Aston Martin is to introduce a new generation of GT3 and GT4 cars to customer teams in 2019 that will be based on the next-generation Vantage road car and the GTE racer.

The two new cars, designed and built at Aston Martin Racing’s headquarters in Banbury, UK, will replace the V12 Vantage GT3 and V8 Vantage GT4, currently raced by customer teams around the world.

In total, 42 V12 Vantage GT3s were built and of those 37 were sold. The car’s roll of honor includes three British GT Championships, the 2017 Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup ProAM title and the Blancpain GT Series Asia. The GT4, of which 124 were built, has a similar pedigree with two British GT Championship wins and the North European GT4 ProAm title in 2016.

Both the new Vantage GT3 and GT4 will feature race-modified versions of the 4.0-liter V8 twin-turbocharged engine used in Aston Martin’s next-generation sports car. Moreover, the Vantage GT3 will draw heavily on the design logic used in the development of the Vantage GTE, which was put together in tandem with the road car over the past 18 months.

The Vantage GT3 and GT4 will be homologated for racing from March 1, 2019, and Aston Martin Racing is already taking orders for the cars.

Aston Martin Racing managing director John Gaw said, “We are very proud of the heritage we have established as a leading supplier of customer GT cars, with customers racing our cars all around the world. We told the clients who first purchased our GT3 cars seven years ago, that they would be buying a car that would be capable of winning races for years to come.

“This year we have already proved that with the Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3’s successes in the British GT Championship. That longevity is something that separates us from other manufacturers. I expect the new GT3 and GT4 to be just as competitive as the cars they are replacing and to remain so for a similar period of time.”

David King, president at Aston Martin Racing, added, “In motorsport the qualities you’re most striving for are a competitive edge, drivability and the durability to deliver upon it. We’ve been able to deliver this to our customers for more than a decade with our Vantage GT4 and more recently with the V12 Vantage GT3.

“In the new Vantage GT3 and GT4, we intend to build on those attributes as well as continuing to deliver the best-looking cars in the paddock.”

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McLaren Automotive has reinforced its commitment to racing in the British GT Championship in 2018, the continued relationship will see a Sports Series model as the safety car at each of the seven race weekends.

McLaren will also have a strong presence throughout the grid with four customer teams entering a total of seven cars across the GT3 and GT4 classes, including the PMW Expo Racing GT4 entry with 2016 GT4 champions Graham Johnson and Mike Robinson at the wheel.

A two-car entry by customer team Balfe Motorsport will represent McLaren across both the GT4 and GT3 categories. Balfe Motorsport announced its collaboration with PMW Expo Racing earlier in the year (January) and 2018 will see the team make its debut in the series. Johnson and Robinson will once again run the 570S GT4.

Meanwhile team owners Shaun Balfe and Rob Bell have moved to the British GT Championship off the back of securing the International GT Open Pro-Am title, and will campaign the 650S GT3, hoping to repeat their success.

The latest team to confirm entry is GT4 European Series regular Equipe Verschuur. The Dutch team has added British GT to its 2018 season plans and will make its series debut with Dan McKay alongside Finlay Hutchison. This marks a return to the British GT grid for McKay with a McLaren, having raced a 570S GT4 last season, while Hutchison was one of the rising stars of the GT4 European Series in 2017.

With McLaren supplying the safety car to the SRO-run series for the last two years, as in previous seasons, the continued support will see a range of models from the McLaren Sports Series leading the field and coordinating on-track safety throughout the season.

“We are really pleased to confirm the extension to the partnership with McLaren Automotive, which will see a Sports Series model fulfilling our important safety car duties for a third season,” commented British GT Championship manager Benjamin Franassovici.

“In addition to choosing the British GT Championship to showcase the latest road car offerings, it’s great to see McLaren so well represented on the grid, in both the GT3 and GT4 classes, with some familiar customer teams along with some exciting new faces who look ready for the challenge. This year is shaping up to be one of the most competitive in the history of the series, and it is really exciting to have so many brands involved.”

