Spirit of Leman continue their podium winning streak in FFSA GT4 at the weekend
With both crews racing their new 2024 Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT4 for only the second time in anger, the #74 Silver crew of Mateo Villagomez and Victor Weyrich and their #92 Am class crew of Clement Dub and Ronald Basso continued their ever-improving run within the series, lifting just one class podium finish apiece last time out at Nogaro in early April to lift class winning podium finishes at the Circuit de Ledenon.
Only a DNF at the end of race 1 for the #92 crew blotted an otherwise near perfect return to the circuit after their five-week break.
At this early one-third season distance, these results see the #92 crew climb up to P6 in class after Sunday’s class win whilst the #74 crew climb up to the top of the silver class with their new maximum points haul from the weekend.
For the solo running Mirage Racing AMR Vantage GT4 of Stanislav Safronov and Aleksandr Vaintrub, Ledenon was not quite as forthcoming for the Pro-Am classed entry as they finished their second round with a pair of P5 finishes in class at the end of these two one-hour races.
Now sitting on thirty points within the class, this #7 car duo will need to claw back some points at the next round of the series from Spa Francorchamps in late June if they are to reduce their present fifty-four-point points deficit to the class leaders.
Both teams now venture across to Misano for the second round of the sister SRO GT4 European Series.
Photo credits – Teams / Series
Photo credits – Teams / Series
Tuesday, May 14, 2024 |
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Racing Spirit of Leman AMR Vantage GT4 crews dominate in FFSA GT4's visit to Ledenon
Both their Silver grade #92 car of Victor Weyrich and Mateo Villagomez and their Am class #74 car of Ronald Basso and Clement Dub celebrated a double podium haul by the end of their two races with the #92 crew converting two class podiums into overall race wins whilst the #74 crew converted their two P3 starts to finish up one place on the podium to complete the teams collection of silverware for their efforts.
They were also not the sole AMR success within the series fifth round however as the Am classed #98 AGS Events Racing AMR crew of Didier Dumaine and Christophe Carriere finally broke their season podium duck with a P3 finish in Sundays race.
Too little too late for the #98 crew in what is apparently the team’s final season with the AMR Vantage GT4 platform, but the weekend’s results have given both Racing Spirit of Leman cause to believe in Championship possibilities as the series looks to round of the year at Paul Ricard in two weeks’ time.
The #6 Mirage Racing AMR of Vincent Beltoise and Yves Lemaitre returned to the racetrack after another break, but their racing fortunes did not improve too much with a DNF in race 1 and a P10 Pro-Am finish in race 2 whilst the #39 GPA Racing AMR of Tom Verdier and Baudouin Detout at finished with consistency for the first time with two P8 finishes.
The #89 AGS Racing Events AMR of team boss Nicolas Gomar and Mike Parisy completed the six Aston Martin car line up within the twenty-nine-car entry with two P5 finishes in Pro-Am.
Photo credits – Series / social media
Photo credits – Series / social media
Monday, September 25, 2023 |
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Two AMR Vantage GT4 crews still in class contention as the FFSA GT4 Series reaches Ledenon
Having started the season with up to nine Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT4 crews, this weekend’s double header will see ‘just’ six of those return but at least this time around, two of these crews remain within their class championship title contention.
The only team to have run two cars throughout the whole season sees the Racing Spirit of Leman team have each of their #74 and #92 crews in contention of the Am and Silver classes respectively. Ronald Basso and Clement, who were a new pairing for this season presently lie just thirty-eight points behind their class leader and with one hundred points still available over this and the finale at Paul Ricard in just three weeks’ time – anything is possible.
It's a similar position for their #92 Silver crew of Victor Weyrich and Mateo Villagomez who have taken being stuck in the gravel at the first round through to being fifty-one points behind their respective class leader, with the same number of points still available.
These crews will be joined by the #6 Mirage Racing crew of Yves Lemaitre/Vincent Beltoise, the #39 GPA Racing crew of Baudouin Detout/Tom Verdier plus two entries from the AGS Events Racing team for both Nicolas Gomar/Mike Parisy and Didier Dumaine/Christophe Carriere to complete the twenty-nine-car entry.
As usual, both races will be streamed live via the series social media channels.
Photo credits – Teams / Series
Tuesday, September 19, 2023 |
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Podiums won but finally out of Championship contention for the AMR runners in FFSA GT4
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Going into this round had three AMR crews needing a perfect win/win race result together with those above them in their respective classes also failing to score to maintain the very slim Championship aspirations they may have had going into the final round of the season.
Whilst there were class Pole Positions and class podiums to be earned by the eight AMR runners over the two races that make up a usual FFSA GT4 weekend, those results were unfortunately not sufficient to maintain those dreams.
The #74 Silver Class Racing Spirit of Lemans Aston Martin of Roman Carton and Victor Weyrich did earn themselves a front row start for Saturdays opening encounter but that was sadly to convert into another failure to finish that was only somewhat buoyed by a P4 in class in Sundays race.
The Am Class contending #161 AGS Events Racing AMR of Didier Dumaine and Christophe Carrier had a weekend to forget with a DNF in race one that extended into a DNS for race 2 whilst the #72 GPA Racing Aston of Kevin Jimenez and Florent Grizaud did at least get to step upon the AM class podium with another brace of P3 in class finishes. Again, that was not enough to maintain the Championship aspirations.
The #13 Mirage Racing crew of Valentin Hasse-Clot and replacement co-driver Arnold Robin also needed a double race win but had to settle for a P4 and then a P12 in class to finally end their hopes for a crew that once lead their Pro-Am class.
