Silverstone Classic notes
It could be considered something of a disappointment that just five Aston Martin Racing cars entered this years Aston Martin Trophy for Masters Endurance Legends event that ran this year as part of the four day Silverstone Classic event?
Whilst the two races did attract the iconic Lola Aston Martin DBR1-2 of fully Masters Series racer Christophe D'Ansembourg again, a single Vantage GT2 and GT3 apiece together with a brace of Vantage GT4's in support, is hard to see how these cars detracted from the showcase that was the same event last year that featured a whole plethora of AMR vehicles across the ages.
None the less and credit where credit is due, without the likes of people like D'Ansembourg and Alex Lienau who bring there rolling stock over and racing it then we would have nothing to feast our eyes upon at these kind of events so that is always something to be applauded.
In the overall stakes, there was no return to a overall race win for the Lola DBR1-2 in the race this year although D'Ansembourg did claim a P3 podium in race 1 after finishing ten seconds behind the race winning Pescarolo LMP1 car whilst Lieau and BRDC Chairman John Grant finished the next highest of the AMR runners - 14th overall and 2nd in the INV class in their former Miedecke Motorsport V12 Vantage GT3 on Saturday.
These would be their highest positions of the weekend after Sundays race where no AMR runner finished higher than P11 overall but sometimes the reward is just racing these beauties very fast with other like minded people!
Photo credits - Masters Series / Lienau
Monday, July 29, 2019 |
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Lola AMR DBR1-2 - very much a winner at Spa
They say that local knowledge is as good as an extra few horsepower and that was certainly the case at Spa Francorchamps this weekend as local man Christophe D'Ansembourg powered his way to two Masters Series Endurance Legends race wins aboard his iconic Aston Martin Lola DBR1-2.
Having lost out to the pace of Steve Tandy's recently acquired Lola Mazda before, the Belgium claimed overall pole position for the first race yesterday by just over half a second. Shaun Lynn grabbed class honours in his former JMW G3 GT3 class Vantage GT2 with Colin Sowter a further three places back albeit some eight seconds behind that in his former JWA Vantage GT2. Nikolaus Ditting found himself totally outgunned in his AM DBR9 by the #29 Ferrari 550.
Race 1 into the dusk of Friday night was a lights to flag race win for D'Ansembourg and his Aston Martin Lola finishing ahead of Tandy by just over five seconds. Both Vantage GT2's suffered during the during the forty minute race to finish off the podium in P4 and P5 with Sowter also being a lap down to the class winners.
Starting from pole for Saturday's second and final race of the Spa 6Hr weekend was a much closer affair for D'Ansembourg, just managing to keep Tandy and the following Peugeot 908X behind to claim his second event win of the weekend by less than two seconds.
Dittings performance on track with his older DBR9 was compounded in this race with a 23 second penalty being awarded for speeding in the pit lane but at least for Lynn, he managed to improve from his P16 grid start position to claim second in class.
The grid will now reconvene for the Series last event of the season at Dijon, France in mid October.
Photo credits - Masters Historic
Saturday, September 15, 2018 |
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Classic Aston Martins back on track at the Spa 6Hr meeting
The Masters Endurance Legends Series returns to the circuit of its 'creation' last year as the expected twenty two car field reconvenes for its penultimate round of its inaugural season at Spa Francorchamps this weekend.
Four pedigree racing cars from the Aston Martin Racing stable again make the trip with last time out winners of race two of the Old Timers Grand Prix event from the Nurburgring, the Christophe D'Ansembourg Lola Aston Martin DBR1-2 competing on its home track and supported along the way by a DBR9 and two Vantage GT2's.
Shaun Lynn (father of Aston Martin Racing GTE driver Alex) pilots the former JMW Dunlop livered Vantage GT2 along with Colin Sowter again in the ex JWA Vantage GT2. Nikolaus Ditting completes the line up aboard his green DBR9.
The Endurance Legends Series will feature two 40 minute races over both Friday and Saturday.
Photo credits - Master Historic Legends / Steve Jackman / RL
Thursday, September 13, 2018 |
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Some jewels running at Silverstone Classic this weekend
For those looking for somewhere to go in the UK this weekend, it seems that amongst the thousand or so cars entered into the Silverstone Classic there will be a handful of Aston Martin Racing jewels.
With the full entry list being fragmented between various organising bodies it appears that there will be at least four runners in the Masters Endurance Legends races ranging between a GT1, two GT2's and a Lola DBR1-2.
Strakka Racing's Nick Leventis is due out aboard (presumably) his own #61 Aston Martin Racing DBR9 that he once shared with Darren Turner and Peter Hardman - the original creator of Strakka. Leventis will share the car this time with historic racing guru Sam Hancock.
In the GT2 class, Colin Sowter again competes aboard his former JWA European Le Mans Series entered car together with Tom Kimber-Smith and (possibly) Paul Whight abroad the latter's former Barwell prepared British GT entry
Rounding off the obvious Aston Martin Racing entries will be Christophe d'Ansembourg and his #008 Lola Aston Martin AMR 1-2.
All four cars are entered in Thursday's private test at the circuit ahead of the main events spread across both Saturday and Sunday and all of this doesn't event include any other car that may just happen to be around the paddock and display areas at the circuit!
Photo credits - British GT / ELMS
Wednesday, July 18, 2018 |
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