Jonny Adam staying focussed ahead of British GT finale

The final round of the Avon Tyres British GT Championship 2013 will take place at Donington Park next weekend (October 5/6), but despite being one of the main protagonists in the title showdown Beechdean Aston Martin Racing’s Jonny Adam says he's approaching one of the biggest events in his career the same way he goes into every race - and is not feeling the pressure.

"There’s a bit more expectation from other people, but you need to keep your head screwed on and treat it as just another race. We’ll approach it as we do every event and look to perform at our very best," explains the Camberley-based Fifer.

“I’ve been in British GT since 2011 and it has got stronger and stronger every season, it’s a hugely competitive field in both the Pro and Am driver categories. It’s difficult to win races, that's why the championship is so close between the top 10 drivers going into Donington.

“If you look at last year it was the team who were lying fifth going into the last round that took the title, so that just shows you anything can happen.”

Team-mate Andrew Howard currently heads the championship battle by just half a point after six race weekends, but with ten drivers in contention for the overall British GT title and double points on offer at the final round the Beechdean squad has left no stone unturned in its preparations for Donington.

Adam believes a full test day at the Leicestershire venue this week proved invaluable in helping the team dial themselves in for the two hour endurance race around the 4.023km GP circuit.

“With such a hectic schedule earlier in the season we didn’t get a chance to do much testing, but it was perfect timing being able to put in some extra work to set us up for the final round.

“It was a really productive day with a good amount of running. We had a long list of things we wanted to try and work through, and we managed to tick a lot of boxes.

“The weather was decent which allowed us consistent conditions to work within, and as well as looking specifically at possible setups for Donington we made some really good progress on the balance of the car in other areas too.

“We are quietly confident the V12 Vantage GT3 will be strong again next weekend, Andrew is driving really well right now and put in some great times, so it was a constructive outing all round and we feel like we’re in good shape overall.”

With Aston Martin celebrating its centenary year there would be no better time for Adam as one of its factory drivers to help add another title to the marque’s legendary racing history, especially as it could be the first time an Aston Martin driver wins the British GT Championship.

“We’ll have a huge number of guests coming to enjoy Beechdean’s famous hospitality on the Sunday, and the race is live on TV, so we really want to put on a show for everyone that’s supported us.

“There’s an added bit of spice from a Scottish point of view too, as I’m carrying the Border Reivers name this year and going up against long-time rivals Ecurie Ecosse, who are also in with a shout of taking the title. 

“At the end of the day it’s all to play for and is a huge opportunity for myself, Andrew and the whole Beechdean team to put a marker down and add a major stamp to our CVs, so we’ll work as hard as we can to make it happen.”

The final round of the 2013 Avon Tyres British GT Championship season will be shown live on leading digital sports TV network, Motors TV, and is scheduled to begin at 13:15 BST on Sunday October 6.

(Jonathan Adam Racing)

Horsepower Racing maximises points haul in tumultuous Silverstone 1000km

The SV-led Horsepower Racing (HPR) team overcame trials and tribulations to take maximum points from the headlining Britcar Silverstone 1000km endurance race (22 September).

A problematic outing at Silverstone culminated in a determined display, with HPR’s trio of drivers – Paul Bailey, Andy Schulz and SV Team Manager Tom Ferrier – finishing second overall, first in Class 1 and recording the fastest lap of the race.

Its weekend in Northamptonshire didn’t get off to the most positive of starts, as an engine failure heavily curtailed its free practice running on Friday.

However, with a replacement V12 powertrain on-board, the stunning Horsepower Racing Aston Martin Vantage made a resplendent return to Silverstone’s 3.66mile Grand Prix circuit during the two 45-minute warm up sessions on Saturday morning.

The team had a limited window to optimise its setup as a result and was hurt by the lack of Friday running; the drivers consistently struggled with low grip and high tyre-wear on the abrasive Silverstone track.