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The opening round of this year’s Intercontinental GT Challenge – billed as ‘the only intercontinental series for the world’s top GT drivers, with Pirelli as exclusive tire supplier’ – gets underway this weekend at the famous Bathurst 12 Hours in Australia.

The Mount Panorama track is one of the most epic on the planet, with several changes in elevation and some truly demanding corners. Pirelli currently holds the track record, set two years ago in qualifying when there was still open tire competition.

The challenge:
Bathurst provides a formidable challenge for competitors, combining a technical section where it’s hard to overtake, with some faster sections that require massive bravery and commitment. Incidents are common, which has led to a high number of safety car periods in the past.

The competitors:
The Intercontinental GT Challenge showcases the best GT3 drivers in the world, in a very wide variety of cars. Some of the top stars include factory drivers such as Earl Bamber, Romain Dumas, Augusto Farfus, Robin Frijns, Pat Long, Alvaro Parente and Laurens Vanthoor. Local stars include Jamie Whincup, and Craig Lowndes as well as Kiwi drivers Scott McLaughlin and Shane Van Gisbergen.

There is also a GT4 category and two local classes (including one for V8 cars). In total, 12 manufacturers are represented in the 53-car field – but they all use the same tire.

The product:
Pirelli will bring its P Zero slick specifically designed for GT racing to Bathurst, which has been tried and tested in the Blancpain GT Series, plus a wet tire in case it rains. To cope with the demands of the circuit and expected hot weather during the day, as well as to provide the capability to double-stint, this tire comes in a hard compound only.

The strategy:
Last year, there were numerous safety car periods during the 12 hours, so tailoring the stop strategy to take advantage of these neutralizations proved to be key. The tires can be double-stinted, but with the race starting at 05:45 and then finishing the in the late afternoon, ambient temperatures can vary by 15 degrees centigrade or more, which also has an effect on tire wear and degradation.

“Contrary to previous years, we are bringing just one type of tire to the Bathurst 12 Hours this time,” explained Matteo Braga, Pirelli circuit activity manager. “This works equally well on a wide range of vehicle architectures and should have the effect of closing up the competition by removing a number of variables. As a result, this could be the hardest-fought race here yet. The surface at Bathurst is smooth and low-grip, but with high temperatures and challenging corners, there is a lot of work to do for the tires. It’s a circuit with very specific demands.”

Practical info:
The race gets underway on the 6.213-kilometre track at 05:45 on Sunday 4 February, following two qualifying sessions plus a top-10 grid shoot-out on Saturday. There are four practice sessions on Friday. For more information about the race, please visit: www.bathurst12hour.com.au

For more information about the four rounds of the SRO-promoted Intercontinental GT Challenge, please visit: www.intercontinentalgtchallenge.com

Practice for the Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour starts on Friday, with qualifying on Saturday morning and the Top 10 Shootout on Saturday afternoon. The start of the race will be given at 5.45 local time on Sunday morning. The event will be streamed live on the Intercontinental GT Challenge website, its Facebook-page and on the GTWorld Youtube-channel.

Submitted by: Pirelli

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Let it be known, first off, that I am a big fan of endurance racing. If motorsport truly is the emotional rollercoaster that it’s often described as, then endurance racing has to be Space Mountain. Toyota’s heartbreak at Le Mans over the past two years is a far greater love story than most modern novels can ever claim to be.

So why is there just one manufacturer left representing what was the LMP1 h category for 2018? The obvious reason is the escalating costs that already limited the WEC’s top category to just three manufacturer participants. And with Audi and now Porsche currently breaking into their rainy day funds to appease global governments and consumers following their emissions scandals, it was inevitable that motorsport programs would see the axe fall first.

