Ross Poulakis will switch to Volante Rosso Motorsport’s new Aston Martin AMR Vantage GT3 for the inaugural GT Festival, joining young gun Alex Gardner.
The Aston Martin made its first appearance at the previous round of Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia Powered by AWS at Queensland Raceway, but a qualifying incident ruled the entry out for the remainder of the weekend.
At the same event, Poulakis made his return to the category alongside friend Chris Batzios in the Harrolds Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3, with the pair finishing fourth in the Am Class in both races.
In a driver shuffle, Poulakis will join Gardner in the Aston Martin AMR Vantage GT3 for Phillip Island, with previous round partner Ben Porter unavailable to attend due to prior racing commitments overseas. Poulakis' replacement in the Mercedes-AMG with Batzios will be announced shortly.
The inaugural GT Festival takes place at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit on August 23-25 and has free entry for spectators all weekend.
Those who can't make it to Phillip Island can tune into the action via the live broadcast on Kayo/Foxtel, as well as the GT World YouTube Channel.
QUOTES
Ross Poulakis
#14 Volante Rosso Motorsport Aston Martin AMR Vantage GT3
“After I saw the Aston Martin at Queensland Raceway a couple of weeks ago, I fell in love, so I am extremely excited to have the opportunity to drive it at Phillip Island,” said Poulakis.
“Aston Martin is a brand I am fond of and Volante Rosso did a fantastic job in getting the car on track for Queensland Raceway in such a short turnaround.
“I think getting the drive in the Aston Martin for next week is also a reward for my efforts too as my times at Queensland Raceway were quite competitive and I was showing similar speed to the likes of Liam Talbot and Brad Schumacher throughout the weekend.
“Considering I had not driven a GT in more than a year having run in the Australian Prototype Series, I was really happy with my performance in Queensland and my general progress
“I am also looking forward to having the opportunity to partner up with a Silver Driver in Alex Gardner for what will be his first official race in the Aston Martin.
“Alex has had a rapid rise up the ranks in the last year and it’s been good to follow - from an impressive stint in Radicals to test driving our Mercedes AMG last year where his times were phenomenal - he is a nice kid with a bright future in the sport.
“All in all, I am excited for the weekend and beginning the next evolution of my motorsport career.”
Alex Gardner
#14 Volante Rosso Motorsport Aston Martin AMR Vantage GT3
“Apart from Sepang in Malaysia, Phillip Island is my favourite circuit I have driven on so far,” said Gardner.
“Queensland Raceway was really good to get more comfortable in the Aston Martin and I was getting faster with each session, while building an understanding. It was a similar thing for the team - they were learning as well.
“Hats off to the Volante Rosso team in getting the Aston Martin to Queensland Raceway, it was incredible. The team was really short on time and it was really well done.
“The car felt really comfortable, it was getting better and better every time. It felt amazing on track, it was an honour to drive and was awesome to be out there in this field.
“Ross is really fast and it was good to have chats with him across the weekend, especially to calm me down before sessions. It’s good to have someone like that in the team and it was very helpful to me at Queensland Raceway.
“If there is something I don’t quite understand, there are heaps of people in the team to guide me.”
Ross Poulakis to join Alex Gardner in Volante Rosso Aston Martin
