It was somewhat disappointing to read this morning of the news that Hong Kong based Craft Bamboo Racing has been appointed Technical Partner for Porsche Motorsport in Asia.

Spotting that the teams two Aston Martin Racing Vantages were (and still are) 'for sale' on the Racecarsdirect.com website just a couple of weeks ago we stated that the unexpected sale raised more questions than it answered - until today!

Whilst we obviously wish the team well in their new partnership we do have to mourn the loss of a very capable team from the #TeamAMR family not just in Asia but around the world.

2015 saw Darryl O'Young crowned GT Asia champion and placed an overall third in last years inaugural FIA GT World Cup in Macau.

Photo credit - CBR

Without even letting the engine oil cool down but being spurred on by Saturday's Pro and Am class podiums, the garage crews were straight back at it on Saturday night getting three cars ready for the Rookie Test day the next day.

As listed previously the #99 V8 Vantage GTE  was de-liveried, fuelled and rubbered for each of the six remaining Evolution Academy finalists to be dispatched around the Sakhir circuit for between 10-15 laps each all under the ever watchful gaze of the team technicians and fitness guru's in order to prove their worth for that coveted prize.


2015 British GT GT4 Champions Jamie Chadwick and Ross Gunn, fellow British GT drivers Jody Fannin, Daniel Lloyd and Matt Bell together with 24H Series SP3 Champion Devon Modell all sampled the highest echelon of GT racing that Aston Martin Racing can offer driving the Tilke designed circuit along side other machinery from the World Endurance Championship - an opportunity of a lifetime!


This test was the final process in the 2015 Evolution Academy process before one (or two as we are expecting) winners are announced by the selection panel.

Along with this test programme the team were also utilising the circuit test sessions to put further mileage onto the 2016 specification V8 Vantage GTE for the purposes of data aquisition with works drivers Darren Turner and Jonny Adam at the wheel with Marco Sorensen to boot.


Having previously tested only in private in Span and Portugal the team also made available the #95 Young Driver car for the basis of direct chassis comparison. They also fielded at least three further test drivers in the form of Archie Hamilton, Bahraini Salman Rashid Al Khalifa and German Fabian Hamprecht in the still liveried #95 car.



Last but no means least would see Richie Stanaway swap his #99 Vantage GTE to test the Audi R18 E-Tron Quattro LMP1 as part of the series endeavours to promote accomplished drivers with the car categories.

Photo credits - Aston Martin Racing / WEC Adrenal Media

With the final seminar and practical sessions being held only this week the powers that be behind Aston  Martin Racing's Evolution Academy programme have now 'retired' to decide their champion.

The ten drivers aged between 16 and 25 years old all competed in either a V8 Vantage GT4 or a V12 Vantage GT3 in either the British GT, 24H Series or GT Asia series in 2015. Along with their own driving responsibilities came technical briefings, simulator sessions, media training together with fitness and nutritional advice all carried out under the watchful eyes of the selection panel.

Who will win? Who knows but the lucky individual will then embark on a factory drive in one of the many race programmes the team undertakes every year. One thing for certain is that the winner will be one of either Ross Gunn, Jamie Chadwick, Devon Modell, Daniel Lloyd, Jonathan Venter, Dennis Strandberg, Jade Edwards, Jake Giddings, Jody Fannin or Matt Bell.

Some have won their race in class, others have won their class championship whilst others have suffered abject misfortune with their race programme. The results will not be the sole basis of the panels decision that is for sure - rather who is/has the full package?

We understand that a short listed group of six finalists (now confirmed as Ross Gunn, Jamie Chadwick, Matt Bell, Jody Fannin, Devon Modell and Dan Lloyd) will also attend the final WEC race of the season with the AMR team in Bahrain, which kicks off next weekend before getting the opportunity to drive an actual V8 GTE on the circuit during the post event test before the eventual winner is announced.