A bumper grid of cars took to the Northamptonshire-based venue for the headline race of the 2013 Britcar calendar – the Silverstone 1000k.

High-powered GT machines from the British Endurance Championship – including a healthy invitational entry – shared the tarmac with runners from the British Production Cup Championship.

Schulz was the first to take control of the HPR Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 for an elongated opening stint.

He lost track position to the Wessex-run Riley at Copse corner on lap two, before moving back up to fourth place at the expense of Neil Garner Motorsport’s Mosler MT900R.

Schulz ran fourth for the most part, although a solid and consistent opening stint lasting 75 minutes and a courageous in-lap on heavily worn rubber propelled the team to second place as it made its first driver change.

Bailey narrowed the gap to the leading invitational Barwell/Mp Motorsport Aston Martin entry during his stint; a brief Safety Car intervention on lap 49 delayed the Mark Lemmer-led team on its in-lap to the pits for its second stop of the afternoon.

Despite having not raced in over two years and only completing 13 laps during Saturday’s warm ups, SV Team Manager Tom Ferrier picked up the baton from Bailey in fine style.

During his first 45-minute stint, he lapped consistently quicker than HPR’s chief rivals with the six-hour endurance race reaching half-distance. 

As a result of a valiant effort from all three drivers, HPR led its class, held the fastest lap and was also emerging as a threat for the outright race victory.

That is until a spin and a collision with the barriers at the Maggots-Becketts complex during Bailey’s second stint resulted in damage to the car’s front splitter.

Bailey, bitterly disappointed, recovered to the track and wrestled the ill-handling Aston Martin until the scheduled driver change on lap 98.

The pace dropped off dramatically thereafter, preventing the team from mounting a stern challenge for the lead and demoting it to second in class behind the Neil Garner Motorsport-prepared Mosler.

A courageous final stint from Ferrier while battling excessive understeer through Silverstone’s fast corners – of which there are many – and a late unscheduled pit-stop for HPR’s Class 1 competitors, brought the team back into contention for the class victory.

After the final stops had played out, the London-based outfit emerged in second overall and as the Class 1 leaders, an immaculate run to the flag from Schulz ensuring Horsepower Racing took a maximum points score from the Silverstone 1000km.

“I’m so relieved to take such a positive result from this race,” said Bailey. “The weekend began with an engine change after completing a single lap in Friday practice – Aston Martin came to our rescue by giving us a replacement unit, so we’re really grateful to them – and then I span during my second stint in the race. I was bitterly disappointed with myself because I thought I had destroyed our race and championship, but we persisted and came out with the best result we could have hoped for today. To get maximum points with a diminished gap to Team Parker Racing in the standings is fantastic.”

Schulz added: “We had a good run early on and I ended my first stint in a strong position, despite suffering with a lack of grip; we lost a lot of time on Friday due to the engine change and we had to take a flyer with the setup. We had a small slip-up in the race, but it’s a long one and those things happen. We all got stuck in, pulled it back and got to the end with zero front-end grip. We should be really happy with what we’ve achieved today!”

SV Team Manager, Tom Ferrier, concluded: “This was my first race in a long time and I thoroughly enjoyed it, despite having man flu. My last stint without the splitter was hard work, as we had massive understeer through the fast turns. The aim was to stay consistent, which is exactly what we did, and I’m pleased to win the class and finish second overall. It’s a pretty good result and the team worked incredibly well when absolutely everything was thrown at them.”

With Team Parker Racing taking top honours in Class 2, it holds a slightly reduced lead over the SV-led Horsepower Racing team in the overall Britcar MSA British Endurance Championship standings, with only two races remaining at Donington Park (2nd November) and Brands Hatch (23rd November).

By Bam Promo / Scuderia Vittoria / Horsepower Racing

Horsepower Racing expects toughest challenge yet in Silverstone 1000k

Horsepower Racing’s Paul Bailey and Andy Schulz will be joined by SV Team Manager Tom Ferrier for the Britcar Silverstone 1000k endurance race (20-22 September), which will be the team's toughest challenge to date.

