Three Aston Martin GT3's for GTWCE finale this weekend
This weekend sees the concluding round of the 2021 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup Series from the Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya in southern Spain with three Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GT3’s again scheduled to make that long trip south.
For the two full season entries from the Garage 59 team, there will sadly be no title shoot out in either of their Pro-Am and Silver class entries this year after a disappointing run last time out for their #188 at the Nurburgring left that crew too far back this time around for that to be mathematically possible whilst their #159 Silver Cup crew have faced something on an injurious season right from the start for that dream to have never materialised.
The provisional entry list of forty-seven cars again confirms the driver list of Alex West, Chris Goodwin and Jonny Adam aboard the #188 Pro-Am entry with Alex MacDowall, Nicolai Kjaergaard and newly crowned FFSA GT4 Silver Cup Champion Valentin Hasse-Clot aboard the #159 Silver Cup.
One thing is for sure however, and despite their various misfortunes so far within this year’s Championship is that both cars will be guaranteed as aiming for a race win (if not) a podium finish come the end of Sunday’s three-hour final race with the series themselves inking the #188 car down as a potential class winner themselves!!
They in turn will be joined again on track by the #97 Oman racing with TF Sport AMR Vantage GT3 of Ahmad Al Harthy, Charlie Eastwood and Giacomo Petrobelli for their second visit to the GTWCE Endurance Cup Series this year after their rather successful return to the series at the Nurburgring where they finished fifth in the ultra-competitive Pro-Am Class.
For that race, they were however joined at the last minute by AMR Factory driver Maxime Martin after Eastwood tested positive for CV-19 just as the crews were due to fly out to Germany for that weekend of racing. How the crew does here may just help those decide where they might be racing in next season!?
Qualifying will take place on Sunday morning with the three-hour race being waved off later at 15:00hrs local with all these sessions again being streamed live on the series social media channels.
It would be great to see all these cars finish the season on the podium!
Photo credits – GTWCE / Teams
No Championship reward for Garage 59 in Valencia despite a final class podium
Going into the final event of the season this weekend, a class win in the opening race was a must the Pro-Am crew with a fourteen-point deficit to make up against an even more consistent pairing of Miguel Ramos and Henrique Chaves in the #77 Barwell Motorsport Lamborghini around the tight and twisting Valencian Circuit Ricardo Tormo.
Pre-Qualifying went well for the #188 car taking the lead Pro-Am position in P6 yesterday before moving in the tw0 Qualifying sessions for Sunday’s two one-hour races with West Qualifying P26 for race 1 and Adam P19 for race 2 but each time behind the Championship leading #77 car on what started out to be a ‘green’ track after overnight rain.
For the team’s second car – the #159 Silver Cup crew of Tuomas Tujula and Nicolai Kjaergaard, their first season aboard the AMR Vantage GT3 platform had already cut down with multiple accident and other technical no finishes – so for them Valencia was only about pride.
The later second and final Sprint Cup race of the 2021 season was a much better affair as Adam and Kjaergaard had better starts but again the race was neutralised on only the second lap this time as a four-car incident left debris across the racetrack and a stranded car to boot.
Getting back to green and it wasn’t long before Adam had passed the #77 Barwell car for position but even by then, the class leading Mercedes was already too far in front to mount any sizeable challenge for the class lead. The #159 meanwhile was ‘enjoying’ some Silver Class rivalry as they battled for what they could.
Hitting the pit window with only ten seconds to spare, Adam handed the car back to West whilst Kjaergaard had already pitted at the start of the available window to hand back to Tujula for the final time and whilst both cars would finish, all attention rightly turned to the #77 Barwell crew who secured the Pro-Am title at the end.
Photo credits – GTWCE / Garage 59
All or nothing for the #188 Pro-Am Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT3 of Garage 59 in Valencia
It’s the final round of the 2021 GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup this weekend from the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain and it’s an “all or nothing” journey down south for the Garage 59 Aston Martin Racing team as effectively a class win along with a whole lot of luck is what they now need in order to lift the Pro-Am Class crown by the end of play on Sunday.
Last time out in the Sprint Cup at Brands Hatch at the end of August, the #188 Pro-Am Class Garage 59 car of Alex West and Jonny Adam enjoyed the spoils of two further class podiums at their home event with a P3 and P2 in the two races respectively BUT each result was behind on track the class leading #77 Barwell Lamborghini car of Miguel Ramos and Henrique Chaves.