Photo credits - Aston Martin Racing

Craft-Bamboo Racing driver, Darryl O’Young took the 2015 GT Asia Series drivers’ championship in an incredible nail biting finish to end a roller coaster weekend of racing in Thailand. After teammate, Daniel Lloyd, started from P2 and took an early lead, the #99 Aston Martin pulled away from the competition and O’Young was able to continue expanding the gap until crossing the line to take the title. Frank Yu and Richard Lyons’ luck did not improve for the final race of the season, with Frank being hit on turn three of the first lap. This put the #88 Interush on the back foot but they fought hard to take P9 by flag fall.

Lloyd started the race from P2 knowing that the championship rested on getting ahead of the Bentley that sat on pole position. As the lights went out, Lloyd expertly placed the Aston Martin and timed his start perfectly before passing the Bentley with a superb maneuver into the first corner. The young Brit had executed the crucial championship move and set about widening the gap between their title rivals as quickly as possible. Using the clear air ahead to his advantage, Lloyd was able to dive into the pits and change over to his teammate with a healthy gap. O’Young hit the track knowing that the title rested on his ability to stay ahead and keep the Bentley at bay. Immediately his pace was impressive and began to pull away, adding to the gap that his teammate had created. O’Young drove on the limit for his entire stint, elevating his pace to another level and expanding his lead to over 11 seconds. As the flag fell for the final time this season, O’Young crossed the line eight seconds ahead and became the first Hong Kong driver to win the GT Asia Series drivers’ championship. O’Young’s title would never have been possible without the talented help from young Australian Jonathan Venter and Englishman, Daniel Lloyd, who are both members of the elite Aston Martin Evolution Academy.

The entire 2015 GT Asia Series championship has boiled down to the final round in Thailand this weekend, where Craft-Bamboo Racing will be fighting to take both the drivers’ and teams’ championship at the Chang International Circuit. #99 VLT driver, Darryl O’Young, is four points clear of his closest competitor after a stunning double win in Shanghai with teammate, Daniel Lloyd. The pair will be looking to make a repeat of their performance this weekend to seal the drivers’ championship and help Craft-Bamboo Racing to close the gap in the teams’ championship. Richard Lyons and Frank Yu will be hoping for a better weekend after a tough round in Shanghai but the pair is positive that they can deliver the results to move the team into the number one spot in the teams’ championship.

After their dominant double victory in Shanghai, Darryl O’Young was able to take the lead in the drivers’ championship and stay four points clear of his closest competitor. The #99’s season rivals in the Bentley sit only four points behind, placing them within striking distance of the VLT Aston Martin. O’Young and Lloyd will be doing everything in their power to keep the Bentley behind them while they make their final championship assault, and a good qualifying session will give them the best opportunity of staying ahead. Achieving pole position in the last two rounds, the #99 pair are set on continuing their streak and have shown how quick they can be at the head of the pack.


Richard Lyons and Frank Yu were off to a great start last round in Shanghai after taking pole and were leading for the majority of the race. Unfortunately, the pair’s bad luck struck once again and thanks to multiple incidents, prevented them from taking home a top result. With the #88 Interush Aston Martin’s pace undeniable; Lyons and Yu will be challenging at the very front of the field in Thailand and are on the hunt to capture their first win of the season. With only 14 points separating the top of the teams’ championship, the #88 pair will be fighting to score as many points as possible to help the team towards their goal of taking both championships.

Practice for rounds ten and eleven of the GT Asia Series will begin on Friday, October 23rd. Qualifying one will be held on Saturday, October 24th, from 9:40-9:55, with qualifying two running from 10:05-10:20. Race one will be held on Saturday from 13:35-14:35 (local time GMT +7) Race two will be held on Sunday 15:15-16:15. Live streaming of the event will be available from the GT Asia Series YouTube page, https://www.youtube.com/user/afosTV.

Richard Lyons, Driver

"It hasn't been the campaign we had hoped for in the #88 Interush Aston. However, Thailand is a new circuit for most teams and drivers so we might see a shakeup in the results. I've raced there twice in the last year so I'm hoping I can share this experience with Frank and get us running at the sharp end."

Frank Yu, Driver

“It is the last round of the championship and we haven’t had much luck this year so we are looking for a strong finish to score some points for the teams’ championship. We would also like to see our VLT sister car win the drivers’ championship this year.”