The SV-led outfit has a slender three-point deficit to Team Parker in the Britcar MSA British Endurance Championship standings. Victory slipped from the team’s grasp when, in a cruel twist of fate, it was struck by a mechanical fault in the final moments of Brands Hatch’s three-hour enduro in July.

A bumper grid of cars is expected to take to the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit for the biggest race on the 2013 Britcar calendar. High-powered GT machines from the British Endurance Championship – including a healthy invitational entry – will share the 3.66mile track with competitors from the sister British Production Cup Championship.

Therefore, one of the primary challenges for the Bailey-Schulz-Ferrier driver trio will be slotting the potent Horsepower Racing Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 between slower-moving traffic, during their elongated stints.

“This is the biggest race of my career so far by a massive margin and the amount of seat time we will each be expected to do will be far greater than any other race I’ve ever done,” said Bailey. “Silverstone is the top circuit in the UK – one of the best in Europe – and Horsepower Racing has had great success there in the past.

“We’ve come a long way with the Aston Martin since the start of the year and there’s still a lot of scope for improvement in terms of setup. There are other teams with far more experience of the car and that makes a big difference. Our chief objective will be to finish the race at the top of our class and bolster our championship position. It’s fantastic having Tom (Ferrier) aboard. He might be a bit rusty to begin with, but I have full confidence that he will be an excellent addition to the driver line-up.”

The level of competition will be much higher than in previous rounds, with an eclectic array of machinery entered for the race, including at least three Aston Martin GT3s.

Both Bailey and regular team-mate Schulz have worked hard to hone their race craft this season, but state that lapping Silverstone safely without losing time in traffic will be a big ask.

Schulz, who partook in a track day at Silverstone on Wednesday (18 September) in preparation for his Britcar outing at the Northamptonshire venue, said: “I think Sunday’s race is going to be mainly about reliability, although it’ll be interesting to see how we face it, i.e. whether we can think of a strategy to win the race or one that simply gets us to the end. The difference in closing speeds to the Production Cup runners is my main concern. The circuit is quite wide and there’s a lot of space to pass, but it will be quite easy to get wrong-footed. I’ll just use some discretion and be more patient than I normally would be in a shorter race to ensure that we finish.

“Achieving points for winning our class or winning the race outright would be fantastic, but I just hope our bad luck is out of the way after the disappointment of Brands Hatch.”

For SV Team Manager, Tom Ferrier, this will his first competitive outing for over two years and he’s looking forward to “blowing off the cobwebs” at Silverstone.

“I’m very thankful for the opportunity and it’ll be good to blow off the cobwebs," said Ferrier. "I can’t even remember the last time I raced so it’ll take a few laps to get back up to speed, I’m sure.

“We’re still mulling over strategy. The length of the stints will primarily be dictated by fuel use so we’ll know how long they’ll be once we’ve been testing. Winning our class is usually the aim, but there will be a lot of traffic to negotiate and, generally, getting to the finish is the main exercise in the Silverstone 1000k. Anything other than that would be a bonus."

He added: “I shall remove myself from my usual Team Manager duties as much as possible and try to remember what it’s like to be a racing driver again. It’ll be hot work in the car so I’ve been in the sauna a lot this week to acclimatise to the conditions I'll face. I just know I’ll get the racing bug back on Sunday – I’ll want to go back to doing it week in, week out!”

The Horsepower Racing team will take to the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit for the start of the Britcar Silverstone 1000k at 12.00 on Sunday 22 September.

Great effort unrewarded for Aston GT3 team at Barcelona 24 Hours

Last weekend Mark Poole’s Aston Martin Vantage GT3 was back in action, contesting its first 24 Hour race around the Barcelona Grand Prix track. No stone had been left unturned in our preparation and build up for this event, and joining Mark and regular driving partner Richard Abra aboard the Vantage were none other AMR factory pilots, Stefan Mücke and Bruno Senna. 