But the technology that the category has garnered is truly staggering; half of Toyota’s TS050’s 1,000bhp output is generated from its 8MJ electrical system. And as the electrification of the car is all but inevitable, it is a technology that outwardly has real-world relevance. But as the VW Group refocuses heavily on electrification, it does cast doubt on the relevance of LMP1h in its current guise.

So where does this leave the future of the WEC’s top-flight? As mentioned in last month’s foreword, Toyota has stated that perhaps hybrid isn’t quite ready for Le Mans and it could be argued that the ROI certainly isn’t there, which makes the ACO’s reluctance to confirm whether standardized electrical components will form the 2020 regulations all the more baffling.

Then there’s the argument about brand recognition. Does the WEC offer the same exposure as Formula 1? Can the average car buyer understand the link between the TS050 and, say, the Yaris? In my opinion the answers are ‘no’. And IMSA very much has the WEC licked on the latter point. The 2017 DPi offerings look fantastic and have a variety of visual identities to enable the casual fan to differentiate easily between a Cadillac and a Mazda – a far simpler task than trying to tell whether the car is a Ligier JSP217 or an Oreca 07 out on track. Would a revival of GT1 be the answer? McLaren, Ferrari and Porsche have already built halo road cars that blend hybrid technologies with potent IC engines to deliver power outputs not a million miles away from that of the TS050.

FXXK, 918 or P1 GT1’s? Surely not huge leaps from the Corse Cliente, Weissach Package and MSO specials already pounding round race circuits on exclusive track days for the world’s wealthy. But rather than being squirrelled away in private collections, they’ll have a truly global platform to compete on in front of hundreds of thousands of fans. Granted, teasing images on Instagram have the same effect in terms of exposure to an audience, perhaps arguably an even bigger one, but who doesn’t prefer the sight of a grid of 30+ cars actually being driven in anger, millimeters from each other over the course of a six-hour duel rather than just static images, or entertainment confined to 20-second Snapchats? Call me old-fashioned, but I certainly do.

I’m about to paraphrase, but GT4 in its current guise was described as ‘how GT3 machines were 5 to 10 years ago before they started to cost in excess of US$600,000’, by Opel Motorsport’s Volker Strycek in the last issue of PMW. To me, following on from that statement, a logical, progressive ladder series is already in place ready to be topped off by a revived GT1.

If GT4 became the new GT3 (an extremely healthy GT3 at that, and one that has a sustainable price point, too) it could allow the current GT3 to be rebranded as GT2. The similarities between GT2 in its halcyon days, and even the current LM GTE category, aren’t too far from current GT3 machinery. The added benefit is that it would allow a wealth of existing high-end race cars to continue to compete globally with a more suitable nomenclature, based on road-going vehicles. As a result of most, if not all, engines in the field running restrictors in both GT3 and GT4, the possibilities of increasing performance is already there too. Completing the race weekend’s rolling showroom would be a selection of recognizable, but distinct race variants, of ‘halo’ hypercars from the aforementioned manufacturers.

That then leaves the LMP1 category. Or should it die? The LMP2 and LMP3 sub-categories are built around largely standardized components, offer fantastic racing and are popular with teams, drivers and fans. With a number of manufacturers expressing interest in a simpler LMP1, perhaps a standardized chassis and electrical package could be the answer. The latter of those points has worked in Formula E, so why not in a hybrid format? That way, two legitimate hybrid series could exist in healthy, sustainable sizes, with potentially sensible budgets, too. It’s a nice thought all the same…

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Ferrari’s Corse Clienti division is evaluating to launch a dedicated Challenge series in the UK in 2019. The proposed, dedicated UK series of the Ferrari Challenge would be run to the same regulations as the Ferrari Challenge European Series, and would be open to any UK clients who own a 488 Challenge race car.

Clients wishing to race in the proposed Challenge UK Series would only require a National B racing licence, and participating in the UK series would enable clients to progress and to qualify for an International C racing licence which is required for the brand’s European series.