That crew now leads the Pro-Am class by 14 points from the #188 crew but with the #77 being so dominant and consistent, the only way that the #188 could possibly snatch the crown away from them at the death would be by finishing ahead of the #77 crew in race one as a must and then hope that the #77 car finishes more than one car below them in race two as well.
Another point of note would be that the present third places Pro-Am crew of Mercedes AMG GT3 runners Valentin Pierburg and Dominik Baumann are just one point below the Aston Martin crew making for an intense three-way battle (certainly during race one) but also potentially race two should events not go in the favour of the #77 crew.
Of course, joining the #188 crew will be the #159 Silver Cup pairing of Nicolai Kjaergaard and Tuomas Tujula. These young racers have faced a GT3 season that anyone would reasonably want to forget with both accident damage and technical issues blighting their season from start until now but it would be great to see these two go out on something of a high!
Both one-hour races take place on Sunday 26th September and will again be streamed live via the series social media channels.
Photo credits – GTWCE / Team
Not their day and not their season for Garage 59 after a disappointing visit to the Nurburgring
Quite the underestimation after events on track saw all hope of the #188 Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT3 crew of Alex West, Chris Goodwin and (then) birthday boy Jonny Adam from winning the Pro-Am Drivers Championship by the end of the final round of the season in Barcelona evaporate through under performance of their car (compared to others) as well as two penalties for transgressions both on track and in the pit lane.
In fact, the results of the Pro-Am class after this round completely reshaped the championship standing with new drivers coming through to take the lead but for the #188, the goal of another season title had gone.
Having qualified P8 in class and P38 of the 43 starters, it was always going to be an uphill battle for the #188 but adversity they have faced before in the series to come through with the remnants of some decent points. A ten second penalty at their first stop against West for turning around the #77 Barwell Lamborghini in the first half an hour of the three hour race however saw them lose more time before a pit stop infraction between the Goodwin/Adam stint saw their season efforts confined to the annuals of ‘what might have been’ with a further drive through penalty.
The crew would eventually finish P31 overall and P9 in class to claim just two points when those around them claimed significantly more.
For the team’s #159 Silver Cup effort of Alex MacDowall, Nicolai Kjaergaard and Valentin Hasse-Clot, things seemed to be better for them after a podium finish together last time out in the Spa 24. Qualifying for the Nurburgring saw them start P11 overall and second in class just behind the class pole setting GRT Grasser Lambo.
That early success in the event would unfortunately unravel for them as rear contact for MacDowall in the opening stint affected something within the car for the lanky Brit to eventually hand the car over to Kjaergaard with body language that said it all having gone on to endure the loss of three places in one corner later!
After the halfway stage, and despite three full course yellows/Safety car periods bunching the field back up again there was simply nothing ‘in the tank’ for the Aston Martin Racing crew to mount any kind of challenge against their advisories and they would ultimately finish P19 overall and P8 in class.
With a haul of just two points for themselves as well, that result dropped them down to P13 in the Silver Drivers Championship with also an insurmountable points deficit to counter at the final round in Barcelona.
Photo credits – GTWCE / Garage 59
Guesting Oman Racing AMR joins full season Garage 59 entries at the Nurburgring
Up to eighty-six GT3 and GT4 race cars grace the provisional entry lists for this weekend’s penultimate rounds of the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup Series and GT4 European Series from the Nurburgring in Germany with an additional Aston Martin Racing surprise in each.
With the last round of the GTWCE Endurance Cup being the Total Energie Spa 24Hours of nearly a month ago now, some teams have had that long to recompose themselves after the workload of the toughest GT3 24 Hour race about – except for the Garage 59 Aston Martin Racing Partner team who travel to Germany straight off the back of the latest round of the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup from Brands Hatch last weekend.
Whilst their Silver Cup pairing unfortunately struggled again there, it was another confidence boosting double podium for their Pro-Am pairing of Alex West and Jonny Adam as that duo travel to Germany to meet up with their third man (Chris Goodwin) in time for this round’s three-hour race on Sunday afternoon.
Chasing the leaders hard in the Sprint Cup, the #188 Pro-Am crew also have ground to make up in the Endurance Cup after gearbox issues put them out of the Spa 24 early on meaning that West and Goodwin are now fourteen points behind the class leading Ferrari with two races remaining.
Alongside the #188 car will of course be the #159 Silver Cup car of Valentin Hasse-Clot, Alex MacDowall and Nicolai Kjaergaard. For them, a slow start to the season at both Monza and Paul Ricard was bolstered by a great performance at Spa which lifts the trio up to P10 in the Silver Cup table – still some thirty-two points behind the championship leaders but still with some time to do something about it both at the Nurburgring before finally at Barcelona.