From the point that we started the pre-event testing on Wednesday, through Thursday’s test, Friday practice and official qualifying, and then during the first 50 minutes of the race, everything could not have gone better. The car had ran faultlessly and was extremely fast, the Barwell crew had their race strategy and pit stop practice absolutely nailed, all the drivers had got plenty of mileage in the car and were quick. Stefan then secured pole position, made a perfect start to the race and was pulling away from the rest of the pack at such a rate that he would have been nearly a whole lap ahead after the first hour mark....

...But then ‘Lady Luck’ simply deserted us. Just after 50 minutes the car suffered the extremely unusual issue of a left rear wheel retention failure and the wheel became detached, leaving Stefan stranded at the side of the track. There were no other issues with the car but unfortunately it somehow took the marshals 45 minutes to recover the car back to our pits garage, where the crew took just five minutes to send it back out again. However by this stage we were 17 laps behind the race-leading Porsche, having dropped from first to 52nd place overall, and it was a case of pushing on to recover the lost ground! Up until just before the nine hour mark, this plan was working well and such was our pace that we had clawed our way back up to fifth place overall and gained four laps on the leader and 10 laps on the second-placed Mercedes!

So just when we were getting ourselves right back in the game and knuckling down to make even bigger inroads on the leaders during the night...a wheel weight ejected from another car was lying on the circuit and got flicked up into the front of the MP Motorsport-backed Aston, went through the protective mesh and put a big hole in the radiator. To replace the radiator (which is fully embedded) is a major job and cost us another hour of precious track time. With the leading Porsche and second Mercedes suffering no problems during the first half of the race, the result was that at the 12-hour mark we were back down to 27th overall, 41 laps behind the leader and 33 laps down on the Merc. We pressed on with our second fightback with the same vigour, but were hindered again in our night-time quest when we suffered an identical left rear wheel retention failure. On this occasion we got the car back to the pits, but the failure had caused more mechanical damage than before, and more vital laps were lost in the garage.

Then in the 17th hour disaster struck as Stefan was tagged in the left rear corner by a backmarker as he drove past it on the pits straight at 140mph. He was then a passenger as the car was turned sharp left and hit the retaining wall at only slightly unabated speed. The car was severely damaged in the incident, and Stefan unfortunately sustained some injuries which (although not serious) put him in hospital for a few days afterwards.

It was a terrible and extremely unjust way for such a great performance by all the drivers and team to have ended, although all of us can take heart from the fact that we had been fully on course to secure a top result but ultimately we were thwarted by forces outside of our control.

Barwell Motorsport / MP Motorsport

Weekend Review 7 & 8 September

It has been a busy weekend for the V12 Vantage GT3 crews all around the world. A total of eight V12 Vantage GT3 chassis competed in Asia, Europe and North-America.

24 hours of Barcelona - It has been a tough weekend for the MP/Barwell Motorsport crew. On Friday during qualifying Stefan Mücke posted the fastest lap in the final minute of the session, with the black-red V12 Vantage GT3, and therefore giving the team the Pole-Position for the 24-hours race.

The race started well for the MP/Barwell outfit. With Mücke behind the wheel the car almost had a lap advantage on the entire field after 50 minutes. But then the troubles started. Mücke lost one of the cars its rear wheels. With the car being brought back to the pits to repair the damage, the team returned to the track with 17 laps behind the leader and in P.54.

After a lot of hours of pushing from drivers Mark Poole, Bruno Senna, Richard Abra and Stefan Mücke the car was back in fifth position. During the evening the car again hit troubles. Bruno Senna brought the car back in the pits. This time the car had a hole in its radiator. The team worked hard to fix it and the car was back out in an hour.

