bovey and Gregory Servais join forces for this one-off event within their #700 Pro-Am entry.

Tomorrows significant event will be the annual car, and drivers parade and autograph session within the two centre of Spa with all the cars making their own way to and from the circuit along the public roads. After that, things become much more serious with two Free Practice sessions on Thursday ahead of Qualifying and night practice later on before Superpole for the front runners later on Friday.

 

The race itself will be waved off at 16:30hrs local on Saturday. What isn’t there to like about any of that?

Photo credits – Teams / Series / social media

 

 

 

 

 

It was to be a disappointing second round of the GT4 European Series for the Racing Spirit of Leman team at Monza after a late race one crash for one of their two Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT4 powered crews saw them miss out upon another potential class podium as well as failing to take the start to Sundays second race.

This year, the Swiss based team are the sole AMR powered team competing within the European Series fielding both a silver and Pro-Am class entry. Whilst the team’s #74 silver class car remained driven by both Pedro Garcia and Clement Seyler, their #72 Pro-Am entry had changed since the opening round from Paul Ricard a few weeks ago where now Florent Grizaud was now being partnered by team returnee Kevin Kullmann.

 

All went well during the two Free Practice and Qualifying sessions where Garcia would claim a third row start ahead of race one on Saturday evening whilst Kullmann secured a P25 overall start (P9 in class) having not been in a race car much this year.

All was going well during that first one long opener right up until Seyler attempted to gain what would have been a podium contending position down the opening straight and into the first chicane, but his car unexpectedly snapped hard left before nose diving heavily into the armco barrier taking another car with it.

 

Causing immediate race ending damage to themselves, that would be compounded for them by the team being unable to repair the car in time for Sundays finale making the Monza event a double zero achievement for the crew.

That left just the racing efforts of the #72 Pro-Am pairing which in itself was still a massive struggle for the AMR Vantage compared to the platforms around them where the best that they could do was P12 in class for race one and P14 after an equally eventful race two.

 

The crews go again at the end of the month from the equally fast and furious Spa Francorchamps circuit.

Photo credits – Team / Series

 

 

 

The Class of 2026 has today been revealed by Aston Martin Racing as they again go searching for a worthy winner to their Drivers Academy.

With previous winners to that accolade going on and flourishing within their respective racing careers, todays earlier news of last year’s winner Kobe Pauwels getting the chance of a lifetime to debut within the opening round to the World Endurance Championship with the Heart of Racing team, that in itself will give this year’s competitors reason to try just that little bit harder.

 

Again, the main pre-requisite of a driver entry into the Academy process being that they are running within an AMR Vantage GT3 or GT4 powered entry across any number of recognised global series – that has again attracted another global entry with twenty-two names being confirmed but with some which still haven’t been officially confirmed as yet.

“Winning the AMR Academy is a great honour for me,” said Pauwels. “I learned a lot working with Aston Martin through the season and the test at the end of year was an amazing experience, because you get to work with some outstanding people and that allows you to validate what you are learning as you develop. The WEC debut is very exciting, and if I’m honest, has come earlier than I expected it would! I will do my best to show the Heart of Racing Team and Aston Martin that I was the right choice!” as he steps up onto the world stage for the first time.

Indeed, many of these names were at the AMR factory at Banbury as well as the Aston Martin F1 team headquarters at Silverstone during last week’s British GT Championship Media Day from Silverstone so we knew that an announcement was due imminently.

 

 

With the exception of the COVID affected 2020 season, this years the lowest Aston Martin Racing powered entry within the GT4 European Series to date as just the Racing Spirit of Leman remain loyal to the brand for the forthcoming season that starts this weekend coming from the Paul Ricard Circuit in southern France.

Last year we welcomed both the Racing Spirit of Leman and Mirage Racing AMR powered teams along with their three silver and one Pro-Am classed Vantage GT4 Evo’s but in 2026 we will welcome both some familiar names as well as some new ones for the teams silver and Pro-Am entry.

 

Despite this, the series itself remains healthy ahead of its tenth year as thirty-eight cars form ten manufacturers are expected to compete at this first of six double header rounds.

