Aston Martin Racing will be heading to the home of British motorsport on 11/12 September for the final battle of the season against the Le Mans Series contenders in the Autosport 1000kms of Silverstone.

The final race will present a thrilling finale to the Le Mans Series with Aston Martin Racing competing two Gulf-liveried LMP1 cars with the famous start numbers 007 and 009.

Driving the 007 car will be factory drivers, Adrian Fernandez (MX), Harold Primat (CH) and newly-signed Andy Meyrick (GB). Sam Hancock (GB) and Juan Barazi (DK) will partner to pilot the 009 car.

Meyrick, who came fourth at this year’s Le Mans 24 hours said: “It’s a real privilege to be a British driver competing with Aston Martin at our home circuit. The car has proven to be competitive as it’s performed well in the earlier 2010 Le Mans Series races. I have two great team mates in Adrian and Harold, so overall I’m hoping for a good result.”

George Howard-Chappell, Team Principal for Aston Martin Racing said: “It’s always good to return to Silverstone – our home race. The fan support is outstanding and we expect six hours of extremely tough competition against the diesels.

“Andy has fitted in well with the crew and existing drivers during testing, and has got to grips with the LMP1 car. I am pleased to welcome him to the team.”

The Autosport 1000kms will also see Aston Martin official partner teams contesting the annual endurance test with Signature Racing in the LMP1 class, and JMW Motorsport with their Vantage in the GT2 class.

Team Signature has everything to play for, currently lying just two points behind the series leader. A successful race could see the French team echo last year’s factory Le Mans Series overall win.

The Autosport 1000kms of Silverstone qualifying session starts at 13:10 on Saturday 11 September with the race commencing at 11:55 on the Sunday.

Young Driver AMR gave a magnificent performance at the sixth round of the GT1 World Championship at the Nürburgring. On home ground the German team experienced a weekend that can only be described as dominant. After taking Pole Position and the victory in the Qualifying Race, Darren Turner (GB) and Tomas Enge (CZ) also took the victory in the Championship Race in the Young Driver AMR-Aston Martin DBR9, giving the team its first victory in the GT1-World Championship. Stefan Mücke (D) and Christoffer Nygaard (DK) completed the dream weekend with a fifth place finish in the second Young Driver AMR-Aston Martin DBR9.

Darren Turner had a good start into the Championship Race and used his Pole Position to take the lead. Turner even made a small gap and handed over the Aston Martin to Tomas Enge in the lead halfway through the race. Enge continued the lead and built an even bigger gap, the former Czech Formula 1-driver secured an almost unchallenged first victory on home turf for Young Driver after 60 minutes of racing.

The second Young Driver-Aston Martin of Mücke and Nygaard also had a great race. Starting driver Nygaard was running ninth after the start and was able to climb as high as sixth, before handing the car over to Mücke. The reigning Le Mans Series-Champion then challenged the fifth placed Maserati and overtook him in the final lap.

After six rounds of the GT1-World Championship, Turner/Enge are third in the championship standings, Young Driver AMR is also third in the team championship.

Driver quotes after the race:

Tomas Enge (#7 Young Driver AMR-Aston Martin DBR9):
“With five or six laps to go, there was a drizzle, but only for two laps. I slowed a little bit as did the other cars and could maintain my gap. We had the fasted car of the weekend, but it was not as fast as the result with a 10 second gap might show. We just had a clean race, one of the fasted pit stops and made no mistakes. Now we will fight for the World Championship!”

Darren Turner (#7 Young Driver AMR-Aston Martin DBR9):
“At the start I had to make sure to bring the car trough Turn 1 in one piece and not get rear-ended like in yesterdays race, that was my main objective. I was happy with my gap and pushed a little bit more, just to be sure. Tomas then did a sterling job in the second half of the race.”

Stefan Mücke (#7 Young Driver-Aston Martin DBR9):
“Christoffer did a good job in the first part of the race. I was running in sixth position at the end of the race and I had to drive fairly aggressive to chase the Maserati in front of me. But as a result I got little to much heat in my rear tires and I pulled off a bit. After the tires cooled down, I attacked again on the last lap and this time it worked. Fifth place was the maximum we could archive today, considering we started from ninth position.”

Christoffer Nygaard (#7 Young Driver-Aston Martin DBR9):
“My start was not so good, as I couldn’t see the green light. I lost one position, but managed to gain one quickly. After that I was chasing a Lamborghini at the end of my stint for sixth place, but it was really hard to pass him. But we finally passed him in the pits.”

Hardy Fischer, team principal Young Driver AMR:
“That was really the best weekend this season for us. The team did a perfect job, I’m really proud of all my boys. They perform perfect pitstops every time, our #8 car was super, the #7 just perfect. I hope that the FIA will not change the Balance of Performance for the next races. It’s easy to say if you are the boss of the winning team, I but think everybody saw today that all cars are quite well balanced.”

