This weekend sees the penultimate race weekend of the World Racing League Series as their large, diverse grid battle two eight-hour races around the bumps of Sebring International Raceway.

With Friday testing already underway and our eyes and ears of CSJ Motorsport still pounding the beat within the paddock, we see that we have four Aston Martin Racing powered teams due to compete within the GTO class – three we already know but one is racing their AMR for the very first time.

 

The preliminary testing sessions of the GT New Zealand Series have already taken place as the series embarks upon its second round of their four-round season around the picturesque Hampton Downs racetrack, just south of Auckland on the North Island.

What’s better for us this time is that we now have TWO Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT8R’s to support as dirt track racer Joel Giddy and his Mach 1 Engineering team joins that of the full season Race Lab supported Stephen Harrison entry this time around.Whilst on the subject of New Zealand’s GT racing scene, it appears that we will not be seeing this former Tony Quinn owned Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT3 compete again any time soon as its present owner has listed it ‘for sale’ on Racecarsdirect.com.

Having been raced in last season’s North Island Endurance Series with drivers John Penny and Ronan Murphy, it appears that that relationship is now at an end and Penny is seeking to off-load his racing investment.

Full details can be found here at https://www.racecarsdirect.com/Advert/Details/134768/2019-aston-martin-vantage-gt3

 

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

 

Previously named the Super GT New Zealand Series, the now GT New Zealand Championship hits the tracks of that country again in mid-January 2023 with another expected grid of over thirty cars.

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.

Thinking that Aston Martin Racing’s customer team involvement in New Zealand was over at the end of their Super GT Series earlier this year, news from down under overnight has given us reason to tune in again over the next couple of months.

Having already been busy preparing and running the two AMR Vantage GT8R’s that they ran in the Super GT Series, the Race Lab team have just confirmed the running of their first AMR Vantage GT3 for the forthcoming Golden Homes North Island Endurance Series that starts at Pukekohe Park Raceway this weekend. 

 

As expected, the inaugural Super GT New Zealand Series went down to the final race of the year from the Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park yesterday to determine the overall GT4 Championship winner.

Going into the final round just twelve points behind the class leader, Stephen Harrison and his Race Lab prepared Aston Martin Vantage GT8R was the one most likely to challenge Nigel Cromie and his McLaren 570s although teammate although Shane Helms also has a slight chance with his Vantage GT8R.

Stephen Harrison is leaving no stone unturned as he challenges for the GT4 title at the fourth and final round of the Rodin Cars Super GT Series at Taupo next weekend.

 

Some great racing and some incredible weather were just two contributory factors that gave another successful and podium winning round of the Rodin Cars Super GT NZ for the two Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GT8R crews.

Points already gained at both Highlands Park and Mike Pero Motorsport Park had the RaceLab prepared GT8R of Stephen Harrison hold a slim lead of the GT4 Class going into this round and that was soon to be added to after Saturday’s first half hour race where the yellow #78 AMR took a P4 overall finish and importantly, a class win to add to his haul.

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.

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.

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

Twenty-seven cars have been finally confirmed for the opening round of New Zealand’s new for 2022, the Rodin Cars Super GT Series that kicks off at Highlands Park this weekend.

Created in addition to the GT series that already compete individually on both their North and South Island, the Super GT Series has been designed not to interfere with either of the more established race programmes as like the Asian Le Mans Series, it will conclude at its fourth and final round at the end of February.

Featuring amongst the declared Porsche Cup Class and GT4 cars only grid will be two Aston Martin GT8R cars ran by the Race Lab team for drivers Shane Helms in his gold and black liveried #77 car and Steve Harrison in his familiar bright yellow #78 car each photographed an an early GT race this month.

Without further confirmation, these rounds are proposed to run two half hour races over the weekend plus one one-hour race later on the Sunday.

With the Dubai 24hr now not running a Vantage GT8R class at their event this weekend, New Zealand remains the only place where you can watch these enhanced GT4 race cars actively compete.

Photo credits - SGTNZ