ASTON GT 3 TEAMS PLAN GT4 EXPANSION IN 2019

British GT championshipwinning team TF Sport will expand into GT4 next year, as well as continuing in GT3, after acquiring two new Aston Martin Vantage GT4S.

The new GT4 machine completed its first shakedown at Turweston Airfield recently in the hands of factory driver Ross Gunn and will be homologated along with the new GT3 model next March. MN understands the car will begin testing next week.

TF, which has also ordered two GT3 models, has been joined by Optimum Motorsport, which won the 2016 British GT4 title with a Ginetta before stepping up to GT3, and existing Aston GT4 customers Academy Motorsport in placing an order for the GT4.

“It looks lovely, a nice little bit of kit,” TF Sport boss Tom Ferrier told MN. “It’s an area we want to get into and it’s nice to have a bit more presence on the grid in British GT, so we’re looking forward to it and hopefully working with some youngsters.

“I would hope we have two GT3 cars in British GT, so it could be as many as four, but that will be the maximum. We’ll see, we’d have to expand the workshop!”

Optimum boss Shaun Goff said he also hopes to run a maximum of four cars across both classes, but had yet to confirm his plans.

“The ideal would be a maximum of four cars, two GT3, two GT4, but if it’s two then so be it,” he said.

“GT4 has been a big part of the business for quite some years and it’s the first time we’ve not been on the grid in a GT4 car since 2012, so my intention was to always come back next year, it was just a case of finding the right partner.

“This year I’ve seen a great involvement from Aston Martin with the GT3 car and I’d like to just expand on that across both GT3 and GT4.”

Ferrier hopes to debut the GT3 at the Gulf 12 Hours in December, and expects to take delivery of a GT4 in January.