Having just finished its latest season of racing down in the GT New Zealand Series, the former Stephen Harrison #78 Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT8R is up for sale should you fancy it with you name over the door at a racetrack somewhere!!

 

Two Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT4’s complete the AMR runner orders within significant national events around the world these weekend as the Super Taikyu Series gets underway in Japan and the New Zealand GT Series holds its penultimate round of the year over there.

In Japan, the D’Station Racing team again compete with their Vantage GT8R as the opening round at Suzuka with driver Takuya Hoshino, Atsushi Takashi and Jake Parsons take the wheel of the #47 car – again in isolation from their #777 Vantage GT3 crew who are otherwise preoccupied at the opening round of the World Endurance Championship in Sebring.

 

The preliminary testing sessions of the GT New Zealand Series have already taken place as the series embarks upon its second round of their four-round season around the picturesque Hampton Downs racetrack, just south of Auckland on the North Island.

What’s better for us this time is that we now have TWO Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT8R’s to support as dirt track racer Joel Giddy and his Mach 1 Engineering team joins that of the full season Race Lab supported Stephen Harrison entry this time around.Whilst on the subject of New Zealand’s GT racing scene, it appears that we will not be seeing this former Tony Quinn owned Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT3 compete again any time soon as its present owner has listed it ‘for sale’ on Racecarsdirect.com.

Having been raced in last season’s North Island Endurance Series with drivers John Penny and Ronan Murphy, it appears that that relationship is now at an end and Penny is seeking to off-load his racing investment.

Full details can be found here at https://www.racecarsdirect.com/Advert/Details/134768/2019-aston-martin-vantage-gt3

 

It appears that a second Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT8R is about to join the multi class ranks again of the GT New Zealand Series as a new buyer takes on a former series car.

Raced last year by Shane Helms, his former Race Lab prepared GT8R has now been secured by local dirt track racer Joel Giddy for the remaining three rounds of the 2023 domestic season with the support of the Mach 1 Engineering team.

Having not been able to commit to the full four round, three race per event format season because of his international travel commitments, has Giddy enter his #16 car from the second round at Hampton Downs later in February to join AMR stable mate Stephen Harrison with his #78 Race Lab prepared Aston.

 

Previously named the Super GT New Zealand Series, the now GT New Zealand Championship hits the tracks of that country again in mid-January 2023 with another expected grid of over thirty cars.

Having come so close last time out after a pit stop penalty GT4 Championship defining moment at the final round of the season sees another RaceLab prepared Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT8R for ex pat. Stephen Harrison’s return for a second attempt as one of two expected AMR powered entries within the Championship.

Stephen Harrison is leaving no stone unturned as he challenges for the GT4 title at the fourth and final round of the Rodin Cars Super GT Series at Taupo next weekend.

If you hadn’t already seen it but this weekend is the third round of the Rodin Cars Super GT of New Zealand Series from Hampton Downs Motorsport Park towards the north of their North Island with again two RaceLab prepared Aston Martin racing V8 Vantage GT8R competing amongst the mixed 911 class and GT4 grid.

New for 2022, this four round series has already visited both Highlands Park and the Mike Pero Motorsport Park for their respective weekend of two shorter, half races over Saturday and Sunday before culminating with an hour long race on the Sunday leaving the bright yellow #78 car of Stephen Harrison just ahead in the GT4 Class.

The second round of the Super GT New Zealand took place at the weekend from the Mike Pero Motorsport Park and marked a distinct contrast in racing and racing fortunes for the mixed GT4, Cup and GT3 field.

After the something of a ‘crash-fest’ of the opening weekend last week from Highlands Park, it took something of a stern talk and dressing down from the series Driving Standards Officer to convince the remaining field of drivers arriving at the Ruapuna circuit of the need to respect others on track and give all racing room.

This weekend is also a quick fire, back-to-back triple header weekend for the Super GT New Zealand Series as they travel up from Highlands Park to the Mike Pero Motorsport Park near Christchurch for their second round of a four-round season.

Despite the scratching of the opening half-hour race on Saturday after a red flag halted the race before 75% race distance and then further red flags and Safety Car interventions during the next two races on Sunday, the #78 Race Lab prepared Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GT8R of Stephen Harrison came away in the lead of the GT4 class after his P5 and P6 finishes on Sunday.

Running with GT4’s, Porsche Cup and mainly Porsche GT3 cars amongst what was a twenty-seven-car grid, that may change slightly in Ruapuna after several cars suffered extensive damage during those races.

Also at Mike Pero Park in an Aston Martin Vantage GT8R racing with the Race Lab team will be the #77 car of Shaun Helms who managed P16 and P12 over the two completed races.

Photo credits – Super GT NZ

The new for 2022 Super GT New Zealand Series kicked off its opening meeting of their four round season this weekend from the picturesque Highlands Park Circuit on the South Island.

Competing amongst the confirmed twenty-seven car, multi-class grid were two Aston Martin Racing GT8R race cars from the Race Lab team with solo drivers Shane Helms and Steven Harrison behind the wheel of the #77 and #78 cars respectively.

Starting in the southern hemisphere’s mid-summer season, temperatures were just into their thirties as the team prepared for Free Practice and Qualifying before the first thirty-minute round on Saturday, another on Sunday morning before an hour long race to round things off later in the day.

Due to the grid make up of GT4, Porsche Cup and a few GT3 cars, the balance of performance between the classes was to be via each races compulsory visit to pit lane – not necessarily to change drivers as most cars were single drivers, but to recover time between the fastest and the slowest on track. The faster you were – the longer you sat in pit lane making for a sprint – enforced short break – sprint racing scenario.

All great in theory but unfortunately the nett result was probably not what the race organisers had first intended as Saturday’s first raced was scratched from the results after multiple incidents (thankfully non serious for the driver) lead to it not fulfilling its 75% race distance criteria for it to be called a result by the Stewards after it was red flagged due to an incident.

Sunday morning’s second half hour race did at least reach another un-natural conclusion after yet more multiple Safety Car required incidences blighted the racing with another distance shortened race. In that race, Harrison however was able to be listed as finishing P5 overall with Helms further back in P16.

Then again later on Sunday, the headline one hour race suffered something much the same after multiple Safety Car interventions and red flags soured and curtailed what should have been a great race. Whether that was all down to the characteristics of the circuit and/or drivers been slightly green from their elongated winter/COVID restricted break we might only find out when the series moves onto the Mike Pero Motorsport Park Circuit next weekend for another three races.

If nothing else, the two Aston’s looked great in the sunshine!!

Photo credits – Super GT NZ