#99 VLT Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3

Darryl O’Young, Driver

“I'm looking forward to the weekend in Buriram as the championship is really down to the wire. With only a 4 point spread and several competitors in the championship fight, anything is possible heading into the season finale. I'm not going to think too much about the points, we just want to repeat the job we did in Shanghai which is to execute a mistake free weekend, and hope that is enough to win the title. It’s anyone’s championship and Craft-Bamboo Racing is ready to step up our game in this critical moment in the championship.”

Daniel Lloyd, Driver

“Really looking forward to Thailand, it is a little different because not many people have been to the circuit before which is a good thing for me because I haven’t been to any of the circuits out in Asia. I have been doing a lot of preparation on the simulator to get ready for the last round. The track seems great, a real driver’s circuit. The main focus is going to be working together to take the championship the last two rounds have been really positive and we will be trying to repeat this success in Thailand.”

Richard Coleman, CEO of Craft-Bamboo Racing

“This is the most important race of the season and with both the championships on the line we are going to have to dig deep. After the success in Shanghai, the team has proved what they can do and we will be going out there with the intention of taking both championships.”

Darryl O’Young now leads the drivers’ championship after a dominant race two win in Shanghai, where Daniel Lloyd helped the #99 pair to lead from start to finish. O’Young is now four points clear of second place, with only one round left in the championship scheduled for next month in Thailand. The #88 Interush Aston Martin of, Richard Lyons and Frank Yu, proved to be even quicker, setting the fastest lap of the race but were unable to capitalize on their speed after having to fight their through their way through the midfield.

Darryl O’Young is once again tied for the lead in the GT Asia Series drivers’ championship after an incredible last minute dash by teammate, Daniel Lloyd, helped the pair to victory in race one at the Shanghai International Circuit. The #88 Interush Aston Martin of, Richard Lyons and Frank Yu, started the race on pole and were looking like strong contenders for the win until two separate incidents of contact ruined their chances.

O’Young started the race in P8 and after a long battle in the midfield, the Hong Kong driver handed over to teammate Lloyd at the start of the pit window. The young Brit began to move his way up and was making good progress until a large accident brought out the safety car. After the extensive safety car period, there were only a few minutes of race one remaining. Lloyd, who was in P5, didn’t give up and instantly made the jump on the Ferrari of Liu as the safety car returned to the pits. From here, Lloyd was on a mission to hunt down the leader before the flag fell. In an incredible display of skill, the Craft-Bamboo driver closed the gap and fought his way to the front of the grid, taking P1 with a superb maneuver, running three wide on the way into the first corner. Lloyd executed the daring challenge perfectly and was now in the lead with one lap left. In a nail biting finish, Lloyd roared down the pit straight for the final time at the front of the pack and took the win for the #99 VLT Aston Martin.

At the beginning of the year Aston Martin Racing launched 'Evolution Academy' - their new young driver development programme for 2015 that would ultimately land at least one lucky candidate a coveted full works drive for 2016 season.

Limited to just ten drivers drivers of between 17 and 25 years of age, with a confirmed seat within an Aston Martin race car and competing within a stipulated top flight national and international series, the academy was designed to help and support these developing race drivers and create a self sustaining 'breeding ground' for Aston Martin Racing's future driver requirements.

In March ten successful candidates were announced having been selected by a panel of judges including amongst others AMR Team Principal John Gaw, Head of Motorsport at Aston Martin Lagonda David King and current AMR works driver Darren Turner.

Both of Craft Bamboo Racing's Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3's were the pick of the bunch during the two qualifying sessions for rounds eight and nine of the 2015 GT Asia Series.