The dream weekend for Young Driver AMR at the sixth round of the GT1 World Championship continued in Saturday’s Qualifying Race. Everytime the GT1 cars have been on the track so far this weekend at the Nürburgring, the Young Driver AMR machines have been the quickest. Darren Turner took Pole Position in the #7 Young Driver AMR-Aston Martin DBR9 in the morning and subsequently took the victory along with teammate Tomas Enge in the Qualifying Race in the afternoon. Christoffer Nygaard and Stefan Mücke in the #8 Young Driver AMR-Aston Martin DBR9 finished in 9th position.

Tomas Enge started from Pole Position in the Qualifying Race, but Enge was rear-ended by a Nissan at the start of the race. The former Czech Formula One driver lost the lead and dropped to third, but battled back to first position within just two laps. Enge handed over the Aston Martin to Turner halfway trough the race while still in the lead. Turner then faced a quite eventful second half of the race, as the weather conditions changed and a downpour hit the Nürburgring. The Brit pitted for rain tires and demonstrated that his Aston Martin was not only the fasted car in dry conditions, but also in the rain. After 60 minutes of racing, Enge and Turner took the victory by clear margin of 10 seconds and will start from the Pole Position in Sunday’s Championship Race.

The race of Stefan Mücke and Christoffer Nygaard started eventful. Mücke had rocket start from 11th position and was in fifth position after the first lap. The reigning Le Mans Series-Champion handed the car to teammate in Christoffer Nygaard in fifth position. Another brilliant pit stop of the Young Driver AMR pit crew promoted Nygaard to third before the downpour which made the conditions very slick and tricky. Nygaard lost two spots and was racing in fifth, when the young Dane suddenly spun in the Mercedes-Arena and finished the race in 9th position.

Driver quotes after the Qualifying Race:

Tomas Enge (#7 Young Driver AMR-Aston Martin DBR9)

“I was hit at the start by another car and that worried me a bit. I dropped to third but was able to overtake the two cars in front of me. When I was leading, I tried to save the tires. I saw a big raincloud coming, so I tried to wait with the pit stop as long as possible. We had a really good pace today, in the dry and in the wet. I’m happy for the team to win the Qualifying Race on home turf and hopeful that we will score some big points tomorrow.”

Darren Turner (#7 Young Driver AMR-Aston Martin DBR9):

“Together with Tomas and our Engineer Johannes Gruber, we made a perfect call for the driver change. We changed exactly at the right moment for rain tires. It was then very difficult to bring the tires up to temperature and I had to concentrate to keep the car on track. For tomorrow’s race I hope the weather will be consistent and I hope not to be rear ended at the start like Tomas today.”

Stefan Mücke (#7 Young Driver-Aston Martin DBR9):

“My start was really good, but then I was hit by competitors in the first corner on all sides. The car was damaged due to that, the front splitter was broken and I had heavy vibrations. The car was not very well balanced any more, we then decided for an early stop.”

Christoffer Nygaard (#7 Young Driver-Aston Martin DBR9):

“Unfortunately I spun when I was in fifth position. I really don’t know what happened, as I was driving the corner in the same way as in previous laps. I just hope tomorrow’s race will be good, as we will start from ninth and in the first corner that will be a very dangerous area.”

The success of the Young Driver AMR team continued in Saturday’s Qualifying on home turf at the Nürburgring. Darren Turner and Tomas Enge took Pole Position in the #7 Young Driver AMR Aston Martin DBR9 for the sixth round of the GT1 World Championship. Both Young Driver AMR Aston Martin made it in the final Q3, Christoffer Nygaard and Stefan Mücke will start from 8th place.

Both Aston Martin had no problems surviving Q1 and did even better in Q2 with a clean sweep of first and second. In Q3 Darren Turner took his second Pole-Position of the season, while Christoffer Nygaard sat out Q3 to save the tires for tomorrows championship race.

“It’s a little like Silverstone this weekend“, Darren Turner said. „The Nürburgring is a classic Grand Prix-track, smooth and without bumps, this and the cool temperatures suit our car quite well. Our goal was to make it to Q3, and to take the Pole here is an extra special”.

“As always on the Nürburgring, the weather played an important role“, Tomas Enge stated after Qualifying. “I hope it will be dry for he race. The Aston Martin DBR9 is a car which is very sensitive on different kinds of circuits. This is a track the car really likes.“

Young Driver AMR will race on home turf this weekend and after a promising performance in the previous round at Spa, the Young Driver squad - Stefan Mucke and Christoffer Nygaard (No.8) and Darren Turner and Tomas Enge (No.7) are eager for the challenge of the Nurburgring.

The German circuit is a happy hunting ground for the team as Mucke and Enge won the 1,000km race last year in an Aston Martin Le Mans prototype, and Turner has also been successful at the 'Ring in the past including a class win in a Aston Martin DBR9 in 2005.

Young Driver AMR will also benefit from a reduction in Balance of Performance ballast with 20kg of the extra weight been removed since the Spa round a month ago.

Here's what the Young Driver AMR team drivers had to say about this weekend ...

Tomas Enge, Aston Martin No.7

“Obviously I would prefer to race at the Nordschleife, but OK we are racing at the Grand Prix track. I like the track, it offers fast and flowing corners. With the exception of the Mercedes Arena, as it’s too slow and too slippery.