But during the morning hours, at around 04:20, a couple of cars touched on the main straight. Norbert Pauels (No. 12 Porsche) and Stefan Mücke crashed hard together into the outside wall on the main straight. The Porsche came to a sudden halt while MP/Barwell Aston continued down for some distance, spinning and with heavy damage. It was so severe that part of the engine was protruding outside the frame. Mücke was brought to the hospital for check-ups and is o.k.

This was definitely not the result the team deserved after being the fastest car all weekend. Next year another chance.

GT Open at Spa - Strong weekend for Aston Martin GPR with two podiums. GPR returned this weekend in the International GT Open championship after the Paul Ricard round earlier this year. In the first qualifying session Enzo Ide posted the eleventh fastest time overall, and P7 in class. Maxime Soulet posted in the second qualifying session the fourth fastest time, what was good enough for second in class.

In race 1 Enzo Ide started the yellow-white GPR machine. Ide and Soulet climbed up the order during the race to finish fifth overall and third in the GTS class. The second race was a bit more chaotic. The track was still wet during the start, but the GPR Aston with Maxime Soulet starting it, was on slick tyres. In the first corner Soulet got hit by another competitor and spun. With the track drying the Aston climbed quickly up the order to third when the pit window opened. The car had to stay for a long time in the pit, because of the penalty seconds the car received after the good results in the previous races. Eventually Enzo Ide brought the car back home in third overall and second in class.

Ide/Soulet are now fifth (34 points) in the GTS (GT3) standing after only competed in two of the six weekends. They are only 8 points behind the leader. The GPR team is hoping to continue in the championship with two weekends left at Monza and Barcelona.

BRCC at Spa - Besides the GT Open the Aston Martin GPR team also raced in the BRCC 600 km of Spa race. Where there was only one Vantage of the team in GT Open, in the BRCC race the team entered two V12 Vantage GT3 cars. During the race the GPR machines dominated. And besides having to stop about 4 minutes more than the older GT3 cars (regulations) the team finished in a 1-2 finish.

In the last lap the #9 art car from Grivignee/Schmetz had a 30 seconds lead, but waited for the #100 (Verbergt/Dupont/Redant) to give them the victory. Pierre Grivegnée explains: “Tim, Damien and Bert can still win the title. We, Micheal and I don't have that chance anymore. So it's logical to give the victory to the #100.”

Tim Verbergt (winner #100): “Michael and Pierre drove a superb race today. We lost some time when Bert Redant used the full pit lane to come into the pit, instead of using only the endurance part of the pits. I think we all know how important this win is for the final race of the championship in a few weeks.”

British GT at Zandvoort - Beechdean AMR keeps championship lead.

After a bad first qualifying session the Beechdean AMR team had to start from 19th. After winning the endurance race at Brands-Hatch the team also had to make a longer stop. Eventually Howard and Adam finished on P11, just outside the points. For race two the team had qualified in fifth. Adam started the car and shuffled some places. After the mandatory pit stop Howard rejoined in sixth place and managed to overtake two spots and finish in fourth place. With this result having a 0,5 point championship lead, and more importent no penalty second for the pit stop in the final race that will take in a few weeks time at Donington.

PGF-Kinfaun AMR scored two point finished at Zandvoort. After qualifying in fifth, for race 1, and thirteenth for race 2, Dryburgh and Gaw took solid points. In race one they just finished outside the podium on fourth place and in race two they became eighth.

Grand-Am at Laguna Seca - Solid debut for Grand-Am spec Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3. Darren Turner and Brandon Davis. After starting in tenth, Turner and Davis also finished in the tenth spot. The car still needs some more speed, as its competitors were about 0,5 - 1 second faster a lap. But with an all new car and less experience with the tyres the Grand-Am spec car looks very promising.

Super GT at Fuji - Unlucky weekend for Arnage Racing. Problems started early in practice when the left front tyre burst, causing damage to the front end of the car and splitter. So with almost no practice and a damaged car the team started the qualifying, resulted in a seventeenth starting spot. In the race the orange Exe V12 Vantage GT3 finished in 18th.

