Opening the season with back-to-back racing weekend’s, the GT4 Winter Series closes its seasons with another pair of race weekends as they now move from Motorland Aragon and onto the Circuit de Catalunya for this coming weekend’s finale.

Despite claiming two more class podium finishes in Aragon, that was the last that we will see of the white #007 Araujo Competicao Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT4 Evo before they announce their summer racing commitments.

 

 

However, we will again be seeing the #700 Mucke Motorsport AMR Vantage GT4 of Thilo Goos as well as team owner and former AMR works driver Stefan Mucke for these three final races of the season. Hopefully this time, we will see something of the tall German other than just his hands upon the steering wheel from their in-car feeds.

 

 

It wasn’t all plain sailing for the two Aston Martin Racing powered entries within this weekend’s fourth round of the GT4 Winter Series although sailing was a more appropriate term for the track condition the gid faced for the opening round on Saturday at Motorland Aragon.

Again, we welcomed back the Araujo Competicao AMR Vantage GT4 but with just Frederico Peters running within the #007 Evo whilst within the #700 Mucke Motorsport, we would be seeing both Thilo Goos but also that of former AMR factory driver (and team owner) Stefan Mucke alongside.

 

 

With Thursday testing and Friday practice sessions blighted with passing rain showers, Saturdays opening thirty-minute sprint race started behind the Safety Car before finally being released a few laps in. Things were initially going well as the #007 Araujo car picked off the places to move into P3 overall just as the #700 car of Goos went into a gravel trap.

Firmly stuck, that would bring back the Safety Car again which effectively ended the race for all as the clean-up operation used all of the then eleven minutes remaining. None the less, Peters was still able to claim a P3 overall and P2 in class finish for his efforts.

 

 

The penultimate round of the GT Winter Series is fast approaching and todays reveal of their somewhat modest entry list for this round at Motorland Aragon, the list also confirms the rumours of another racing return of an once Aston Martin Racing factory driver.

Having been busy since his professional retirement with his family racing team (amongst other things), this weekend sees Stefan Mucke partner long time team customer Thilo Goos aboard his #700 AMR Vantage GT4 within the Club class.

 

For the three previous rounds, Goos has been partnered by Mattis Pluschkell but as that young German now steps up to the Prototype Cup with the Mucke Motorsport team, Goos has apparently persuaded Mucke himself to see out the remaining two rounds of the season with him.

They will again be joined by the #007 Araujo Competicao AMR Vantage GT4 Evo squad of Bruno Pereira and Frederico Peters within their Pro-Am entry.

 

 

To date, both AMR powered crews have been successful in class, but the Mucke squad were consigned to just one race last time out in Valencia after contact in race two or three for Pluschkell saw then notch up a DNF in that one and a DNS in race three.

As usual, each driver will race solo in races one and two before doubling up in race three of the weekend.

Photo credits – Teams / Series / social media

 

There was further class podium success for the two Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT4 powered teams within the weather curtailed GT4 Winter Series at the weekend but neither had it all their own way at Valencia.

With predicted strong winds effectively taking out all programmed track action at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo on Saturday, teams were left with just their Friday testing (if they were in attendance) or going in blind over the course of their race races on Sunday as organises were forced to race series within series in order to get through the race programme.

 

A third consecutive race weekend with the Gedlich Racing Series sees them moves along the coast to the Spanish circuit of Valencia for this weekend’s third round of their GT4 Winter Series.

Whilst the two Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT3 powered entries that ran in last weekend’s non-championship round of Portimao have moved on, we are back to the (so far) two AMR Vantage GT4 entries that will compete within the aptly named GT4 Winter Series again.

 

 

Daytona was not the only racetrack witnessing an Aston Martin Racing powered podium at the weekend as the rain in Portugal certainly continued to fall over the racetrack at Estoril as the GT4 Winter Series soldiered on with their second of a five round series there at the weekend.

Sometimes having to scrub test sessions on the grounds of safety, the grid of the Winter Series are certainly becoming accustomed to the art of wet weather racing and that was no different within their small but perfectly formed twelve car grid.

 

 

Both the Araujo Competicao and Mucke Motorsport AMR Vantage GT4’s were eventually known to be on track featuring no driver change within the #700 Thilo Goos/Mattis Pluschkell Mucke car whilst Bruno Periera this time stepped in for Goncalo Araujo alongside that of Frederico Peters in their new #007 Vantage GT4.

Again running a three-race format – an individual twenty-five-minute sprint race for each driver before ending the weekend with an hour long, pit stop punctuated endurance race saw the Mucke crew improve upon their results from the opening round at Portimao the week before with a P2 Club class result in race one for Goos followed by two class wins in races two and three.

 

 

There were also improvements for the Araujo team as Pereira secured an opening class win before Peters came home P5 in race two before ending the weekend with an overall P4 finish – P2 in their Pro-Am class.