Brazilian racer Pedro Garcia makes the large step across from his Stock Car Jr series back home to GT4 racing in Europe for the first time having taken a literal lead from fellow countryman Eduardo Barrichello. He will be joined by the accomplished and knowledgeable racer Clement Seyler who has raced within the series for many years between teams, taking the Am Championship title with Pascal Bachmann and the Street Art Racing team back in 2019.

 

 

They will compete within the team’s #72 car within the silver class, whilst another new pairing of Louka Desgranges and Florent Grizaud will race togther for the first time within the Pro-Am class.

Grizaud won fared well within the FFSA GT4 AM Class Championship alongside his then regular teammate Kevin Jimenez where they finished second overall twice as well as second in class at the end of the 2024 GT4 European Series – but for 2026, it will be all different.

 

Grizaud will this time be joined by fellow countryman Louka Desgranges who also steps up to GT4 racing for the first time from the similar graded Ultimate Cup Alpine Endurance Cup Series.

This weekend’s timetable will see the series share the timetable with the headlining GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup Series for their two opening one-hour races.

Photo credits – Team / GT Winter Series / social media

 

 

 

More Aston Martin Racing powered news has been confirmed for the British GT Championship this morning with another new Vantage GT4 entry, this time from the MKH Racing team.

Last season we welcomed the MKH Racing for their part-entry within the new for 2025 GT4 Endurance Cup element within the overall championship that saw former AMR factory Stuart Hall race alongside Peter Montague.

 

 

For their 2026 campaign, however, the team have welcomed in two ‘new’ young guns to compete within their AMR Vantage GT4 as two very familiar faces return to topflight GT racing within the UK.

Previously with Mark Warren and the Forsetti Motorsport team a couple of years ago before moving into the GT4 European Series last season with the Racing Spirit of Leman team, we welcome back Will Orton to the championship as he will race alongside Aston Martin F1 Brand Ambassador and former Beechdean AMR GT3 BGT entrant Jessica Hawkins.

 

 

“I’m absolutely thrilled to be returning to the British GT Championship in 2026 with MKH Racing, partnering with Jessica Hawkins in the Silver category,” said the former Mini Challenge runner-up. “Having competed in the Aston Martin during its inaugural season in 2024, I’m excited to be back behind the wheel and building on that experience.“

“I can’t wait to get started in British GT, it’s going to be great to be back in the paddock,” she said. “I’m very excited to be teaming up with MKH Racing and Will Orton –I think together we will be a very strong combination. Of course, our aim is to fight for the championship, and I think we have a strong package to do that. Thank you so much to my partners, Armand ELEMIS, for their continuous support, as well as the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team. Will and I are very keen to push hard for a solid, consistent season.

 

If all the AMR stars align ahead of the season opener from Silverstone in April, that brings the AMR powered headcount to seven cars (six Vantage GT4 entries) as MKH Racing join the likes of GBR Stratton Motorsport, Full Send Racing Beechdean AMR (GT3) and Townsend powered by Fox Motorsport onto the grid.

Photo credits – Team / AMR

 

2025 is rapidly coming to it’s end yet before we get too carried away with racing for next year, here is just a quick look back at some of the racing successes for a few of the Aston Martin Racing Partner and Customer teams around the world within some twenty-four racing series that we paid some sort of attention to.

Class winning podium positions aside, the Belgian based Comtoyou Racing team were the first to claim a full class championship win as Kobe Pauwels and Jamie Day secured the silver class win within the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup Series.

 

A multiple incident race opening lap to the final race to the GT4 European Series hands the Pro-Am class Championship to the #7 Mirage Racing Aston Martin Racing pairing of Stanislav Safronov and Aleksandre Vaintrub after their nearest class rival was one of those cars affected.

Having defended a slender class lead into this final round of the season, race one’s Safety Car affected race at the Circuit de Catalunya didn’t exactly play out well for the #7 Vantage GT4 crew as their lowly P6 in class finish yesterday left them with it all to do today.