Aston Martin Racing aims to extend its phenomenal legacy of success in the British GT Championship as it joins forces with partner teams Beechdean AMR, Blackthorn Racing and the newly-created Forsetti Motorsport, to bring five brand new Vantage GT3 and GT4s to three classes during 2024.
Among the headline acts participating in this formidable line-up will be Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team® Head of F1 Academy and Driver Ambassador Jessica Hawkins, who makes her British GT Championship debut when the series begins at Oulton Park (29 March – 1 April). She joins six-time class champion Beechdean AMR alongside team owner and series veteran Andrew Howard as the duo make an assault on the Silver-Am class with a brand-new Aston Martin green Vantage GT3.
Hawkins, who tested an Aston Martin Formula 1® car in Hungary last year, is a W Series podium finisher and a race-winner in the TCR UK series. The 29-year-old was also one of several drivers entrusted with testing the new Vantage GT3 during its development over the winter.
“I’m very excited to be making my debut in the British GT Championship with Beechdean AMR,” said Hawkins. “The new Aston Martin Vantage GT3 is a beautiful racing car and is already proving in other series that it has the inherent performance to be a very serious contender. To be able to race this car while combining my duties with Aston Martin F1, is not only an excellent next step in my racing career but also a great opportunity to gain valuable experience as an endurance driver. Beechdean AMR is an excellent team with a great heritage. I can’t wait to get started.”
For Beechdean AMR, one of Aston Martin Racing’s most loyal partners, this season marks the 17th consecutive campaign with the British marque nationally or internationally. In that time, as well as becoming the first team to win a championship with Vantage (in 2013) - it has claimed titles with each generation of Aston Martin’s ultra-luxury sportscar thus far, seven in total, including the 2016 European Le Mans Series.
Blackthorn Racing makes its full-season debut in the BGT this season running two Aston Martin Vantage GT3s; one in the top Pro-Am class and the other in the Silver-Am class. British GT legend Adam will be joined by experienced Italian GT racer Giacomo Petrobelli who has previously raced Vantages twice in British GT appearances in recent years.
For works AMR driver Adam, this is a chance to challenge for an unprecedented fifth title in his 12th full season in the series since 2011. The Scot is tied for the overall race wins record with 19, but nobody else can claim four championship titles, all achieved with four different co-drivers and three different teams.
“I am really looking forward to joining Blackthorn Racing for this year’s British GT Championship and lining up with a very good FIA Bronze-rated driver in Giacomo Petrobelli,’ said Adam. “I believe with the new Aston Martin Vantage GT3 underneath us we have all the ingredients to challenge for race wins and push towards a championship assault. British GT is always super competitive but as a team we are excited by the potential of the package and Oulton Park can’t come soon enough!”
Another multiple Aston Martin champion, Matt Topham, will spearhead Blackthorn’s Silver-Am assault as the two-time British GT GT4 Pro-Am champion shares a Vantage GT3 with British rising star Josh Rowledge.
Forsetti Motorsport is one the newest teams to the Aston Martin Racing fold, having only formed last November. Nevertheless, it has ambitious targets, which include chasing two class titles with its brace of brand-new Aston Martin Vantage GT4s. Running in the GT4 Silver category machine will be GT4 class race winner Jamie Day and 16-year-old Mikey Porter while Marc Warren – a champion in various other GT series – and William Orton will challenge for the GT4 Pro-Am crown.
Adam Carter, Aston Martin Head of Endurance Motorsport said: “Aston Martin has won no less than 23 titles from various classes over its tenure in the British GT Championship. We look forward to seeing what success our new Vantage GT3 can bring to bear on this great heritage. Alongside Beechdean AMR, Aston Martin has been responsible for contributing to the careers of some great champions of the brand like Darren Turner, Jonny Adam, Ross Gunn and Jamie Chadwick. It’s therefore the perfect launch platform for Jessica Hawkins to begin her endurance racing career, and in Andrew Howard she has an experienced driver and team owner to draw vital knowledge from. Jonny’s attempt to win an unprecedented fifth title will be well assisted by Blackthorn Racing, and we could wish for no-one better to carry our hopes and the team’s through 2024. We would also like to welcome Forsetti Motorsport to the AMR family and wish the team every success with their impressive and ambitious GT4 programme this season.”
Since the British GT Championship was formed in 1993, Aston Martin has taken 59 overall class victories, while Vantage’s victory tally in its various iterations currently stands at 47. The championship begins at Oulton Park on 29 March – 1 April. It then visits Silverstone (26-28 April), Donington Park (23-26 May), Spa-Francorchamps (21-23 Junes), Snetterton (12-14 July), Donington Park (5-8 September), before finishing up at Brands Hatch on 28-29 September.
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Nissan Formula E Team is excited to announce a four-year global partnership with Petromin Corporation, a leading mobility solutions provider in the Middle East. The partnership will be primarily focused on the company’s EV charging subsidiary, Electromin, as the business looks ahead to a wider adoption of electric mobility in the region.
The Mercedes-AMG ONE has been the fastest production car on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife since October 2022 and has been unrivalled ever since. The only rival is the ONE itself. Now Mercedes AMG brand ambassador and DTM driver Maro Engel has once again significantly improved the lap time he set. With an officially measured and notarised time of 6:29.090 minutes for the 20.832-kilometre track, the hypercar with Formula 1™ technology beat its own record for production vehicles by over five seconds. This makes the Mercedes AMG ONE the first road car to beat the magic mark of 6:30 minutes. It is also the only series hybrid hypercar to date to have taken on the world's most demanding racetrack and is the undisputed leader in the super-sports-car class. In order to achieve the lofty goals they had set for themselves, meticulous preparation was necessary. In addition, the track conditions had to be ideal in order to beat the 6:30 minute target. On September 23, 2024, at 6:56 p.m., on his third timed lap, Maro Engel achieved the new record. With temperatures of 15 degrees Celsius (air) and 20 degrees Celsius (asphalt), the legendary Nordschleife was dry throughout and offered perfect grip.
Like Lewis Hamilton and George Russell on their Formula 1™ race weekends, Maro Engel also had to make the best possible use of the hybrid drive's electrical energy. This is particularly challenging, especially with a track length of more than 20 kilometres. Therefore, it is immensely important to use the right sections of the track to recuperate during braking phases and thus store energy in the batteries again.
To do this, Maro Engel utilised the AMG ONE's four-stage Energy Flow Control (EFC) system and in some cases deliberately took his foot off the accelerator a little earlier than he normally would. In technical jargon, this is known as “lift and coast”. Preliminary tests in the driving simulator in Affalterbach and on the Nordschleife itself provided the necessary insights, which the team and driver were able to optimally implement for the record lap. In accordance with the specifications of Nürburgring 1927 GmbH & Co KG, the vehicle was tested and documented by TÜV Rheinland to ensure that it was in standard condition. A notary confirmed that the record drive had been carried out correctly.
The new Aston Martin Vantage GT3 heads into this weekend’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (IMSA) finale – the Petit Le Mans 10-hour race at Road Atlanta – deep in the hunt for its first major title.
The new Aston Martin Vantage GT3 has enjoyed a stellar debut season of international competition. The car recorded a historic victory in the centenary edition of the Crowdstrike 24 Hours of Spa in June, a first for the British ultraluxury sportscar brand in the modern GT era. It also achieved Aston Martin’s first ever Autobacs Super GT class victory in Japan in the same month. As well as this, Vantage has clinched class wins in the FIA World Endurance Championship, IMSA, the Nürburgring Langstrecken Series and ADAC GT Masters through the summer.
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