The series now moves back to Portimao for a non-championship six hour race at that circuit in two weeks’ time before finding their way to Valencia over the 14/15th February.

Photo credits – Gedlich Racing

 

There were class podiums to be had this weekend as the GT4 Winter Series kicked off its five-round season around Autódromo Internacional do Algarve near Portimao with two Aston Martin Racing powered actually taking part within the sixteen runners.

Earlier reported as just the Araujo Competicao team running their #007 new Vantage GT4 with an additionally changed driver line up and class of Goncalo Araujo and Frederico Peters within the Pro class, we later saw that the Mucke Motorsport crew of Thilo Goos and Mattis Pluschkell had in fact arrived with their older Vantage GT4 and not their published BMW M4 GT4.

 

Three races on the books with each driver taking one alone before both pairing up for the third saw the grid take on some (usual) challenging conditions as rain showers passed over the circuit during the weekend.

Kicking off the weekend saw both Araujo and Goos open up the racing within their respective cars to eventually finish P6 overall/P5 in class for the #007 and P11 overall/P2 in class for the #700 Mucke entry after that fifteen-lap affair.

Race two saw their opposites take to the wheel for the next race where it was to be a class double for the Aston runners where Peters claimed a P4 overall/P3 in class finish and Pluschkell P7/P1 result for his efforts.

Race three was a longer one-hour race with a mandatory pit stop and driver change. A problem with the #007’s pitstop duration saw them have a 64 second time penalty being added to their race time which (obviously) dropped them out of class contention with a P11 overall/P5 class finish whilst the #700 Mucke duo claimed another P2 within their Club class.

 

The next round of the season will be from Estoril next weekend.

Photo credits – L Southern / P Hay - Gedlich Racing

 

 

Whilst most international eyes will be focussing upon both the Roar before the 24 test at Daytona and the 24H Series Dubai 24 Hours this weekend, there will also be the first European based race weekend taking place from Portimao as the GT Winter Series cracks open its first of a five-race weekend package.

Used by many teams and drivers as a proving ground before they reach the start of their usual race commitments later in March and April, this weekend’s entry lists show one Aston Martin Racing powered team taking part within the GT4 Winter Series package.

The opening track sessions of the first round to the 2025 GT4 European Series from the Paul Ricard circuit in southern France are not just hours away but even today has seen news coming in from its Aston Martin Racing powered contingent regarding driver line up.

Unlike the heady days of years gone by when Aston Martin powered participation within the series featured entries in the low double digits, this season sadly sees just four crews from two teams take the plunge into this six round season that starts in France before moving across to Zandvoort, Spa Francorchamps, Misano, the Nurburgring before concluding at their more customary circuit of Catalunya near Barcelona.

 

Prosport racing extend their 2025 racing programme with a two car Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT4 effort confirmed today within the ADAC GT4 Germany Series.

This news sees former and multiple GT4 Germany Series champion Hugo Sasse back behind the wheel of one of Christoph Esser’s older 17A variant of the Vantage GT4 alongside that of Roman Fellner-Feldegg.

 

That was an SRO America debut to be proud of for GT4 racer Max Hewitt and his Van Der Steur Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT4 Evo at the opening round of the GT America Series from Sonoma.

One of two AMR Vantage GT4’s within this season’s full season entry saw the former karter, single seater and tin top racer have to pull upon his already limited GT4 racing experience to come away from California with a pair of podium finishes to get his season off to a flying start.

 

The GT4 Winter Series came to an end at an at times, very inclement Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona as three Aston Martins helped swell the usual grid to an impressive twenty-seven car entry for this three-race finale.

Whilst the #39 Racing Spirit of Leman AMR Vantage GT4 Evo of Baudouin Detout and Max Hewitt would be on hand again to see out their season within the series, the #700 Mucke Motorsport AMR of Thilo Goos was sadly not there after a heavy off at the last round in Motorland Aragon last weekend.

 

With today entry list news from the GT World Challenge Europe side of the SRO equation, this week also saw GT3 powered confirmation from the GT World Challenge America side of things ahead of their season start at Sonoma at the end of the month.

Declaring a provisional entry list of twenty cars, that is an increase for both the series and Aston Martin Racing powered teams having lost the Flying Lizard Motorsport AMR Vantage GT3 entry of Elias Sabo to another brand halfway through last season.

 

As expected, a multiple Aston Martin Racing powered participation can be looked forward to as the GT4 Winter Series and GT Winter Series each conclude their late 2024 / early 2025 business from the Circuit de Catalunya near Barcelona this weekend.

With just two AMR Vantage GT4 crews going the full season course within the appropriate GT4 Winter Series, other Vantage GT3 powered teams and crews have shown interest within the GT Winter Series with two teams showing willing again this weekend.