Clients wishing to register their interest in the ‘Challenge UK Series’ for 2019 should contact their local official Ferrari dealership. The official dealer network will be an integral part of the Ferrari Challenge UK Series, and will be able to provide a “turn-key” solution for clients wishing to participate in this exciting new UK motor sport opportunity.

Further details regarding the potential race calendar and other technical details will be announced at the Ferrari Challenge Europe race weekend which takes places at Silverstone from 27-29 April 2018 and at the FIA WEC’s 6 Hours of Silverstone from 17-19 August 2018.

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The SRO Motorsports Group has announced it is to introduce three new regional series to support the flourishing GT4 class in 2018. The group has confirmed the format and calendars for GT4 Nordic European Cup, GT4 Central European Cup and GT4 Belgium.

Last month the promoter’s founder and CEO, Stephane Ratel, unveiled plans to launch several new GT4 series over the next two years. SRO already oversees two standalone GT4 championships – the GT4 European Series and the Championnat de France FFSA GT – GT4 France – while the class also enjoys worldwide exposure as a category within Blancpain GT Series Asia, Pirelli World Challenge, British GT, China GT and Australian GT.

Three more regional series will therefore join SRO’s GT4 roster in 2018. All will be open to the growing number of manufacturer and privately-homologated GT4 cars that, along with SRO’s trusted Balance of Performance (BoP) regulations, have helped make the category such a global success.

GT4 Nordic European Cup, which features four rounds in Sweden and another in Norway, is a brand-new GT4 partnership overseen by GT driver and 2015 Nürburgring 24 Hours winner Edward Sandström. Each of 2018’s five events will include two qualifying sessions and races, both of which feature a mandatory pitstop and driver change. Pro/Am and Am/Am driver pairings are permitted.

While GT4 Central European Cup follows the same driver class format as its Nordic version, the German speaking Series will instead be directly organised by SRO. Nina Pfiffner moves across from her Blancpain GT Series team relations role to manage the championship, which is set to stage five events across five countries during its maiden campaign. Three of those venues – the Red Bull Ring, Nürburgring and Zandvoort – offer drivers a chance to compete at current or former Formula 1 venues.

Unlike its two new counterparts, GT4 Belgium’s inaugural five-round schedule comprises a mix of GT4 Central and GT4 European Series events. The season includes two local race weekends – Zolder and Spa-Francorchamps – as well as two trips just across the eastern border to the Nürburgring and another north to Zandvoort. Separate podiums and points will be staged and awarded at every round to distinguish Belgian ‘Cup’ entries from their hosts. Former Belgian Touring Car Champion and ‘father of GT4’ Pascal Witmeur will manage the series on SRO’s behalf.

“GT4 has proven incredibly successful around the world thanks to increasing manufacturer involvement, sensible budgets and balanced racing,” commented Stephane Ratel, founder and CEO of SRO Motorsports Group. “However, with the class also now considered a viable option for young professionals, it is even more important that we continue to recognise and provide for amateur drivers taking their first steps on the GT ladder. Through our French series, which has just enjoyed an incredibly successful first season, we have established exactly what these drivers need. This will be reflected in our GT4 Nordic, Central and Belgium championships, which offer an opportunity to compete locally against similarly experienced drivers without the added cost and time pressures of travelling across the continent. This is the logical next step for GT4, which we hope will ultimately enjoy a standalone presence in more regions across Europe and beyond.”

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K-PAX Racing, winners of four GT Class Drivers’ Championships and three Manufacturers’ Championships in the Pirelli World Challenge sports car series, has announced that it will field a trio of Bentley Continental GT3 cars for the 2018 season.

In the last four seasons with McLaren, K-PAX Racing amassed 15 wins and 34 podiums, including Drivers’, Team and Manufacturers’ Championships in 2016.

“We competed with the very best from Porsche, Cadillac, Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Acura and many others,” said Jim Haughey, K-PAX Racing’s team owner.  “We are looking forward to working with Bentley to win races next season and compete for another championship.”