Continuing the teams Free Practice domination, in Q1 it was the #88 car of Frank Yu and Richard Lyons who secured top honours just ahead of last years championship winning Clearwater Ferrari 458. Its sister #99 car of Darryl O'Young and Daniel Lloyd only qualified in a difficult mid field position for tomorrows race.
In Q2 however fortune was on the side of the #99 car when the end of a red flag period only left Lloyd enough time for a single run to beat then then pole sitting Bentley. Evolution Academy driver LLoyd, who is sitting in again for the injured fellow Evolution Academy driver Jonathan Venter, ultimately crossed the line four hundredths of a second faster to claim pole. In an almost mirror image of Q1 the #88 finished eighth.

the GT Asia Series reconvenes for the penultimate meeting of the year on the 
Aston Martin Evolution Academy driver Lloyd will once again partner championship challenger Darryl O’Young in the #99 VLT Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 as the pair look to close the gap on the championship lead during the weekend’s two, hour-long sprint format races.

Straight off the back of his superb British GT race win at Donington Park just over a week ago, 23 year-old Lloyd is confident of carrying his good form into the closing races of the GT Asia Series where he and O’Young claimed an impressive pole and podium on his championship debut in Sepang last month.

“After our podium last time out in Sepang and then following it up with the win in the British GT, I’m feeling positive heading into the weekend and really looking forward to getting back into the GT3 again;” said Lloyd.

“It’s another new circuit for me to learn so we have a big challenge ahead of us, but the guys at MSA Team UK have been helping me out with work on the simulator in preparation so I’m confident that with the support from Darryl and the Craft Bamboo squad we’ll be right up there challenging for podiums once more.”


The duo face fierce competition from Asia’s top GT teams and racers on the tight and technical Shanghai circuit but Lloyd is determined to continue his impressive run and help re-ignite O’Young’s chances of clinching the championship title, with the 35 year-old heading into the weekend just 4 points off the current leaders.

Source material - Daniel Lloyd
Photo credits - Craft Bamboo

Craft-Bamboo Racing were able to claim a third place podium in the inaugural Sepang Three Hour for round seven of the GT Asia Series after a dramatic end to the rain soaked event. It was the #99 VLT Aston Martin of, Darryl O’Young and Daniel Lloyd, who took P3 after they started the afternoon from pole position after two blistering qualifying performances. The #88 Interush sister car of, Richard Lyons and Frank Yu , proved to be quick as well, starting from P3 on the grid for the three hour spectacle. They unfortunately suffered some setbacks but fought back towards the end of the race to take P10. The #99’s efforts today, see Darryl O’ Young only three points away from first place in the drivers’ championship heading into the next round in Shanghai.

It was, Frank Yu, who began the three hour event for the #88 Interush car and he made a clean get away from the rolling start, keeping the car out of trouble into the first few turns. Frank battled in the intense heat to drive a fantastic stint, keeping at bay many seasoned international GT drivers and at the end was able to hand over the car in P8.

Richard, showed his great pace from the get go and started to move up the field but after 20 minutes the weather had taken a harsh turn and brought out the safety car. Making the most of the situation, Lyons pushed as hard as he could and used his knowledge of the circuit to combat the weather and he was able to finish his stint in P6.

After a small break, the GT Asia Series has made its way from Japan and headed to the Sepang International Circuit for round seven of the season. The special three hour endurance event will be held on Saturday after a combined qualifying session and offers up double points this weekend. Both Craft-Bamboo Racing Aston Martins will be fighting hard in a bid to continue their charge to the very top of the leaderboards in both the drivers’ and teams’ championship.

Darryl O’Young is currently tied for the top spot in the drivers’ championship and will be concentrating on taking another strong result, with new teammate, Daniel Lloyd, that will allow him to capture the lead and separate himself from the competition. With double points up for grabs, a haul of championship points is just what the #99 pair needs to create a gap at this crucial part in the season. While Sepang is familiar to O’Young, new teammate, Lloyd, has yet to drive the circuit and will be concentrated on learning and developing a rhythm so he can secure a quick qualifying lap.

Unfortunately, during the break, Jonathan Venter, was injured in a cycling accident and suffered a dislocated and fractured hip which required surgery. This has ruled the young Australian out for the rest of the season while he recovers. He has been replaced by, Daniel Lloyd, also an Aston Martin Evolution Academy member who has experience behind the wheel of the GT3 Aston Martin in the Blancpain Endurance Series and British GT Series.