These two full season entries will be joined by another one of Tom Ferrier’s one off “specials” as Ahmad Al Harthy, Giacomo Petrobelli and Charlie Eastwood re-join the series for this round in the #97 Oman Racing with TF Sport AMR Vantage GT3 that last competed in the Le Mans Cup at Le Mans a couple of weeks ago.
With Aston Martin Racing sadly reduced to supporting the ventures of its partner and customer teams only at present, every effort is being made to secure the continued loyalty of customer drivers like Al Harthy, Petrobelli and more recently Michael Dinan with the marque for this and subsequent years to follow.
With the Omani driver being prevented from committing too much this year due to global travel restrictions and the likes of Dinan very much in the market for a GT3 deal somewhere in the world – these one-off events are specifically designed to keep these people engaged with the brand and its supporting teams as they decide where 2022 will take them – and with whom!
The Nurburgring three-hour race starts at 14:45hrs local.
UPDATE - AMR factory driver Maxime Martin steps into the Oman Racing Aston with Al Harthy and Petrobelli as Charlie Eastwood gets ‘pinged’ for being close to someone who later tested positive for Covid.
Photo credits – GTWCE / Garage 59 / TF Sport
Hard-fought local round keeps Garage 59 in class contention ahead of Sprint Cup finale next month
The penultimate round of the 2021 GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup was a gruelling home affair for the Garage 59 Aston Martin Racing team, but another two podium finishes sets up a winner takes all event at Valencia in a month’s time.
This weekend racing at Brands Hatch, events didn’t start off on a positive note as the team’s #159 AMR Vantage GT3 Silver Cup entry of Nicolai Kjaergaard and Tuomas Tujula needed a gear box replacement after an incident during Free Practice, and that would haunt that car’s efforts during the remainder of the weekend.
With the team unfortunately not doing so well in Silver Cup, their Pro-Am entry of Alex West and Jonny Adam however was doing very well with a constant stream of podium finishes during the eight races so far this season keeping them within an arm’s length of the Championship leading Barwell Lamborghini going into this round.
This time featuring the two one-hour races on a single day, any issue on track during Sunday morning’s race would automatically put any team onto the back step for the second race later in the afternoon.
With the threat of rain lingering over the grid ahead of race one, twenty-eight cars featured on the grid as the thought of so many equally balanced GT3 car thundering into Paddock Hill Bend for the first time excited the large attending crowd around the entire Grand Prix loop. Tujula started the #159 from P19 overall whilst West’s #188 car was down in P27.
Getting around the opening sequence of corners without too much incident, it quickly became apparent to the casual observer that overtaking was next to impossible without making contact or jeopardising your cars own integrity and that was pretty much the case for the two Garage 59 cars as the field approached the opening of the mandatory ten-minute pit window.
In this series, only tyres and drivers are allowed to be changed and by the end of the available pit window, AMR factory driver Adam emerged P26 overall whilst Kjaergaard came out ahead in P22. Compounding an already difficult season for the #159 crew, that position was also to diminish still further after they were deemed to have speeded in pit lane and that earned them a drive through penalty.
Approaching the final five minutes of the race, a move past the Tempesta Racing Ferrari by Adam for position also removed the #188 car from an area of danger as contact between the leading two cars and the Ferrari saw the race leading #38 Jota McLaren and the Ferrari spin off (and over the safety barrier for the #38 car) bringing out an immediate Full Course Yellow as Ollie Wilkinson thankfully extricated himself from what was left of his race car.
With the race effectively halted at that point, that meant that the #188 car had claimed the final step of the Pro-Am podium with an important P3 finish whilst the #159 would finish down in P10 in class.
Sunday afternoon’s second race was much of the same in terms of congestion but that there was also a little more realisation that any move had to be done early whilst the track was together.
This time race one’s finishing drivers started the race and that meant that Adam had a chance to chase down the #77 Barwell Lamborghini that was starting ahead of them again whilst Kjaergaard would see what he could salvage from his P26 starting position. That was all well and good until someone dumped out the guesting RAM Racing Mercedes into the gravel on the opening lap to bring out the Safety Car.
Ten minutes were lost behind that before the race eventually went back to green with Adam now just two cars behind the #77 whilst Kjaergaard had had to pit for grass to be removed from his cars radiator grille having had to take avoiding action at the RAM Racing spin. His re-emergence was soon helped by Race Control as two incident offending cars were soon given penalties that would see the #159 car gain two positions but again, their race was already run!