"We are also allowed to start with 20kg less weight at the Nurburgring which should really help our performance. We will fight for a good place, it´s the home race of our team and a really special event for the entire crew. I hope that lots of the German fans will support us and hope we can score many points."

Darren Turner, Aston Martin No.7

“The last races showed that we needed a weight deduction, it was notable that we were not able to race evenly with the other brands at the front. The track should suit us well, Aston Martin had good success with the DBR9 at the Nurburgring in the past.

"I like to race there and have some good memories, in 2005 I took the very first class victory with the Aston Martin DBR9 in the Le Mans Series at the 'Ring. You have to drive really clean here and make no mistakes. Because with the special layout of the track, every mistake will cost you a lot of time.”

Stefan Mucke, Aston Martin No.8

“I like the Nurburgring very much and I hope we can at least be on the podium there. We had a test last week in Brno, which went pretty well and I hope we can transform what we learned there into a quick car at the Nurburgring.

"Due to the tyre rules in the championship, it’s almost impossible to test some things during a race weekend. So the test really helped a lot to sort some things out and be better prepared for the second half of the season.”

Christoffer Nygaard, Aston Martin No.8

"Nurburgring is not one of my favourite tracks. I really don’t know why, but I always got some mixed emotions there. I raced there in the Polo and Seat Cup and also with the Ford GT in the ADAC GT Masters, but I didn’t get familiar with the track so far.

"Stefan (Mucke) is very experienced at the 'Ring and I hope he will show me some tricks. We had a strong pace at Spa and scored our best result of the season in the Qualifying Race there. So I hope we will also be strong in Germany. But the most important thing is to finish the race without troubles. If we manage that, I´m sure we will finish in a good position.“

Teamed with Pierre Ragues and Franck Mailleux at the Hungaroring, the Belgian driver reached the podium for the second straight time at the wheel of the Team Signature-Plus Lola-Aston Martin.

After finishing third at the 1000km of Algarve, Vanina Ickx once again found herself on the LMP1 podium of the 1000km of Hungaroring, the fourth round of the Le Mans Series. After starting from the back of the grid, as it's required by the sporting regulations when changing tyres after qualifying, Vanina worked her way up the field to fifth place overall during her stint in the Lola- Aston Martin. The Signature-Plus Team was continuing its run in second place when they encountered a problem with the alternator. However, after hard work from the mechanics and stints from Pierre Ragues and Franck Mailleux, the Bourges-based team was able to reach third place in the LMP1 category - an important result for the championship. Discover Vanina's weekend with her ABCs from Budapest.


B like... Budapest:
"First of all, I'd like to say that Budapest's reputation for having pretty women is overrated (laughs)! Seriously though, it's a magnificent city. It's simply monumental with its palace, castle and the like. As for the track, it was pretty good to me. I won't critisize it, even if it's hard work to run on such a narrow track."


U like... Unity:
"Team and drivers, we are one. Whatever happens, on or off the track, we are linked. Each individual is important. Sometimes it's the driver who makes the error, sometimes it's the mechanical side of things that don't go as planned. After the alternator problem, no one lowered their head. And we did well to keep fighting since we garnered precious points as a result."

D like... Disappointment:
"The overall result (23rd) doesn't reflect our performance level, or our hard work. Before the race, we weren't necessarily hoping to run so well: the LMP2 cars are competitive on this track. But during the event, we said: it's good, we can do it, we have the potential to do even better than at Portimao."

A like... Atmosphere:
"It's so much fun to drive in these conditions and to be part of a team like this one. It's a great atmosphere and was so during the entire weekend. I had a lot of fun!"


P like... Podium:
"It's always important to be on the podium, especially since this third place in LMP1 puts the team in second place in the championship. It's "funny" to know that we can still mathematically be champions. Even though we know that it will be a hard fight at Silverstone. On the other hand, honestly, we aren't as proud of this podium as we were at Portimao. But I'm happy nonetheless (laughs)!"


E like... Experience:
"Each time in the car yields more experience. It's an experience that counts since we don't run much or at all in between races. This track is so specific and unique that it taught me a lot about the handling of the Lola-Aston Martin. It changes from the usual, less twisty tracks. The differences in downforce, the weight transfer...I hope to have decoded the car's character!"

S like... Start:
"It's the first time that I've taken the start with the Lola- Aston Martin. I nearly fell out of my seat when they told me! It's a vote of confidence from the team and I'm glad to have completed the mission bringing the car up to fifth place. Also, this view of the pack was rather nice...(smiles)"

T like... Traffic:
"It's the word that characterises the Hungaroring and even the race of this weekend. I encountered a lot during my stint and I had been well briefed: take no risk, even if you lose a little time. You have to be decisive: When it's time to go, it's time to go. There were a few close moments, most notably with the GTs. The fight is so intense in that category that they move in groupes."



The next round will be at Silverstone, 10-12 September.

Darren Turner raced at the Hungaroring in Budapest for the first time in his career this weekend and bagged a sixth place finish in the JMW Motorsport Aston Martin, along with his Le Mans Series team-mate Rob Bell. Back on GT2 duty after his recent foray into GT3, Turner was ultimately disappointed with the result, which could have been a lot better if it hadn't been for a problem in the early stages.

