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Phillip Island driver change for Aston Martin

By Thomas Miles

Date posted: August 17, 2024

Ross Poulakis will switch from Mercedes to Aston Martin as Volante Rosso Motorsport makes a driver change for Phillip Island.

With Ben Porter overseas, Poulakis has been called upon to share the Aston Martin AMR Vantage GT3 with young gun Alex Gardner.

It means there is a vacancy alongside Chris Batzios in the Harrolds Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3, with a replacement to be announced shortly.

The Volante Rosso Motorsport Aston Martin made its GT World Challenge Australia debut at Queensland Raceway, but a qualifying crash for Porter saw the entry unable to turn a racing lap.

The team hopes this will eventuate at the upcoming GT Festival at Phillip Island next weekend.

Poulakis is no stranger to Volante Rosso Motorsport having raced for them in 2023 and took two Pro Am podiums.

The Aston Martin caught the eye of Poulakis straight away and he cannot wait to go racing in it.

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.”

Image: RACE PROJECT

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