Staying out for as long as he could, Adam would hand over to West with just over twenty-five minutes remaining. Coming out of the pit lane blend line in the class lead, West was soon overtaken by the #77 as he went around Druids for the first time. Never with quite enough performance as those ahead, West quickly had to settle for protecting his P2 position to the end which he did despite the Mercedes behind gaining two seconds per lap.
Unfortunately, there was nothing that could have been done about the #77 Barwell crew achieving another double win to extend their lead over the #159 crew (despite their own double podium) by fourteen points going into the final meeting of the season at Valencia in a month’s time but with some thirty-five points still available – there is still everything to race for!!
Photo credits – GTWCE / Garage 59
Welcome back to the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Series racing at Brands Hatch this weekend
Incredible to think that it was two years ago since we saw the two R-Motorsport Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GT3’s race around the Grand Prix circuit at Brands Hatch at the last round of the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup Series to have visited the UK.
Even taking a year out for COVID and then a delayed attendance this year for the same reason, that is still a long time to be without any high class European based GT racing within our shores, so this weekend’s twenty-nine car entry is certainly more than welcome back.
With both a Pro and Silver Cup entry from the Swiss team back then, this time we again have both a Pro-Am and Silver Cup entry from the UK based Garage 59 team after something of mixed bag for the team last time out in the Sprint Cup at Misano in Italy at the start of July when the #188 Pro-Am car of Alex West and Jonny Adam bagged a double podium with a P2 and then P1 class finish respectively in the two races.
That was followed by with firstly a DNF after contact in the first race for drivers Tuomas Tujula and Nicolai Kjaergaard before they collected themselves back together for a P5 class finish in race 2.
Since then, the team were of course involved at another eventful Spa 24 which started with Adam missing out completely have tested positive for COVID after the British Grand Prix. Although his #188 car ultimately retired from the race with technical issues, his omission from the results now sees West head the Pro-Am Drivers table alone, some ten points ahead of Adam in third!! A similar issue with the #159 car sees Kjaergaard head the cars crew in P15 with Tujula in P19 after omissions at the start of the year.
With all still to race for, this weekend’s event will feature two – one-hour races (both on Sunday) with track action not starting until the first Free Practice session for Bronze and Silver ranked drivers on Saturday morning.
Photo credits – GTWCE / Garage 59
Garage 59 take the Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT3 to a double podium at Spa 24
The Vantage GT3 is already a class-winner in the event, following TF Sport’s Pro-Am victory in 2019, but this is the first time the car had achieved a podium in the overall standings.
Garage 59, which ran the additional one-off ‘Pro’ entry with support from the Aston Martin Racing factory, was a leading contender in the Pro Cup, Silver Cup and Pro-Am classes through much of a thrilling, incident-packed race.
Having started eighth, like most of the field, the #95 spent nearly 90 minutes behind the Safety Car while the wreckage of a huge four-car accident was cleared. After that, the route to the podium for the ‘Dane Train’ was not straightforward with more incidents for rivals, Safety Car periods and weather blurring the competitive picture.
With eight hours to go, three cars emerged in contention for the win, including the Garage 59 Aston Martin which was running an alternative strategy to its rivals. But when two further Full Course Yellow periods allowed the Aston Martin’s rivals to make additional stops, it neutralised the advantage of Garage 59’s game-plan.
While racing into this strong position, Thiim had set the fastest lap of the race just after dawn, and Gunn and Sørensen followed that up with blistering stints of their own. Firmly established in a podium place, the team never gave up and closed to within 40s of their rivals before another sudden deluge transformed the race again with 30 minutes to go. But with the Aston Martin separated from the race leaders by the track position of the Safety Car, third was the maximum result achievable.
“It’s a strange feeling to finish third but know there was more you could have achieved in different circumstances,” said Thiim. “The car was fast, and I think we had the package to win. Working with Garage 59 was great and they, combined with some of our old WEC crew, made a great team. We definitely had the speed and the car to fight for the win, but just not the luck.”
Sørensen, who was in the car at the finish, added: “Those were some incredible conditions to drive. The Vantage GT3 was fast through-out and maybe we could have won, but in the end it was important to finish and third is a great result. I’ve enjoyed my first Spa 24 Hours and I want to come back and finish the job.”