"It was an interesting weekend for me," commented Darren. "I really like the Hungaroring; much more than I expected to. There is a good mixture of corners and you are on the go all the time so it's a real challenge."

It was Darren's turn to qualify this weekend and he duly slotted the Aston Martin into fifth place on the grid, behind a group of Ferrari 430s but ahead of all the Porsches.

The race start was also down to Darren and he had a blinding first lap, making light work of two of the cars ahead of him, even though one of them was in the GT1 class.

"It was imperative that I got past the Saleen as it is quick on the straights but slows us up through the corners," he explained. "I passed him and another GT2 car and by lap two everything was looking rosy. Unfortunately we then started to rapidly drop off the pace."

The drop off came as a big surprise to the team as the performance had been strong in race trim throughout the previous sessions. The problem was focused on the front tyres and Darren eventually had to pit just two-thirds into his stint as by that point they were four seconds off the pace.

"I had no choice other than to come in," he said. "Whatever the problem was it didn't happen again for the remainder of the race so we need to investigate what happened with that set of tyres and make sure it doesn't happen again. The big problem for us from that point on was that, even though we were fully on the pace, our stops were out of sync. We then lost even more time during a safety car period so all in all we did well to take sixth."

"It was a hard race as the heat was intense, even after it had gone dark," he continued. "The car ran like clockwork though and the issues we had at Portimao have all been ironed out. We need to address the tyre issue and I think we can go into the final round at Silverstone with every reason to expect a top result."

Signature Plus scored an LMP1 podium in the 1000km of Hungaroring but were denied the opportunity to fight for their best result of the season so far after technical problems at the start of the first stint forced him to pit unexpectedly while running in a strong second place.

It was an unusually problematic event for all LMP1 cars with the LMP2 category machines dominating, but in spite of its technical woes, Signature were still able to register a classified 23rd place finish having dropped down to 30th after the unscheduled stop.

This weekend's LMS event marked the first visit to the tight and twisty Hungaroring for Signature and its driver line-up, so the free practice sessions were spent focussing on learning the circuit and chasing the optimum car set-up with Aston Martin and tyre choice with Dunlop. After the first day of practice, good strides were made but the drivers were all complaining with traffic given the circuit's tight configuration.

Pierre Ragues was given qualifying duties for this race and posted an encouraging fifth fastest time of the session. Unfortunately, the team was forced to change tyres before the race having sustained damage to its qualifying set after Pierre had an off-track incident on his first qualifying attempt. The sporting regulations state that a back-of-the-grid penalty applies to any car which does not start the race on the same set of tyres it qualified with.

Vanina Ickx took the start from the back of the pack and made good progress the field to take sixth position before handing over to Pierre Ragues who enjoyed a successful double stint. At the race's halfway point, Franck Mailleux assumed control but just three laps in, he pitted with a battery problem. Upon inspection of the car, the Signature crew identified a further problem with the alternator pulley which took 22 laps to rectify, and a total of 43 minutes and 57 seconds.

Coming back out in 30th position, just behind the LMP1 Peugeot, which had also pitted with difficulties, Franck Mailleux had an uphill battle to salvage some pride from the race. Nevertheless, he fought back valiantly, leapfrogging their rivals to finish the race as third best of the P1 runners after a string of competitive laps.

Pierre Ragues said: "We should be pleased to score a class podium as the third highest finishing LMP1 car and some important points, but it could have been so much better. I was sorry with my accident in qualifying yesterday and for the penalty that sent us to the back of the grid. The tyres were flat-spotted after the accident, so it was actually a good effort to set the fifth best time, but it was also a correct and safe decision to change the tyres for the race. Vanina had a great start and she was up to sixth by the time I took over. My own stints were really good also. The car and tyres felt competitive and I was able to make my way up to second. Unfortunately after the halfway point when Franck took over, we had problems with the battery and alternator pulley which took a long time to fix. The mechanics did a fantastic job but 45 minutes is a long time even in endurance racing. There is so little opportunity to overtake at this track, so the fact that we made such progress in the early stages of the race was great. It is tough that we could not continue like that until the end, especially with the problems the other LMP1 cars seemed to experience and the overall competitiveness of our package. The Signature guys should be proud of their efforts in difficult circumstances today and for the way we handled the whole weekend. Aston Martin and Dunlop also worked hard to give us a quick car, as we showed when we were on track. Thanks also to my sponsor Group Auto Union for their support."

Franck Mailleux said: "It is good for the whole team that we have taken a second consecutive class podium and to get some points after a difficult race today. We have rarely experienced technical problems that require us to pit for so long mid-race, but today it seemed as if all LMP1 cars were jinxed! The Signature guys worked so hard to fix the alternator and battery issues, but those 22 laps we were stopped for were really damaging. I had just taken over from Vanina and Pierre and we were in a strong second place and with the issues that affected other teams things might have turned out very differently today. I knew we had lost a lot of positions but the car and tyres felt really great in those closing stages of the race, we were able to make up quite a lot of positions. It was probably one of the most frustrating double stints of my career, concentrating on bringing the car home. The level of competitiveness from the car proves that we could have had our best result of the season today. We were still third of the LMP1 cars and took a class podium, which means important championship results. That's probably the most positive thing we can take away from Hungary as we prepare for the final race of the year in Silverstone next month. Thanks, as always, to Signature, Aston Martin, Dunlop and my sponsors Sojasun for their hard work and support this weekend."

