Harrison retains outside chance in his Vantage GT8R as GT New Zealand concludes at Manfeild
With the Aston Martin Racing contingent fluctuating between the sole full season AMR Vantage GT8R car of Stephen Harrison and what has been until now, a one -off entry in a similar chassis for Joel Giddy, it is the #78 RaceLab prepared car of Harrison who remains the outside contender within the GT4 class going into this final round.
Having scored only a P2 finish during race 2 at Hampton Downs before a class win in race 1 at Taupo, Harrison finds himself 101 points off the leading car of #22 Jono McFarland and just 51 points behind last season’s class winner #24 Nigel Cromie.
Statistically, Harrison can still win but he will need good consistent results from himself whilst also hoping for track misfortune with his closest rivals as seventeen GT4 entries are expect for this event.
Photo credits – GT New Zealand.
No repeat of last seasons early success for Harrison and his GT8R at New Zealand GT opener
Thanks to an increased grid of over twenty Cup and GT4 cars, last year’s GT4 runner up was left smarting from avoidable contact during the weekend’ opening one long hour race after rear quarter contact from the #22 Mercedes AMG GT4 left the Race Lab prepared Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT8R with a popped drive shaft joint which cost him time in pit lane for repairs to eventually finish P17 overall.
The first thirty-minute sprint race could have been the same as a spinning Ferrari Cup car narrowly avoided the rear of the yellow #78 car as the race would enter a lengthy Safety Car period for its recovery. Running P14 ahead of the stop, Harrisons shorter BoP mandated minimum pit stop time did allow him to make up for lost ground to come out as high as seventh overall to eventually finish eighth overall (P4 in class at the end).
Sundays final thirty-minute race was again effectively shortened in race distance with an immediate Safety Car after two Porsche’s contacted, shooting one into a nearby gravel trap at a vast rate of knots. Again, early places taken after the restart allowed Harrison to move up to eighth from his P13 starting position to come out of the pit window in fifth with little over ten minutes remaining.
Sadly for the Englishman abroad, the gap back to the charging Porsche Cup cars wasn’t enough to avoid them swallowing him up in the closing laps for him to round off the opening weekend in eight overall.
The next round of the four round championship will see them run at Hampton Downs at the start of February.
Photo credits – GT NZ
GT New Zealand opens their 2023 account this weekend at Highlands Park
The opening round of the GT New Zealand Series from Highlands Park opens their 2023 season account this weekend with three races featuring last season’s runner up, Stephen Harrison and his Race Lab prepared Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT8R.
Another healthy inter class grid helps to kick off the four round domestic series with Harrison’s car amongst the fifteen GT4 and eight Open class cars that will make up this weekend’s grid.
Like last season, the race format will be two thirty-minute sprint races followed by one hour long, pit stop punctuated race to end with a ready reckoner balance of performance process being in place per race with their minimum pit stop time during race three being dependent upon how well they have done so far.
Last season, Harrison narrowly missed out on the GT4 title to Nigel Cromie and his McLaren 570s after a post-race time penalty eventually dropped him behind the McLaren driver at the end.
This year maybe different!
Photo credits – Team / Series
Aston Martins back on track in the renamed GT New Zealand Championship
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.
Having raced as a pair of RaceLab prepared AMR’s last season alongside that of Shaun Helms, Harrison was leading the class for most of the three races per four round season only to fall foul of a post-race five second penalty for a pit lane speed infringement saw his original championship win reversed to finish ultimately second in class behind the McLaren 570s of Nigel Cromie.
The bright yellow #78 car of Harrison was then also put up for sale by the Aston Martin Racing ANZ partner outfit down under at the end of the season so this news marks either a reversal of that decision or that Harrison has secured another platform to compete in this time around.
With still nearly ten weeks before the opening round of the season at Hampton Downs in mid-January, we believe it will be some time before the complete entry list is confirmed and to see if this second Aston Martin is either another GT4 or a GT3!
Photo credits – Super GT NZ / Team
Racelab AMR looking for more of this at Hampton Downs in the Super GT NZ Series
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.