TRG-AMR unveils V12 Vantage GT3 for Grand-Am debut

(PETALUMA, CA – September 6) After a historic win two weeks ago at Sonoma Raceway with the Aston Martin Vantage GT4, TRG-AMR North America makes its Grand-Am Rolex debut with the V12 Vantage GT3 this weekend at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

After eight months in the planning, the time has come for TRG-AMR to launch the amazing Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 racecar and no better place than at its home track at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The teams from the U.S. and U.K. have been preparing for this monumental event. The unveiling of the new race car in U.S. endurance racing should mark an important moment in history of Aston Martin Racing here in North America.

Driving the inaugural event of the GT3 will be Aston Martin Racing factory driver Darren Turner and Sonoma race winner Brandon Davis.  Turner comes to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca fresh off a second place at the WEC event in Brazil last week.  He is the current championship point leader in the FIA World Endurance Cup.  Turner has been a long-time factory team member, and his accomplishments include 2007 and 2008 GT1 victories in the 24 Hours of Le Mans driving the Aston Martin DB9.

Davis comes off Aston Martin Racing’s inaugural North American win this season for TRG-AMR driving the Vantage GT4 at Sonoma Raceway.  He has a long association with TRG racing a variety of cars.  Earlier this year, Davis piloted TRG-AMR’s GT4 run at the Long Beach Grand Prix and has a long and successful history in professional sports car racing.

Highlighting the team’s first Grand-Am Rolex event are several important corporate partners.PayPal and Hewlett-Package (HP) have come on board for the race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

ACS returns to the TRG-AMR North America team after the teams’ win in Sonoma.  The partnership connects three progressive Silicon Valley-based companies to this inaugural endeavor and highlights the value of sports car racing and what the future will hold with the new United SportsCar Racing Series.

Houston based Royal Purple has also come onboard as a partner for this weekend and for the upcoming Lime Rock Grand-Am Rolex round. Royal Purple is an American manufacturer that produces lubricants for automotive, industrial, marine, motorcycle and racing use.

In addition to the above partnerships for the weekend, Aston Martin Los Gatos/Los Gatos Luxury Cars will be a big part of the weekend as the dealer/partner for this race.  They are the dealer of choice for Aston Martin, Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini and Lotus in the San Francisco Bay Area.  They will be at the track during the week and supporting the team with a beautiful new Aston Martin Vanquish streetcar on display.

The Grand-Am Rolex race airs Sunday, September 8 at 5:00 p.m. ET/2:00 p.m. PT on Fox Sports 1.

Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series President and CEO Ed Bennett:

“The introduction of the Aston Martin GT3 to our series is certainly something we’ve been looking forward to with great anticipation.  I know Kevin has worked very hard this year to bring something special to the paddock, and it certainly appears as if he’s succeeded.  Having great partners like PayPal, HP, ACS, and Royal Purple indicates that sports car racing is really catching the attention of the corporate world as well.”

TRG-AMR CEO Kevin Buckler on Laguna Seca:

“What an incredible moment this is!  To debut this Aston Martin racing program in one of the world’s elite sports car series with the new V12 Vantage GT3 is one of the benchmarks that we have been building toward.

“The GT3 is an incredible race car and has been built specifically to race here in the Grand-Am series.  With one of Aston Martin’s most decorated and successful drivers on our team along with a talented champion like Brandon, we believe we can really be strong for this opening weekend. The team has been testing and all of the guys have been working so hard to be ready.

“We are absolutely thrilled with the corporate partnership and support that we are getting from PayPal, HP, ACS, and Royal Purple, and our local Aston Martin dealer.  This speaks volumes not only to the legacy this team has created but more importantly to the marketing and business platform that sportscar racing has now opened for corporate America.  I’m a huge fan of the new United SportsCar Racing Series and where professional sports car racing is headed in North America.  This is a great testament to all of that and only the beginning.”

