Qualifying Report

It was a very wet session with all drivers conscious of making sure they completed their mandatory three laps in the thirty minutes allocated. Vantage racing’s Tom Black in the number 24 machine set the early pace in the very difficult conditions. As the tyres came up to temperature and driver confidence increased the times began to fall seeing a number of different changes for the top spot but as the cars started to pit for driver changes it was still Tom Black with the provisional pole position. Pierre Mantello handed over the driving duties to Olivier Bouche in the number 22 car who instantly made an impression setting some fantastic lap times and taking the provisional pole.

Aston Martin chairman David Richards driving the Aston Martin Racing number 1 machine handed over to Phil Dryburgh who instantly showed his pace moving the car into second position. Paul Bartley in the Stratton Motors number 47 entry was putting in some impressive times and was fighting for the front row as well. Bouche then pitted to put on some new wet tyres just to make sure he held onto his pole position. Stuart Hall then put a solid lap together to take second place in the Stratton Motors number 91 car, which he shares with Chris Kemp. Third was the Aston Martin Racing entry of David Richards and Phil Dryburgh. Olivier Bouche and Pierre Mantello took a fantastic pole position and their first of the Aston Martin GT4 Challenge of Great Britain.


Race Report

Olivier Bouche started the race in the Stratton Motors with Immun`ge and Osato number 22 car, he lead the pack round on the green flag lap, doing a fantastic job in holding perfect pace as the 18 cars approached the line, the lights went out and Olivier led the field into turn one. Second was Paul Bartley in the Stratton Motors number 47 car; third was Chris Kemp in the Stratton Motors number 91 machine and the Aston Martin Racing number 1 entry of Phil Dryburgh was fourth. Phil managed to pass Chris Kemp on the second lap moving up to third, then Bolaji Odunsi in the Track-Club.com number 20 machine also managed to find a way passed the 91 car later on the same lap, moving Chris Kemp in the 91 car down to fifth. Phil Dryburgh continued his very fast race pace and managed to pass Paul Bartley on lap 3 moving car number 1 up to second position, he now set about trying to catch Olivier Bouche who had already created a very impressive 11 second lead over the rest of the pack.

The first of the 2 mandatory stops in this race was taken by Chris Kemp in car number 91 on lap 14, at this stage Olivier Bouche in car 22 had a 23 second lead over Phil Dryburgh in car number 1 and Paul Bartley in car 47 was in third position.

Kenneth Greenberg in the Stratton Motors number 62 entry was the next to pit followed by Sid Sadique in the number 88 machine.

On Lap 18 the leader pitted for the first of their mandatory pit stops handing the lead to Phil Dryburgh, in the Aston Martin Racing number 1 car. Next to pit was Paul Bartley in car 47 moving Bolaji Odunsi in car 20 up to second position and Tom Black in the Vantage Racing number 24 car up to third, Tom had fought his way through the field putting together some fantastic laps.

The 88 Racing entry of Sid Sadique had to pit again for a tyre change on lap 22 after running wide on the exit curbs at Luffield and having heavy contact with Olivier Bouche in car number 22. Olivier showed his excellent car control and managed to save his car from having a big accident. On lap 30 Chris Kemp in car 91 pitted for the first of the second round of pit stops handing over the driving duties to Stuart Hall.. Phil Dryburgh was still leading in car number 1 with Tom Black in car 24 now in second, third was the Mardis Gras number 5 car with Desmond Smail at the wheel.

Next to pit for a driver change was Paul Bartley in car 47 handing over to Stuart Patterson. Two laps later Sid Sadique pitted to hand over to Paul Whight who would take the number 88 car to the finish. Other cars then pitted for their driver changes including car 7 the MB Racing entry, with Paul Cripps handing over to Mike Brown and car number 5 with Desmond Smail handing over to Julian Reddyhough. Adrian Johnson also pitted in car 14 but as he was driving on his own he carried on with the driving duties.

On lap 41 Phil Dryburgh pitted from the lead in car number 1 and then on the very next lap pitted again handing over to David Richards completing both of the teams mandatory pit stops for this race. Tom Black, who was driving on his own for this race, completed his second mandatory pit stop in car number 24, he was followed on the next lap by Olivier Bouche the then leader pitting to hand over to Pierre Mantello in the number 22 car. The race was now starting to take shape as most of the pit stops had now been completed leaving Pierre Mantello in car 22 leading with David Richards in car number 1 second and Tom Black in car 24 third. The last to pit for their driver change was the Ultimate Speed number 56 entry with Tim Eakin handing over to Richard Taffinder.