Signature Plus are hoping to continue their fine run of strong performances with a second consecutive podium finish of the season at this weekend's inaugural Le Mans Series 1000km of Hungaroring.

The event is the penultimate race on the Le Mans Series calendar and takes place at the 4.381km long Hungaroring circuit in Mogyorod near the Hungarian capital of Budapest. It is a circuit that is used only infrequently during the year, but which held its Formula One round just a few weeks ago. Even so, Le Mans Series teams will inevitably face the usual low grip that tends to characterise the tight and twisty circuit.

Although Hungaroring is a step into the unknown for the Le Mans Series and its teams, a number of the more established drivers will recall the challenges of the track from their time in Formula 1, an advantage that Signature Plus will not have. The challenges of learning a new circuit will be made even tougher by the track's narrow layout which makes overtaking practically impossible so a good grid position and efficient pit strategy will make all the difference for Sunday's day-night race.

The weather is usually extremely hot at this time of the year, even at night, so all drivers will require exceptional fitness levels to adapt to the conditions.

Signature Plus claimed their first podium in the Le Mans Series in Portugal last month, so the bar has been truly raised with heightened expectations for this weekend's event. Nonetheless, on the back on a successful shakedown of the Dunlop-shod Lola Aston Martin at Lurcy-Levis on Monday), the team are in a optimistic mood.

Quick Q+A with Pierre Ragues

Pierre, you've been busy since Portugal winning races, is that right?
"Yes! I am a big karting fan and I have been taking part in the GPO karting series this year alongside LMS. I find it great physical preparation for the Le Mans Series races and so after the last LMS event, I raced in Lyon and won two races which was great timing after our podium in Portugal. The karting helps keep my racing skills fresh and that is important when we are heading to Hungary, a new track for the championship and for me personally."

What do you think of the track?
"I have only seen it on paper and of course from the F1 races but it looks like it is going to quite tight and difficult to pass on. We will have a big task list in the first practice sessions to find quickly a baseline balance for the car and then to find improvements to the set-up as we learn more about the track. We have continually made good steps forward with Aston Martin and with Dunlop this year, so I hope we can get another result like in Portugal and to build up some good momentum as the season comes to a close."


Quick Q+A with Franck Mailleux

Franck, how much does the Portugal result help preparations for Hungary?
"The result in Algarve was a really timely boost for the team after some difficult races. We were always confident in the performance of the Aston Martin and the Dunlop tyres and I think the result in Portugal was the culmination of the work we have carried out on the overall package. Hungary will be another challenge and it will not be straight forward. We have never been there before with LMS and we will all have a lot to learn in a short space of time. But I am confident in our team-work and our race preparation style, so I think we can be in with a good chance of a podium."

What do you think of the track?
"As a driver, I always enjoy going to new tracks and learning all the details. Hungary definitely looks tight and twisty, and we know from Formula 1 that it is difficult to pass on, which will be even harder with our cars. We will have a lot of work to do in practice to set the car up for this track, both in terms of aerodynamics and chassis stability, as well as tyre evaluation. It will probably be quite hot and physical as well, so I am thankful to my sponsors Sojasun for helping me once again with the most suitable diet in preparing for these conditions."

Sunday 15th August saw Vantage Racing step up a level when Tom Black and Stuart Hall took part in our first British GT race with the new DBRS9 in a two-hour race on the “Bridge GP” circuit at Silverstone. There was a very strong field in both the GT3 and GT4 classes with Porsche GT3RS and Ferrari 430 Scuderia being fielded by multiple teams on a circuit that could have been designed for them. The full race report is available on the British GT web-site (http://www.britishgt.com/). Stuart qualified us in 9th place in a very respectable 1:53.5 but very soon after the start raced from 9th to 2nd within a few laps of excellent driving. He positioned himself perfectly behind the leading car and waited for his moment to strike. However, fate was not on our side and a throttle problem which had plagued us throughout practice recurred and left him with periods of zero power. This quickly took it’s toll and despite an extra pit-stop to attempt to cure the problem, we descended back down through the field. Tom took over after 32 laps and put in a creditable stint of 24 laps but, with all electronic aids disabled to mitigate the throttle issue, was unable to show his best. We completed the race in 16th place but have high hopes of better finish in a later round. Since the race we have worked closely with Aston Martin Racing to identify the throttle problem and, subject to testing in early September, we hope take part in the Brands Hatch round of the British GT championship on September 26th.

Darren Turner claimed a podium finish at Silverstone this weekend with a typically-entertaining guest drive in the Beechdean-Barwell Aston Martin DBRS9 GT3 car in the Avon Tyres British GT Championship. He and his team-mate, Andrew Howard, took third place in today’s two-hour race.