Ross Gunn said: “In the past, when I’ve raced in this event, it’s been in the Silver or Pro-Am classes when you’re constantly having the Pro cars charge down on you into the braking zones, so it was great to be the one doing the lapping this time. Fighting at the front all race with the Vantage GT3 showed its capabilities as a racing car and proved it can be a contender with the right team in any top championship around the world.”
The Silver #159 entry, comprised of AMR Academy graduate Valentin Hasse-Clot (FRA) as well as two 2021 Academy candidates; Nicolai Kjærgaard (DEN) and Tuomas Tujula (FIN), and joined by Alex MacDowall (GBR), didn’t put a wheel wrong and quietly rose through the order to be a solid second in class with two hours to go.
A combination of a drive-through penalty and heavy rain comprised to work against the car’s forward progress however and it ultimately finished third; it’s best result of the season and an outstanding achievement for the car and its young crew.
Starting from the class pole, the #188 Pro-Am class Garage 59 Aston Martin Vantage starred in the first half of the event with drivers Alexander West (SWE), Chris Goodwin (GBR), Charlie Eastwood (IRL) and Marvin Kirchhöfer (DEU). Having survived a debris strike as Kirchhöfer passed through the early multi-car accident, the #188 rapidly worked itself into contention and led the class by midnight. But not long after the car’s drivers began reporting gear selection issues which ultimately led to its retirement. A real blow for a team that looked on course for glory.
Aston Martin Racing, Managing Director John Gaw said: “This was the first true manifestation of how we can showcase the capabilities of Aston Martin Racing as a support network and supply service for customers in a major endurance event. This is one of the biggest GT3 races in the world and a tough race to take on for sure, particularly in the Pro class with just one entry against all the German manufacturers, Ferraris and Lamborghinis. To get the small pot is nice, but we wanted the big one. This is still a step in the right direction, and we want to be able to do this with more customers around the world. It was also good to show the capabilities of the GT3, both in terms of reliability and performance and we have got a really strong team to do that with, whether it be in engineering or drivers.”
AMR President, David King, said: “The combination of Garage 59, Aston Martin Racing, and some of the world’s best GT drivers has proved outstanding this weekend. To finish in third overall and on the lead lap in the Pro class is a tribute to the skill of the drivers, the team, and the pace and reliability of the Vantage GT3. The second-place finish in the Silver class is no less impressive. Congratulations to everyone involved, and a special thanks to our longest serving partner, Immun’Age, whose loyal support has helped enable another success for Aston Martin.”
Next stop - green flag for the Garage 59 AMR trio at this years Spa 24
This evening’s final laps of Superpole for the top twenty runners from last night’s Qualifying rounds set the grid for the start of tomorrows running of the Total Energie Spa 24.
With no endurance race ever being won from pushing the boundaries too far during Free Practice and Qualifying, the three Garage 59 entered Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT3’s have set themselves up to give themselves the best possible start around one of the most iconic racetracks in the world for one of the toughest 24hour races in the world as part of this year’s GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup season.
Last night we saw the individual Qualifying rounds for each of Garage 59’s Pro-Am and Silver Cup entries as well as the three legs for their AMR factory supported Pro effort specific for this event.
Under the watchful eyes of many from the AMR factory team Alex West (#188) and Tuomas Tujula (#159) were out in the first session with just twenty-seven runners followed later by Chris Goodwin (#159) and Alex MacDowall (#159) and Nicki Thiim (#95) with the full fifty-eight cars on track. Incidents on track during this session lead to two red flags leaving those unfortunate not to have set a time with little time within which to make sure. Whilst Goodwin claimed the fastest time in Pro-Am, MacDowall was caught in heavy traffic leaving their Silver Cup entry lower down the order than perhaps they deserved to by Thiim had already set a time good enough for P2, so he was done early.
Now in complete darkness from the delays of Q2, Charlie Eastwood (#188), Valentin Hasse-Clot (#159) and Ross Gunn (#95) were out next, and it was a battle royale between the AMR factory and AMR factory junior drivers which left the young Irishman ahead of the young Brit on track with the #188 car again claiming top honours. Finally, it was the turn of Marvin Kirchhofer (#188) who had been one the fastest drivers out there in Pre-Qualifying who rounded off a successful Qualifying session for their Pro-Am car to finish his session in P3 – good enough for them to claim the overall class pole for Saturday’s race. Nicolai Kjaergaard was out in the #159 where he too suffered with the effects of traffic (eventually Qualifying in P13 in class) as well did Marco Sorensen now in the #95 Pro class entered car but at least the times were good enough to claim a P2 slot in this evenings Superpole.