On lap 51 Tom Black found a way passed the Aston Martin Racing entry of David Richards moving his Vantage Racing machine up to second, he then set about trying to catch Pierre Mantello, but with a lead of 43 seconds it was going to be hard for Tom to make up that much time with only about 20 minutes of the race left to run. Stuart Hall in car 91 the Stratton Motors entry was putting together some fantastic lap times and on lap 59 set the fastest lap of the race. Stuart was fighting his way through the field and had now got back up to seventh place.

With ten laps to go Pierre Mantello was leading in car 22, Tom Black was second in car 24 and was still reducing the gap to the leader, but there just wasn’t going to be enough time left for Tom to catch him. In third position was David Richards in car number 1, but on lap 65 David had a spin at Brooklands, in the now very greasy conditions, meaning that Stuart Patterson in car 47 inherited third place.

The checkered flag came out on lap 75 for Pierre Mantello and Olivier Bouche, in the Stratton Motors with Immun`age and Osato number 22 car, to claim an amazing victory. Tom Black in the Vantage Racing number 24 car had managed to race from tenth on the grid all the way up to second with an absolutely stunning drive. Third completing the podium spots with a very professional drive were the Stratton Motors number 47 entry of Paul Bartley, Stuart Patterson and Mark Walker. Fourth was the Aston Martin Racing entry of David Richards and Phil Dryburgh who had both driven brilliantly and fifth was the hard charging number 91 Stratton Motors entry of Chris Kemp and Stuart Hall.

It had been a very exciting race with all cars finishing in very difficult conditions, Pierre and Olivier both drove faultlessly to claim their first victory in the Aston Martin GT4 Challenge of Great Britain. The series now moves on to Oulton Park on the 12th May for another fantastic race in the beautiful Cheshire countryside.

Race Result

   1. 22 Pierre Mantello/Olivier Bouche - Stratton Motors with Immun`age Osato - 75 Laps
   2. 24 Tom Black - Vantage racing - 75 Laps
   3. 47 Stuart Patterson/Paul Bartley/Mark Walker - Stratton Motorsport - 75 Laps
   4. 1 David Richards/Phil Dryburgh - Aston Martin Racing - 75 Laps
   5. 91 Chris Kemp/Stuart Hall - Stratton Motors - 74 Laps
   6. 62 Kenneth Greenberg/Andreas Kramer - Stratton Motors - 74 Laps
   7. 56 Richard Taffinder/Tim Eakin - Ultimate Speed - 73 Laps
   8. 20 Bolaji Odunsi - TrackClub.com - 73 laps
   9. 7 Mike Brown/Paul Cripps - MB Racing - 73 Laps
  10. 14 Adrian Johnson - Adrian Johnson Racing - 73 Laps
  11. 5 Desmond Smail/Julian Reddyhough - Mardi Gras - 71 Laps
  12. 88 Sid Sadique/Paul Whight - 88 Racing - 71 Laps

Aston Martin Racing

Young Driver AMR makes strong progress on the perhaps most difficult and beautiful racetrack, the Nürburgring-Nordschleife, with it’s pair of Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3. In the third round of the German Endurance Championship (VLN), that is considered as dress rehearsal for the Nürburgring 24-hour race (17th to 20th May) and features a grid-size of almost 220 cars and works entries of Audi, BMW, Mercedes and Porsche, Young Driver AMR scored a top-ten result. Stefan Mücke (GER), Darren Turner (GBR), Tomas Enge (CZE) and Oliver Mathai (GER) finished tenth in a race, that was red-flagged ten minutes before it´s regular end, due to an accident on track. Ferdinand and Johannes Stuck (AUT), Dennis Rostek (GER) and Fredy Barth (SUI) in the Young Driver AMR-Aston Martin had bad luck and retired.

Young Driver AMR had a rapid start into the four-hour race on Saturday. After the qualifying took place on a damp track, the "Young Driver’s“ avoided any unnecessary risk, thus Darren Turner started from position 38. In a flying first race lap, Turner battled up to 21st position and was already 11th, when he handed over the Aston Martin to Oliver Mathai. The experienced German Nordschleife expert, who was followed by teammates Stefan Mücke and Tomas Enge as third and fourth drivers in the #37 Aston Martin, continued the strong run. After almost four hours, Tomas Enge finally secured a tenth position overall and 8th in class with spotless and perfectly running Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3, handicapped only by a stop&go-penalty in race-hour three.