As a works driver for Aston Martin Racing, Darren has tested the DBRS9 on many occasions but this is the first time he has raced it and his first time in the British GT Championship.

“I received a call a few weeks ago to see if I was interested,” he said. “I had the weekend free and fancied a go, so of course I said yes.”

The weekend got off to a tricky start when Saturday’s qualifying session didn’t quite go to plan. One of the British GT regulations states that each driver must complete three timed laps in the qualifying session. Andrew went out first and did his laps but then as Darren left the pits for his run - with new rubber bolted on – another competitor spun at the end of the pit lane, completely blocking it. By the time Darren got out on the track the ever-threatening summer shower had started and that was that. Andrew would have to start today’s race from 15th place on the grid.

On a sunny Saturday at Silverstone Andrew got away well and passed three cars on the opening lap, moving up to 12th. He did a great job and was up to eighth by the time the pit stops began. Then it was Darren’s turn.

“I managed to overtake a few more during my run,” said Darren. “We were right up the order but then Simonsen’s Ferrari and Westbrook’s Porsche caught me just as my tyres went off and I had to let them go. This dropped me to fourth but then Westbrook conked out just before the line and we bagged a podium finish.”

“It was a fun weekend and I enjoyed it a lot,” said Darren after the race. “I’m glad Andrew and Beechdean-Barwell got a good result as they worked hard for it. I would be very happy to do another British GT race in the future as I thoroughly enjoyed this one!”

Aston Martin’s Design Director, Marek Reichman is to embark on his maiden race in a Vantage GT4 competing in the Aston Martin GT4 Challenge of Great Britain at Oulton Park on Saturday 21 August.

Marek, who is a keen motorsport enthusiast and regular competitor in historic club racing, will share driving duties with Aston Martin Engineering Manager, Chris Porritt; himself an experienced GT4 racer for the 90-minute race on the notoriously challenging Cheshire circuit later this month.

Speaking ahead of the race, Marek said: “The design team has been closely involved in the design of all our race cars, from the works LMP1 prototype to the Vantage GT4, but I’ve always longed to get even more closely involved and the Aston Martin GT4 Challenge provides the perfect introduction to GT4 racing for me.”

The Aston Martin GT4 Challenge of Great Britain is a one make series exclusively for owners of the Vantage GT4 and the Vantage N24. The races are between 90 and 150 minutes in length with practice, qualifying and the race all in the same day. The series is the perfect opportunity for owners of Aston Martin racing cars to compete on a level playing field on some of the very best racing circuits with the full support of the factory.

Marek’s co-driver, Chris Porritt, added: “Most of my GT4 experience with Aston Martin has been at the Nürburgring, but Oulton Park is my home track and while I’ve raced my own cars there many times, I’ve never had the opportunity in an Aston Martin. The standard of racing in the series so far has been extremely high so Marek and I will have our work cut out to keep up with the front runners.”

The Aston Martin Vantage GT4 is a production-based race car eligible for all FIA GT4 races as well as other race series around the world. 2010 successes to date include class wins in the Dubai, Nürburgring and Spa 24 Hours, numerous class wins in the Nürburgring VLN endurance series and four wins out of six in the FIA GT4 European Cup.

Aston Martin’s Head of Motorsport, David King commented: “The Aston Martin Vantage N24/GT4 has been the outstanding performer in GT4 and other classes around the world since 2006. Whether in 24 hour races or short sprints, its performance, reliability and ease of handling deliver class wins and podiums time after time.

“The Aston Martin GT4 Challenge of Great Britain, in its first year, is providing a focal point for our customers to make a first step into GT4 racing with high quality events on challenging circuits with comprehensive organisation and technical support from Aston Martin Racing.”

Frank Yu, Alain Li and Michael Bentwood piloted the Barwell run Craft Racing Aston Martin DBRS9 GT3 car to fifth place in the 12 hour MME race held at the Sepang F1 Circuit. This was the strongest field yet in the prestigious race with semi-works entries and several of the World’s best GT drivers in the field.

The race started at midnight on Saturday and ended midday on Sunday August 8th, the leading Lamborghini completing a record breaking 315 laps at the flag. The works supported Audi R8 was second with the BMW Z4 in third. The final hour saw a great battle between the first two real “privateer” cars, the Lamborghini of Dilantha and Craft’s Aston Martin. Dilantha took fourth place with ten minutes to go.

“Our best hope before the start was for a top six finish” reported Craft’s Mark Goddard “so to finish 5th was very satisfying. It was a great experience and we cannot wait to return next year with a view to win.”

AMR Jota Sport secured GT4 class honours in the Spa 24 Hours this weekend, as the British squad made its debut appearance as an Official Partner Team to Aston Martin Racing.

Despite a recurring electrical glitch the four-man crew of factory Aston Martin driver Sam Hancock, alongside Simon Dolan, Joe Twyman and Roger Wills - all three being members of Jota's private driver training service 'The Drivers Club' - led the class for much of the prestigious twice-around-the-clock enduro and finished a massive 38 laps clear of the next-best GT4 car as the chequered flag flew at 4pm local time on Sunday afternoon.