Darren Turner about the Aston Martin race program:

“I’ve been fortunate to have raced for Aston Martin for many years all over the world.  AMR builds great race cars, and I am more than thrilled that I will have the chance to make history here in North America with the GT3’s first run in the Grand-Am Rolex Series.

“Kevin has always run a first rate operation, one based on attention to details that has produced some great results over the years.  And I look forward to racing with Brandon as well.  He’s certainly had some success in the Astons, and we will be a great team!!”

Brandon Davis about racing with TRG-AMR:

“TRG-AMR has provided a great opportunity for me this year to drive these amazing Aston Martin race cars.  From Long Beach early in the year to Sonoma a few weeks ago, I must say that I really love racing these cars.  Not only are they easy to drive but they are fast and always competitive.  I feel like I have a chance to win every time I get behind the wheel.

“I look forward to driving the GT3 for the first time, and being with Darren, one of Aston’s all-time great factory drivers, will be a great experience for me.

“I’m also excited to have support from ACS again.  We had a great weekend winning in Sonoma!  With the addition of HP and PayPal we hope to repeat the success!”

TRG-AMR

Weekend Preview: 7 & 8 September

A lot of action this weekend for the Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 cars. Not only in Europe the British made cars will fight for glory, but also in Asia and North-America. 

24 hours of Barcelona - MP Motorsport (by Barwell) will compete in Barcelona. The regular drivers Mark Poole and Richard Abra will be joined by factory drivers Bruno Senna and Stefan Mücke. With this driver line-up and the V12 Vantage GT3, the team will be for sure one of the favourites to fight for the victory. The race will start at 12 o'clock midday local time and the action can be followed on this website: http://live.24hseries.com/

BRCC at Spa - The Belgian endurance championship continues at Spa for the fifth round of the championship. After three consecutive wins in the last three rounds, the GPR Racing - AMR team will again look for glory in the 600km of Spa race. This time there will not be one V12 Vantage GT3, but two. The first car will be driven by Tim Verbergt, Damien Dupont and Bert Redant. The second Vantage will be driven by Pierre Grivegnee and Michaël Schmetz. Schmetz and Grivignee previously drove a DBRS9 in the BRCC championship. There will be live-timing available here: http://www.ris-timing.be

Internation GT Open at Spa - Besides the BRCC, the GT Open will also be racing at Spa. GPR Racing - AMR will also enter one of it's two V12 Vantage GT3 in both GT Open races for drivers Maxime Soulet and Enzo Ide. The last time Ide/Soulet drove the Vantage was at the first weekend on the Paul Ricard circuit. Ide and Soulet took one overall victory with the GPR Vantage and one second place overall (1st in class). The two races will be live streamed on the GT Open website: http://www.gtopen.net/

British GT at Zandvoort - The British GT championship is heading to the dunes in Zandvoort for the championship's annuel overseas round. There will be two V12 Vantage GT3 on the grid. One for championship leaders Jonny Adam and Andrew Howard in the #007 Beechdean Motorsport machine. Howard and Adam are looking for some good results to defend their championship lead. The second Vantage will be for Phil Dryburgh and John Gaw. They will be sharing the #6 PGF Kinfaun - AMR car. Live Timing can be followed on this page: http://www.raceresults.nu/en-us/livetiming.aspx

Super GT at Fuji - Arnage Racing will be racing at the Fuji circuit this weekend for round 6 of the Super GT championship. Masaki Kano and Hideto Yasuoka will be driving the #50 Exe V12 Vantage GT3. They made a lot of progress the last couple of races. At Suzuka the team qualified in third position. Despite problems with the engine (only drove on 11 cylinders) the team still managed to finish in eigth position.