K-PAX will eventually field a second-generation Bentley Continental GT3, as detailed here, at some point in 2018. Until that point, the team will field first-generation models until its successor is ready for action. The first-gen Continental has just completed another successful season, securing both the British GT Championship and Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup Teams titles to add to the two GT Asia Series Teams and the Blancpain GT Series SprintCup Drivers trophies that already line the cabinets in Crewe

“Working with McLaren GT for the past four years has been a great experience and produced tremendous results,” added Darren Law, program manager, K-PAX Racing. At the end of each season we evaluate the performance of our team and our program as well as what the future looks like. With the introduction of the new Bentley Continental GT3 we see a lot of potential. Currently we are in the process of finalizing K-PAX’s 2018 Driver line-up and will be making an announcement soon. We look forward to joining the Bentley Racing family and continuing our success beginning with next season.”

“I’m delighted to welcome K-PAX Racing to the Bentley Motorsport family,” concluded Brian Gush, Director of Motorsport, Bentley. “They are a team with an impressive and proven track record in the Pirelli World Challenge and together we will take the fight to the competition. I look forward to working together.”

Based in Sonoma, Calif., USA, K-PAX Racing has celebrated a total 107 podiums, 43 wins, four Driver championships and three Manufacturer Championships solidifying the team as a continuous championship contender. In the GT Class K-PAX has fielded Porsche 911 GT3s during the 2007 – 2008 seasons, Volvo S60s during the 2009 – 2013 seasons, and McLaren 650S GT3s from 2014 to 2017.

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McLaren has made the announcement that a new GT3 model, based on the all-new 720S, will replace the 650 GT3 and will join its successful 570S GT4 from 2019.

Set to begin testing next year for launch with customer teams the year after, the all-new 720S GT3 will benefit from race and championship-winning experience and knowledge accrued by McLaren during six seasons of motorsport activities. Following an intensive development programme in the 2018 season, the 720S GT3 will make its competitive debut with customer teams in the 2019 season and will be fully compliant with GT3 regulations and eligible to compete in all GT3 race series globally.

The MonoCage II carbon fibre structure at the heart of the 720S road car provides the foundation for a mid-engined, rear-wheel-drive car set to appeal to professional and budding drivers alike. A race-prepared version of McLaren’s 4.0-litre, twin-turbocharged V8 M840T engine will provide the power source, through a six-speed, sequential shift motorsport transmission. The aerodynamically-optimised bodywork of the 720S GT3 will be formed from both composite and lightweight carbon fibre, with a bespoke aerodynamic package. The suspension will comprise tried and tested adjustable dampers and coil-over springs, front and rear.

The 720S GT3 race car follows on from the 650S GT3 which has proved itself as a race winner and world-beater on the highest GT stages globally following its launch in 2014. It has scored titles on all four continents on which it has campaigned, including the Asian Le Mans Series, Australian GT championship, the Bathurst 12 Hour, Blancpain Endurance Cup and Pirelli World Challenge. This was a development from the original 12C GT3 which was launched in 2010. After an intense development programme throughout the 2011 season, the 12C GT3 debuted with customer teams a year later, winning 19 races, a further 19 podiums and pole position for the legendary Spa 24h race.

“McLaren is built on racing and providing our growing family of customers with unique and exhilarating driving experiences,” explained McLaren Automotive CEO, Mike Flewitt. “It therefore makes sense for us to unveil a dedicated, widened motorsport programme designed to support and enable more of our customers to focus on enjoying the thrill of pushing our cars on the track. The 720S GT3 will provide a stunning race-going addition to our Super Series product family and drivers will now be able to hone their skills under expert guidance backed-up by our technicians at the circuit and our motorsport retailers away from it.”

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Bentley Motorsport has unveiled an all-new version of its Continental GT3 racecar, which is currently undergoing development for the 2018 season. Development of the car is being undertaken by in-house motorsport team and Bentley’s motorsport technical partner, M-Sport.