However, the win didn’t come without its dramas as the electrical problem which had prevented Hancock from fighting for pole position during the best of the conditions in qualifying, returned on the first lap of the race and caused intermittent trouble throughout the 24 hours. Both drivers and team fought to keep the car in the race.

Changeable weather conditions, typical of the Belgian Grand Prix venue, also plagued the race but the drivers, three of which had no modern-day GT racing experience, coped well with everything thrown at them, including racing in damp conditions on slick tyres in the dead of night, while the team were faultless throughout.

The result marks a superb start to Jota's partnership with Aston Martin Racing and a resounding success for ‘The Drivers Club’ as three of its members take home enormous winners’ trophies from one of motorsport’s toughest events.

Sam Hignett, Team Principal AMR Jota Sport: “All four drivers did an absolutely fantastic job to contend with the conditions and manage the electrical problem. This was the biggest modern day race that Simon, Joe and Roger have ever done and they were very professional and articulate with their feedback. I’d also like to say a massive thank you to the guys from Aston Martin Racing who worked tirelessly alongside us in the pit throughout the night. Dan Sayers (AMR’s GT4 project leader) was also back in the UK fielding telephone calls at 3am in the morning and the level of support they provided was first class.”

Sam Hancock: “I'm so proud of our team this weekend. While some of the boys have considerable 24 Hour experience, for others it was the first time and they were all amazing. If you put the electrical glitch to one side, there was not a single mechanical problem or mistake during the pit stops. They’ve worked every hour that god has sent since we took delivery of the car a few weeks ago and I hope that this win has made it all worthwhile. Every single person on the team from the mechanics and crew at the track, the girls in the office back at base, Pete our great physio, the catering staff and of course my co-drivers all deserve credit for the role they have played in this brilliant result. What a great start to our new chapter with Aston Martin Racing!"

British GT regulars Barwell-Cadena will be joined at this weekend’s Silverstone enduro by two other Aston Martin DBRS9's

Vantage Racing will début their brand new DBRS9 with Tom Black and 2009 Aston Martin Racing LMP1 driver Stuart Hall at the wheel. “The Silverstone race will be a good test for the car, which is completely new to us. Depending on how things go, we may look at doing more British GT races later on.” Said Vantage Racing Team Manager Hugh Chamberlain

Joining them will be Andrew Howard who will be partnered by Aston Martin works driver Darren Turner in the Beechdean-Barwell DBRS9. "It'll be great, The Cars aren't slow - they're close to GT2 pace - and there won’t be the same sort of pressure as in the GT1 World Championship or LMS" said Turner who will test the 2010 spec car before the event.

"Having done so well at Brands last season the target is to get a podium. We'll do Silverstone and hopefully Brands" said Howard who also plans to contest British GT in 2011 "If this goes well my intention is to do a full season in British GT in 2011 and maybe FIA GT3"

Unlike its rivals, the HEXIS AMR team had never tackled the daunting Spa-Francorchamps circuit before. Nonetheless, one of its Aston Martins came seventh in qualifying, and the other DB9 finished in the Top 5 in the main race! Both cars scored points in Belgium, so the French team was able to keep its place in the top half of the FIA GT1 World Championship ratings.

First taste of the daunting Spa-Francorchamps circuit

Spa is a town associated with taking the waters, and rain is part of the Francorchamps myth: it poured down during the free practice sessions and prequalifying on Thursday. On the HEXIS AMR team’s first outing at Spa, its two cars got into the top ten, but were unable to test any dry-weather setups for qualifying. And as luck would have it, the session took place in sunny weather on a dry track. A quick reminder of the system in force in the world championship, which consists of three sessions of 20, 15 and 10-minutes. At the end of each one, a third of the 24-strong field is eliminated. With so few reference points on such a demanding circuit, getting through Q1 would already have been a real feat. Frédéric Makowiecki not only did so, but he also set the fastest time in the first session, which was to remain the second-best time of the whole weekend! Jonathan Hirschi also got through. In Q2, Thomas Accary gave no. 9 twelfth place on the grid, which was satisfactory taking into account the circumstances and the quality of the field. Clivio Piccione put no. 10 among the 8 cars qualified for Q3. His team-mate Jonathan Hirschi then got back in the car and set the seventh-fastest time overall.

A glum Friday evening and a joyful Saturday afternoon!

The FIA GT1 World Championship rewards strategy and team work. Throughout the weekend, it is necessary to make the most of each driver’s potential and optimize tyre management, and there can be no errors when defining the setup or carrying out the obligatory pit stops. The timing of the fifth round of the world championship was special as it was part of the Total Spa 24-Hours meeting, and the qualifying race was scheduled for Friday afternoon. It ended in disappointment for the two HEXIS AMR driver line-ups. Thomas tagged another car on the exit from La Source hairpin, which caused a broken suspension joint, and the Accary-Makowiecki duo had to retire. No. 10 in the hands of Piccione-Hirschi did not manage to repeat its excellent qualifying performance and finished thirteenth.

