2021 Aston Martin Vantage AMR #33 Pilots: B. Keating, H. Chaves, M. Sørensen Team: TF Sport Race: 34th overall (1st place in LMGTE-Am class) at Le Mans in 2022 Spark - S8647 (resin)
Published 10/31/23
After retiring from active racing, in 2014 former British Touring Car and British GT driver, Tom Ferrier, founded TF Sport. Initially, the team competed in GT3 Le Mans Cup, International GT Open, Blancpain Series and GT Cup. Associated with Aston Martin from the beginning, in 2017 TF Sport became the official “Aston Martin Racing Partner Team”. Quite momentous for the team, because they switched to GTE-specs cars. And therefore, TF Sport gained entrance into the European Le Mans Series and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. They debuted at La Sarthe in 2017 with a modest result, with their Vantage GTE finishing in 36th overall. In the LMGTE-Am class, their Vantage GTE #90 came in ninth place. The following year, they came back with the same car, yet #90 abandoned on the 304th lap. In 2019 the same car and another try: finished in 42nd overall though 11th in GTE-Am.
However, their fortune finally changed in 2020, now using the new Vantage AMR. TF Sport’s Vantage AMR #90 finished 24th overall and first place in the LMGTE-Am class. That win helped the team finish in second in the 2019-2020 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC). They went back for more in 2021, however at Le Mans they finished second in class. Their #33 came just one lap behind the first place Ferrari. And once again, TF Sport finished second in the WEC. For the following year, the team acquired a new Vantage AMR (chassis #16A-202-2) and headed back to northwestern France. There, the Vantage AMR #33 finished in 34th overall and first place in LMGTE-Am. And to make things even better, with the Le Mans win, TF Sport walked away with the WEC title.
This Vantage AMR #33 is my third Vantage AMR, and also my third class winner. Spark, as always, did a fantastic job on the model, and it’s just as nice as the other two. The paint job is terrific and the overall detail level is impressive. All in all, a VERY nice model. However, even though the AMR looks gorgeous, this will probably be my last one. That’s because the 2022 race was the last LMGTE-Pro race, and 2023 was the last LMGTE-Am race. FIA abolished the GTE classes, substituting them with a new GT3 class starting in 2024. Therefore, there will be no more Vantage AMR at La Sarthe.