For these eight runners, their 2022 FFSA GT4 Series season will conclude at Paul Ricard with the SRO Racing Festival weekend in mid-October.
Photo credits – Teams / FFSA
Tuesday, September 13, 2022 |
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Last gasp for some AMR runners as the FFSA GT4 nears its conclusion
Having battled it out over double header rounds at Nogaro, Magny-Cours, Albi and most recently at Spa Francorchamps during the SRO’s Speedweek, it has sadly been another year where the multiple Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT4 entries have failed to deliver with just a couple of exceptions.
In the Am class, a recent string of lowly or indeed no point finishes for the #72 GPA Racing AMR of Kevin Jimenez and Florent Grizaud and the #161 AGS Events Racing AMR of Didier Dumaine and Christophe Carriere has left them both with only the slightest of mathematical possibilities of claiming the class title, but either must win all the remaining races of the season plus rely upon the top two cars in the Championship failing to finish all the remaining races as well.
In the Pro-Am class, the once championship leading Mirage Racing AMR of Valentin Hasse-Clot and the then Romano Ricci has now slipped to fourth, but Ricci’s ongoing injury sees him again miss this event with his place again being taken by Arnold Robin. With the points deficit being forty-six points to the leader, that would require a 100% finish from the #13 crew with those above them also failing to finish/score.
Driver changes include AGS Events boss Nicolas Gomar joining Hugo Back within the #7 car, Fabien Baule joining Stephane Debrosse within the teams #79 car and the removal of the teams #89 Gomar/Loris Cabirou Pro-Am entry.
These cars will again be three of eight AMR Vantage GT4’s due to compete again within the series from the full season teams of the AGS Events Racing, Racing Spirit of Lemans, GPA Racing and Mirage Racing – also again with both races being streamed live via the Series social media channels.
Photo credits – FFSA GT4
Tuesday, September 06, 2022 |
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Silver and Am Classes hotting up as the FFSA GT4 Series reaches its penultimate round at Ledenon this weekend
Again, another highly successful year for the series that has seen decent entry numbers again from the off including six Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT4 crews from three teams doing battle in the Pro-Am, Silver Cup and Am Classes.
The AGS Events Racing Team has again supported the largest number of AMR entries with four cars with competitive crews still featuring at the sharp end of their respective Championship tables in both the Am Class with drivers Didier Dumaine/Christophe Carriere in their #161 car and Romain Leroux/Valentin Hasse-Clot who presently lead the Silver Cup Classes with their #7 car.
With twenty-five points per race and four races still to run before the season closes on the French Series, it is obviously still far too early to take anything for granted as we already know just how competitive modern GT4 racing can be.
Other crews racing this weekend include the #79 AGS Events Am car of Lauris Nauroy/Stephane Desbrosse who could mathematically steal the Am crown if the win all four remaining races AND those above them in the Championship all fail to score as well as the two Pro-Am entries of #38 Mirage Racing AMR of Ruben Del Sarte/Yves Lemaitre and the #8 JSB Competition AMR of Julien Briche/Jean-Laurent Navarro.
For the latter two crews, 2021 hasn’t exactly been kind to them having swapped to the series and/or the Aston for this year with the #8 having claimed just eleven points so far this season against the #38 totally non representative for effort zero!
The thirty-three cars listed on this weekend’s entry list will again have two one-hour races to compete in over the weekend.
Photo credits – FFSA / Teams
Thursday, September 09, 2021 |
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FFSA GT4 has final round cancelled
This weekend’s events should have seen the final two races from Ledenon in the south of France but that is no longer to be as the Series looks for any suitable and available replacement venues elsewhere in Europe from where they can complete their fifth and final round.
That leaves the AGS Events Racing Team (and obviously all the others) in limbo as their #89 Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT4 Pro-Am entry of Mike Parisy and Nicolas Gomar presently lies in second place in the Championship, albeit 47 points in arrears but with still a mathematical chance wherever/whenever that final round takes place.
The team have run anything up to four AMR Vantage GT4’s in the Series at the various points in the season – up to two in Pro-Am and two in Am.
Photo credit – FFSA GT4
Monday, November 02, 2020 |
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AGS Events Racing lose Championship ground at Grand Prix D'Albi
This time running with just their three full season entries, neither their #89 Pro-Am crew of Nicolas Gomar and Mike Parisy nor their #161 Am Class crew of Didier Dumaine and Christophe Carriere managed to continue their season long pathway of achievement in securing at least one class podium during the weekends two races.
Competing at a circuit that ran along the perimeter of the local airport, the tight and twist sections clearly favoured the lighter, more nimble chassis with the Alpine being the car of choice leaving neither AGS Events AMR the opportunity to challenge beyond that of the circuit’s long straights.
These results do not however exclude either car from any Championship aspirations but frankly, they do depend quite heavily upon the misfortune of others at the final round of the season at Ledenon over the 7thand 8th November. The overall Am Drivers Championship is however, already out of reach.
These results do not however exclude either car from any Championship aspirations but frankly, they do depend quite heavily upon the misfortune of others at the final round of the season at Ledenon over the 7thand 8th November. The overall Am Drivers Championship is however, already out of reach.
Also competing at Albi was of course the #69 Pro-Am entry of Gilles Vannelet and AMR Academy driver Akhil Rabindra. Although being the lead AGS team car in race 1 in P14 overall (P7 in class), that was sadly not be repeated in Sunday’s race where they finished P19 overall (P11 in class). For some reason, 2020 FFSA GT4 just hasn’t gelled for these drivers despite their combined experiences.
Photo credits - FFSA
Monday, October 19, 2020 |
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