The #88 sister car of Richard Lyons and Frank Yu are focused on using this round to their advantage after some unlucky contact prevented them from being able to challenge for any top results in Fuji. No strangers to the famous Malaysian circuit, the pair will be mounting a championship resurgence this weekend and will be ones to look out for as both drivers have proven on multiple occasions that they are capable of podium results. A smooth weekend is what the #88 car is looking for so they can maximize this round’s points haul and climb their way back up towards the top of the standings.

Practice for the seventh round of the GT Asia Series will begin on Friday, September 4th. Qualifying one will be held on Saturday, September 5th, 09:00-09:15, with qualifying two running from 09:25-09:40. The Sepang Three Hour will be held on Saturday afternoon; from 15:00-18:00 (local time GMT +8). Live streaming of the event will be available from the GT Asia Series YouTube page, https://www.youtube.com/user/afosTV.

“We are really happy to have Daniel Lloyd join #99 as he is a promising driver from the AMR Evolution Academy. He knows the car well and should be able to adapt quickly which is very important for the team as he joins us mid-season” said O'Young

“I think the Sepang Three Hours is going to be quite a decisive round in the championship. Any time you have a double points race it is something that is really important and we are going to have to do all the preparation we can to ensure we get a good result. The team is doing a big re-prep before the weekend and I think Daniel and I are ready for the challenge and we are going to try and move up to championship leader at the end of this race.”

'New boy' Daniel Lloyd said “I think the main focus this weekend is to get settled with the team as soon as possible and come away with some good strong points. For me it's just important to do a solid job, show my pace and keep out of trouble. I've heard great things about the GT Asia championship so I'm certainly not underestimating anything. On a more personal note I'm so excited for it; the circuit was awesome on the simulator so I can't wait to experience it in real life now!”

Source material - Craft Bamboo Racing

Craft Bamboo Racing last night confirmed that Daniel Lloyd will replace the injured Jonathan Venter in their #99 yellow and green VLT liveried car for the rest of the 2015 GT Asia Series.

As reported a couple of weeks ago the young Australian Aston Martin Racing Evolution Academy driver Venter picked up a significant hip injury whilst training, an injury that required would require surgery keeping him out of the car until the end of the year.


Having been released by Motorbase (Oman Racing) after the Spa24 Evolution Academy driver Daniel Lloyd has signed to compete in the last three races of the GT Asia campaign starting this weekend for a three hour endurance at the Sapang racetrack in Malaysia.

“I am over the moon about joining the team for the last three rounds. It will be my first time racing in Asia, so I'm really excited about the opportunity. I have been in a GT3 Aston all year so I'm used to the car, my goal is to show my pace as well as being consistent, and with the #99 currently leading the championship; this is the most important thing. The championship is certainly my number one priority and I am very excited to get out there and start racing with the team at Sepang" said Lloyd.

A challenging weekend for the Oman Racing Team during round six of the Avon Tyres British GT Championship ended on a low note for the Motorbase-run squad on its home circuit, Brands Hatch last weekend (August 1/2).

Heading into the two hour contest on the world famous Brands Hatch GP loop, the local Wrotham-based squad anticipated a tough race with fierce competition from the packed GT3 grid. However, a forced early retirement for the #2 Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 and contact for the #6 Vantage meant the team came away disappointed with a sixth place finish after positive start to the weekend.

Griffin and Al Harthy took the opening stints for Sunday’s race, starting in 5th and 8th positions on the grid respectively. Griffin made an excellent start in the #6 Vantage, working his way up into third place overall before handing over driving duties to Rory Butcher. Likewise, Al Harthy had comfortably moved up into fourth before contact with Minshaw’s BMW forced an early pit-stop to repair a puncture.

The Oman Racing Team was denied a podium finish in the world's toughest GT race when its Aston Martin Vantage GT3 was forced to retire with just three hours to run in the Total 24 hours of Spa (25/26 July).

The 67th running of the famous round-the-clock race at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium is an incredibly tough race and attracted a stellar entry of GT cars for round four of the Blancpain Endurance Series.