Grand-Am at Laguna Seca - This weekend will mark the debut of the Grand-Am spec Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3. The Grand-Am series will be racing this weekend at the Laguna Seca circuit. TRG-AMR enters the #66 with drivers Brandon Davis and factory driver Darren Turner. Live timing and scoring will be available during the event on http://www.grand-am.com

GT Open: GPR Racing - AMR returns to thrill Belgian fans at Spa

Belgian fans will have local heroes to cheer this weekend at Spa-Francorchamps. The GPR Racing Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3, which shone at the opening round at the Ricard, is back for its home round (7-8 September), with the same top-level driver line-up composed of Enzo Ide and Maxime Soulet. Pino Sperlinga confirmed: “We are going to race at Spa and possibly in all remaining rounds, in view of a full 2014 GT Open campaign”

The last time the GPR Racing competed in the GT Open was during the first round at Paul Ricard where Ide/Soulet finished 1st (race 1) and 2nd overall(race 2, 1st in GTS).

(International GT Open)

Barwell to contest Barcelona 24 Hours with Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3

This September Barwell Motorsport will be adding a new 24 hour race to its roster of round-the-clock endurance events, which have included the Spa, Nurburgring, Silverstone and Dubai classics. The Surrey-based outfit will be contesting the burgeoning Barcelona 24 hour race at the Circuit de Catalunya with the stunning Mark Poole-owned Aston Martin Vantage GT3.

The black and red MP Motorsport-backed Aston has been campaigned in several arenas already this season by Mark and regular driving partner, Richard Abra, including the British GT Championship and Blancpain Endurance Series, where it claimed a superb 2nd place in Pro-Am in the Silverstone 3 Hours. For the Barcelona event the team is targeting an outright victory, and is delighted to announce that Mark and Richard will be joined by Aston Martin Racing factory drivers, Bruno Senna and Stefan Mücke in their quest for glory.

In addition to the team’s extensive 24 hour experience, Poole and Abra are no strangers to success in this racing format, having claimed outright victory in last year’s Silverstone 24 Hours aboard a BMW M3 GTR. There is no doubt, however, that Barcelona will be a tough nut to crack as this year there is a good quality entry of GT3 cars vying for overall honours, and it will be a hard test of endurance for the car and drivers alike in the Spanish heat.

Mark Lemmer, Barwell Team Principal: “It’s fantastic that Mark has taken the bold step of entering his beautiful Aston for this event, during what is basically a learning year at GT3 level for both him and Richard. They have achieved international success at this level already this season, however, and with the excellent support we are getting from Aston Martin Racing for Barcelona there is no doubt that we are in with a shout of a very strong result.”

John Gaw, Aston Martin Racing MD: “The Barcelona 24 hour race is growing in importance and stature and this year I am sure it will take another significant step forward. With Mark and Richard already previous 24 hour race winners and Barwell one of our most experienced teams running this entry, we are delighted that we can fly Bruno and Stefan straight from the WEC round in Brazil and add them to the team. Stefan is leading GT Asia in the Craft Aston GT3 in addition to his WEC campaign with AMR, and Bruno has settled in incredibly well to the team and the Vantage GTE in WEC and I am sure will do the same in the Vantage GT3, and will no doubt be as much fun to be around as he is in the factory team paddock. AMR wish Barwell, Mark and Richard well in this venture and hope for a clean run in the 24 hours and a strong result”

Richard Abra: “I love 24 Hour racing so I’m really looking forward to this! We have a great car and team backed up with strong support from Aston Martin Racing, so we have every chance of repeating some of the success Mark and I enjoyed at the Silverstone 24 hours last year. The grid looks big so staying out of trouble will be key and I’m really excited about driving with Bruno and Stefan!”

Bruno Senna: “Barcelona will be the third 24 Hour race of my season after Le Mans and Spa, and although I haven’t driven the GT3 Aston yet I am looking forward to a competitive weekend there. These races are real endurance events for the cars and so the first job is to finish, and with a huge variety of cars on the grid it will be an extremely busy track! I have had a lot of success in Aston Martins this season, so will hopefully be able to add to that in Barcelona...”

(Barwell Motorsport)