The 2018 Continental GT3 has been designed from the all-new Continental GT road car, taking advantage of its mostly aluminium structure has race-ready weight of ‘significantly’ less than 1300kg.

The engine is a development of the existing, race-proven 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8, which now features a redesigned dry sump system, and all-new intake and exhaust systems. Unrestricted power is said to be in excess of 550bhp, whilst the car’s suspension and braking systems are new and bespoke to the Continental GT3.

The all-new racecar has already started a six-month test programme to pick up the mantle from its championship-winning predecessor, completing test work in the UK, France and Portugal. Upcoming development work includes full 24 hour endurance race simulations.

“After four years of success with our Continental GT3, we’re excited to reveal our second-generation car,” explained Bentley’s director of motorsport, Brian Gush. “The new car leaves no area or system untouched in the search for even better performance, and the early test results are promising. The new Continental GT road car has proved to be a great starting point for the development of a new racer, and the engineering development work is true to Bentley’s impeccable standards.”

Bentley Motorsport is also announcing its plans for the 2018 season, after 2017 proved to be the most successful season for the team, capturing the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup. Bentley Motorsport will run a pair of new Continental GT3 racers across Europe in the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup again next year, and also compete around the world in the four-round Intercontinental GT Challenge.

The new Continental GT3 will make its race debut at the opening round of the 2018 Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup at Monza. Updates from the development programme of the new racer, and confirmation of the 2018 driver line-up, will be issued by Bentley Motorsport in due course.

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The UK’s Strakka Racing has announced it will expand its GT activities beyond Europe in 2018; forming a new partnership with Mercedes-AMG which will see them carry Performance Team status for the German marque.

The Silverstone-based team will run three new Mercedes-AMG GT3s in the Intercontinental GT Challenge alongside Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup. Strakka will debut with the Mercedes-AMG GT3 in February at the opening round of the Intercontinental GT Challenge at Bathurst, Australia with subsequent rounds at Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium, Suzuka, Japan and Laguna Seca, USA. It marks a return to racing beyond Europe for the team after a season competing in Blancpain GT Series Sprint and Endurance Cups.

“It’s great for Strakka to be back on the world stage and competing at venues such as Bathurst and Laguna Seca,” explained team founder Nick Leventis. “Together with a return to the Endurance Cup, we’ve a got an exciting calendar next season and a partner in Mercedes-AMG that will enable us to fight for podiums and wins.”

The switch to the German GT3 machine follows a challenging debut season in the GT3 category running a quartet of McLaren 650S GT3s. “Regrettably, we suffered a range of issues that prevented us from being competitive in 2017 and despite a desire for stability, a change was necessary. After a thorough review, we feel the opportunity to become a Performance Team for Mercedes-AMG is the perfect platform for the future of Strakka.”

The first of the three 2018 chassis will be delivered to the Strakka Racing workshops in November before testing begins at the end of the year.

“We recently tested the car at Paul Ricard and I instantly felt at home, it gives you everything you need in an endurance car. I’m looking forward to getting underway with our winter testing plan,” adds Leventis. “From what we saw this year, the Mercedes-AMG GT3 has been quick across a range of circuits and has shown supreme reliability in the long-distance events that will make up our programme in 2018.”

“From initial discussions, there is real interest in the programme, especially with the Intercontinental GT Challenge,” explained racing director Jay Davenport. “Our tie up with Mercedes-AMG is something which we have kept extremely close to our chest. To be able to announce this today means we now have the full package in place.”

“It is a pleasure to welcome Strakka Racing in our Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing family,” added Stefan Wendl, head of Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Customer Racing. “I am fully convinced this team has everything in place to build up a successful future with the Mercedes-AMG GT3. Strakka Racing will be a great ambassador for our brand at race events worldwide, especially competing in the increasingly significant Intercontinental GT Challenge.”

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