Aston Martin Exploring GT2 Program

Aston Martin is looking to enter the new GT2 formula with a car based around its current-generation Vantage customer package, Sportscar365 has learned.

The British manufacturer has conducted “high-level studies” about the category’s feasibility, according to its sporting president David King.

Aston introduced the second-gen Vantage to global GT3 and GT4 competition at the start of 2019 and is currently servicing a fleet of almost 50 cars across both formats.

It is now eyeing an expansion into GT2, which was launched by SRO Motorsports Group nine months ago as an intermediate category aimed at amateur drivers.

“We’ve done a few high-level studies about how we could go and do that,” King told Sportscar365 when asked about Aston’s GT2 interest.

“The great thing about the Vantage is that unlike the old one, where we had different engines for different classes, we’ve got a standard platform so you can turn a GT3 into a GTE, or a GT4 into a kind of Cup or GT2 car.

“The concept of GT2 is a really good one. There’s definitely something missing in between GT4 and GT3 now.

“I’d like to think that we would have something next year, not necessarily to debut, but to announce in the next six to nine months.”

King explained that the GT2 concept would appeal to many of Aston Martin’s existing Vantage clients.

He also noted that the formula became a feasible route for the marque once it saw that the global Vantage customer program was operating to a sufficient level.

“I’m really proud of how we’ve rolled out the GT3s and GT4s because we’ve seen from other manufacturers that it’s actually really difficult to launch a new car, homologate it, have it be instantly competitive, and provide all the spares and technical support around the world,” said King.

“Prodrive [the AMR program operator] have worked bloody hard over the winter to make sure that we can fulfil all of those customer expectations.

“I wouldn’t have thrown GT2 into the equation as well, earlier, because that would have been too much. But now with the supply of those cars and the demand for them, we could be able to do something else in the near future.

“GT2, from what I’ve seen of it, will appeal to a number of existing clients.”

It’s not yet known exactly where GT2 will compete in 2020, although it will be present in two one-off races during the Blancpain GT Series rounds at Spa and Barcelona this year, the latter within the Blancpain GT Sports Club.

King suggested that the formula’s customer-oriented approach would be suited to competitions from other sanctioning bodies such as the Nürburgring 24 Hours and the VLN series.

“There are other gaps in the market as well. If you look at the Nürburgring specifically, we used to race in the SP8 class which was for close-to-production cars,” he said.

“That’s a great opportunity for a car of a Cup car-type spec that fits in between GT3 and GT4, that you can develop from a GT4 car for quite a lot less money than the GT3.

“I know there’s a demand for that type of car. Whether that’s one and the same with a GT2 car, I don’t know yet. We’ve just got to find the correct combination.”

Porsche is so far the only manufacturer to have rolled out a car for GT2, while Lamborghini is known to be monitoring the category’s developments.