Last time out in Ruapuna, the #77 of Shaun Helms so nearly scored the team’s first overall race win of the season/series after rain and a favourable compulsory (BoP adjusted timed) pit stop left the black and gold Aston out in the lead with just one lap to go.
Unfortunately, a spin at the hairpin negotiating back markers put paid to that but a Class win for Helms and with Harrison coming home a close third was enough for Harrison to obtain the class lead and for Helms to move up to P4 going into the Hampton Downs event.
After the balmy weather of Highlands Park back in mid-January, Ruapuna was affected by a mix of hot sunshine and persistent rainfall and that has been the case today as early testing was again affected with heavy rainfall before drying out towards the end of the day.
Qualifying will take place tomorrow ahead of the afternoon’s half hour opener before getting straight back into in on Sunday morning with another half hour race before the hour-long race to end the day.
First race podiums for the Race Lab AMR Vantage GT8R's in the Super GT NZ Series
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.
Thankfully that did the trick as the twenty-four grid went from Free Practice and into Qualifying for the two half hour races and the latter headlining hour long finale for an otherwise clean weekend. Both the Race Lab Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT8R’s were again competing with Shaun Helms and Stephen Harrison taking charge of the #77 and #78 cars respectively.
After some adjustments to the series BoP defining mandatory pitstop (the faster you are the longer you wait in pit lane) had things teetered up for a great finish in the opening half race on Saturday afternoon as the #77 car of Helms was perfectly placed to score his first class podium finish in P3 after brake failure for one of the Porsche GT3 lead to that race being red flagged on the final lap.
Sunday morning’s second half hour race was almost a wash out as heavy rain flooded from the sun hardened infield and onto the track. Starting again from the midfield, both Astons struggled in the conditions for this time Harrison to come home first between them in P4 with Helms just behind in P6.
Luckily for the hour-long race, the rain had passed and the track had dried although temperatures remained lower that those at the start of the meeting.
Again the widened pit window allowed the twenty four cars to run their own race with many of the faster GT3 car electing to pit earlier than you would have otherwise expected and that allowed the GT4 runners to move to the front of the pack with certainly the two Astons picking up a two minute advantage.
With Helms assuming the race lead and Harrison not far behind in P3 with just twenty minutes remaining, it was to be a close-run thing to the flag with the faster cars closing in at a vast rate of knots. Unfortunately upon the penultimate lap, a large pack of tail enders was enough to distract Helms at the hairpin for him to spin off and into the midfield.
Whether he would have had the pace to take the overall race win we will never know but they gap to their peers behind was enough for the Race Lab crews to take P1 and P2 in the GT4 Class.
The third of the four round series will be on the North Island at Hampton Downs in mid-February.
Photo credits – SuperGT NZ
Super GT New Zealand back in action at Mike Pero Motorsport Park this weekend
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
New Zealand's new Super GT Series season opener unfortunately blighted with track incidents and accidents
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
First Aston Martin GT8R confirmed for New Zealand's new Super GT Series
One of the early bird series in 2022 will be the new Rodin Cars Super GT Series down in New Zealand as they kick off a four round series starting the weekend of the 15/16th January at Highlands Park.
Back in early September, it was reported that all thirty slots within the new series had been sold to prospective entrants including two Aston Martins entered by the Auckland based Space Lab team.
Today saw the second of their indicated three car entry for the series confirmed and the first of an expected two AMR Vantage GT8R entry (alongside their Ginetta G55 GT4 entry already confirmed) for local driver Shane Helms.
Having only recently acquired the GT8R, Helms is yet to drive the car but is hopeful of some track time before Christmas. Coming with a huge amount of race experience from both the North and South Island Endurance Series, Helms said that “the GT4 platform is great, they’re fast and reliable cars, and they’re cool. But also for me, it’s about racing against similar machinery that are similar in speed.”
“Sometimes you enter an endurance race and for the first couple of laps it’s all go, then you just settle into a groove and get to the end. I expect the actual racing in this series to be pretty close.”
Having seen photo’s recently on-line of both the #111 and #77 cars testing at Highlands Park, we still await confirmation of the driver line up in the yellow GT8R – the car that secured the GTB Class Championship win in the North Island Series back in June.
Photo credits – Super GT NZ, Space Lab / NIESC