The whole team got down to work to reverse the trend in the all-important 60-minute championship race. And it did so in style by bringing both its cars home in the top 10. Fred and Thomas in the red Aston made the best comeback of the event storming up from twenty-first to fifth, a gain of 16 places! After a fierce mid-field scrap, Jonathan and Clivio in the blue car scored the final point by moving up from thirteenth to tenth position.

“On our first outing at Spa, I think we can be proud of our performance,” summed up Philippe Dumas, the team manager. “Fred dialed in a super lap in Q1, and I’m sure that if Thomas had been able to run in the dry in free practice he’d have qualified for Q3 like Clivio, so Fred wouldn’t have been too far off pole. But our performance over a lap is the tree that hides the forest of the loss of performance of our tyres over the long runs. That’s the root of our problem, and we saw it during the qualifying race. It’s linked to the weight of the car and the performance balance, which doesn’t do Aston Martin any favours at the moment. It’s all the more flagrant as we were on a quick circuit, which, in theory should have given us an advantage. Luckily, thanks to everybody’s hard work we were able to fight back. The best solution was to be aggressive in qualifying and to sacrifice Friday’s race to achieve our objectives on Saturday.” And the cherry on the cake was the fact that HEXIS AMR repeated its Paul Ricard exploit: namely, the quickest pit stop for changing tyres and driver with Mako-Accary!

Results at a glance:

Aston Martin #9 Frédéric Makowiecki (F) Thomas Accary (F): 5th Overall
Aston Martin #10 Clivio Piccione (MON) Jonathan Hirschi (CH): 10th Overall

Young Driver AMR finished sixth in an eventful race of the GT1 World Championship at Spa-Francorchamps. Darren Turner (GB) and Tomas Enge (CZ) scored good championship points a with sixth place finished in their #7 Young Driver AMNR-Aston Martin DBR9, while Stefan Mücke (D) and Christoffer Nygaard (DK) in the #8 Young Driver AMR-Aston Martin DBR9 did not finish the race.

The main objective of Darren Turner und Tomas Enge this weekend was to collect Championship points and they archived their goal. Enge started from tenth position on the grid in the 60-minute race and lost one place in the beginning. The Czech handed over the Aston Martin to Turner in 11th position and a good pit stop by the Young Driver Team brought Turner out in ninth position. Turner gained three more positions and fought until the very last lap for the fifth position, before he eventually finished sixth.
For Stefan Mücke and Christoffer Nygaard in the #8 Young Driver AMR-Aston Martin DBR9 the streak of bad luck continued in the Belgian round of the World Championship. After starting from a promising third position, Nygaard got stuck between some competitors at the start and dropped down to sixth position. The Danish “Young Driver” fought for sixth position with a Maserati until the end of his stint, but at the end the Dane came out on top of that duel. A problem with a wheelnut at the driver changing pit stop cost valuable time and positions, as Stefan Mücke dropped to 11th. The German was back on the track fighting to get back into the top 10, when the #8 Young Driver-Aston Martin DBR9 received a “drive trough” penalty for pitlane speeding with only few minutes to go the race. Mücke came to pits to serve the penalty, but called it a day and concluded the race in the pit – without any chance of a good position.
The Young Driver AMR-team will be on track in four weeks for the “home race” at the Nürburgring!
Quotes of the Young Driver AMR drivers:

Tomas Enge (#7 Young Driver-Aston Martin DBR9): “Sixth place is o.k. for this weekend. Fifth would have been perfect, but sixth place means good points. At the start I was a little bit cautious and lost a few positions. After that I got stuck between some other cars and couldn’t get the opportunity to attack cars in front.”

Darren Turner (#7 Young Driver-Aston Martin DBR9): “We started the Qualifying Race yesterday from 18th position and worked our way forward to a respectable sixth place finish today, which is a pretty good progress. But the race showed that a change in the ‘Balance of Performance’ of the Aston Martin is more than necessary. Your quickest lap was about two second slower than the best lap of the race winner, and that even on a track that is supposed to be an ‘Aston Martin track’. We really made the best of what we had today, but the last two races showed that the ‘Balance of Performance’ of our car needs some adjustments. But after all, we scored good points today.”

Stefan Mücke (#8 Young Driver-Aston Martin): “During the pit stop, someone hit the button of the speed limiter by mistake. So when I went out of the pit, the speed limiter was not on. I immediately realized it and braked really hard, but I was too quick on the first few metres in the pit lane and got penalized. That was really a shame, because there was a Safety-Car late in the race, which bunched up the field and we really had the car to drive in the points ranks. When I received the drive trough penalty, I drove in the pits and didn’t continue, as there was no sense to drive at the very end of the field for the last couple of minutes.”

Christoffer Nygaard (#8 Young Driver-Aston Martin): “I stuck at the start between some other cars and lost a few position. Then I had a long one-on-one fight with a Maserati during the later part of my stint, which made me kind of crazy. That driver drove really strange and sometimes took some dangerous lines. But near the end of my stint I finally got him and passed succesfully.”

Hardy Fischer (Team principal Young Driver AMR). “Unfortunately we didn’t get a good result for either car today. All of our drivers drove great, but only Darren und Tomas were rewarded with points. Stefan and Christoffer had all the chances for a really great result, but again they had all bad luck one can imagine.”