Then there was more drama this evening when Nicki Thiim ran the #95 cars Superpole laps – two fast laps on new rubber within a defined time band during the allotted thirty-minute session.
Reported late on pit lane exit to Race Control (outside of the permitted two-minute window), Thiim’s first lap was only good enough for P10 but his second flying lap elevated them to P3 for tomorrows race – or so they thought!!
Confirmation later came through that the #95 car had indeed been penalised from its original P3 finishing position with a 0.254 of a second added to its best lap time (the time they were late leaving pit lane at the start of their session) and that dropped the car down to P8 overall on grid. We wait to hear if the team can or indeed will appeal against that decision.
Either way, that decision will not affect the outcome of the 24-hour race as consistency, team work and a whole lot of luck (especially through the long night) will determine who finishes the race first!!
Good luck to them all.
Photo credits – GTWCE / Garage 59
Garage 59 and Aston Martin Racing aim for the top step of their three classes at Spa 24
The Spa 24 Hours is a special race. Among the most gruelling of all the prestigious 24-hour endurance contests, it is unique in that it is only open to FIA-homologated GT3 specification racing cars. Add to that a huge 60-car field, the unpredictable nature of the Ardennes weather and the fact that Spa-Francorchamps is one of the toughest examinations of a drivers’ skill anywhere, and you have perhaps the most coveted GT prize in motorsport.
Garage 59 come to the event as the reigning GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Pro-Am Team and Drivers’ champions and have added a brand new 4-litre V8 turbo-charged Aston Martin Vantage GT3 to their regular two-car squad, having worked closely with the Aston Martin Racing factory to optimise all three cars and crew in the build-up to the blue riband event.
The familiar #95 race number returns to a top-level Aston Martin ‘Pro’ entry for the first time in 2021, and heralds the return of the ‘Dane Train’ – FIA GT world champions Nicki Thiim (DEN) and Marco Sørensen (DEN) – who will spearhead the challenge for overall honours alongside IMSA GTD championship leader Ross Gunn (GBR), who has won twice already this season in the U.S. This will mark Sørensen’s debut in the Spa 24 Hours, but for Thiim it is a return to the scene of his famous Pro-Am victory with TF Sport in 2019.
“Competing in the Spa 24 Hours is a big tick on the bucket list, and one I have wanted to do for a long time,” said Sørensen. “To be re-joining Nicki in the car will almost feel like there hasn’t been a break since Bahrain when we won the world championship. I know Ross will get the job done, so this feels like a really strong team. I would like to thank Garage 59 for the opportunity, and after the recent test I am sure this is a team that is capable of giving us a car that can go for the win!”
Alongside the ‘Pro’ car, the reigning Pro-Am champions in the #188 Vantage, Alexander West (SWE), Chris Goodwin (GBR) will be joined by another 2019 Spa 24 Hour Pro-Am winner, Charlie Eastwood (IRL). The #188 entry has been in contention for the past two seasons and recorded Garage 59’s first podium in the race last year with third in Pro-Am. The team’s other regular works driver Jonny Adam has been forced to withdraw from the event having tested positive for Covid-19. His place will be taken by Marvin Kirchhöfer (DEU).
The Silver #159 entry is comprised of AMR Academy graduate Valentin Hasse-Clot (FRA) as well as two of the 2021 Academy’s candidates Nicolai Kjærgaard (DEN) and Tuomas Tujula (FIN). The crew is completed by the experienced GT racer and team regular Alex MacDowall (GBR).
Garage 59 team principal and co-owner Andrew Kirkaldy said: “The 24 Hours of Spa is the hardest race of the season, on the people and the cars, but I’m very happy to be running the extra car in the Pro class this year. The support we are receiving from Aston Martin Racing began at the official Spa test a few weeks ago and the full team gelled very quickly so I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do together as one team in the race.”
AMR President, David King, said: “Ever since the current Vantage GT3 was introduced in 2019 it has been a competitive force in high profile GT events around the world and Garage 59 has been at the forefront of its success. I am confident that the step up to a Pro class entry for the Spa 24 hours will demonstrate the combined expertise of Garage 59 and Aston Martin Racing, and further advance the reputation of the Vantage as the car of choice for success in international GT3 racing.”
Practice and Qualifying for the TotalEnergies Spa 24 Hours begins on Thursday 29 July while the race itself starts on Saturday 31 July at 1630 (CET).