The Stuck-brothers, Dennis Rostek and new addition Fredy Barth had bad luck in their second race with Young Driver AMR on the Nürburgring. After a promising performance 14 days ago, where they finished 13th in their maiden outing with the V12 Vantage in the “Green hell”, the #32 Aston Martin retired after four laps with an power steering-issue.

"I’m quite satisfied with our second start on the Nordschleife“, Young Driver AMR director Hardy Fischer said. "For the first time, we brought a pair of Aston Martin V12 Vantage to the Nordschleife and to finish tenth in this ultra-competitive field, is a strong result. Unfortunately we had a technical issue on our second car, otherwise I’m sure we would have scored a good result with both Aston Martin. Our latest team members, Oliver Mathai and Fredy Barth, proved themselves as a good addition to our Nürburgring 24-hour race driver squad. We made encouraging progress this weekend in terms of preparation for the Nürburgring 24-hour race in three weeks.”

Before Young Driver AMR will start into the 24-hour enduro on the infamous Nordschleife, the team travels to the Netherlands next weekend for the second round of the German ADAC GT Masters.

Driver quotes after the race:

Stefan Mücke: “I needed the first laps on the Nordschleife to get back into the rhythm of this track, as I for some time, I haven’t been racing here. But after a couple of laps, I really felt at home again. We learned a lot about the new car this weekend and made good progress. It was a good preparation for the 24-hour race.“

Darren Turner: “It’s very nice to be back with Young Driver AMR and it’s always nice to be back on the Nordschleife. The Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 is performing really well. The car is still early in its development, but it’s already impressive. Beside this, it was a normal VLN-weekend, where it’s difficult to get track time. You don’t do many laps on the track, but considering the long track, you do a lot of mileage at the end.“

Tomas Enge: “It feels good to be back with Young Driver AMR. I needed some laps to get used again to a front-engine car, as I usually race this year a mid-engine car. Unfortunately my stint was a bit shorter then planed, when the race was red-flagged. But nevertheless, it was a good preparation for the Nürburgring 24-hours.“

Oliver Mathai: “The Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 is a joy to drive. I drove the car for the first time this weekend and immediately felt comfortable. What impresses me most, is the enormous amount of downforce. I’m really pleased with my first start with Young Driver AMR. With Stefan, Darren and Tomas, I’m sure we form a great team for the 24-hour race.”

Johannes Stuck: "We had a pretty good run at the last round, but this time, a technical issue ended our race early. But this is racing. Once again, we proved that we have a good and quick car, which makes me optimistic for the 24-hour race.“

Ferdinand Stuck: For the second time, I drove the start of a VLN-race and it worked pretty well. Unfortunately, we then had a problem with the car. But as in the last race, we showed a good speed this weekend.“

Dennis Rostek: "We missed the chequered flag today, but overall it was a good weekend, as we made a lot of progress. Since our debut on the Nordschleife 14 days ago, Young Driver AMR and Aston Martin Racing did everything possible to further improve the car and we are heading in the right direction“

Fredy Barth: "This weekend marked not only my debut in the Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3, for the time I drove such a powerful car on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife. I felt very comfortable in car, but I still have to get used to the downforce and make the most out of it. After I drove most of the time this weekend on a wet or damp track and need now some time in the dry to get more trust in the Aston Martin.”

Aston Martin Racing will continue its FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) campaign at the second round of the series, the Six Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, in Belgium on 5 May. The V8-powered Vantage GTE, making its first competitive outing in Europe, will once again be driven by factory regulars Darren Turner (GB), Stefan Mücke (D) and Adrian Fernandez (MX).

The team will arrive at the historic circuit off the back of two encouraging outings in the WEC and American Le Mans Series (ALMS). On its competitive debut, the Gulf-liveried Vantage GTE scored third in the GTE Pro category on the WEC season opener at the 12 Hours of Sebring, Florida, in March. This was followed by fifth position on the ALMS qualifier at Long Beach, California, in mid-April; a fine achievement given that the team started at the back of the GTE field after qualifying was abandoned due to heavy rain.

The Spa circuit, now 4.352 miles in length, is no stranger to endurance racing having hosted a 24-hour race since the 1920s and a 1000km race since the 1950s, which Aston Martin won outright in both 1955 and 1957. In recent years, the Six Hours of Spa-Francorchamps (formerly referred to as the 1000km of Spa-Francorchamps) has provided the final opportunity for teams and drivers to prepare for the biggest race on the international endurance racing calendar, the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

John Gaw, Aston Martin Racing Team Principal, is looking forward to another strong showing from the #97 Vantage GTE: “We’ll arrive at Spa full of confidence that we can deliver another competitive performance. We made real progress with the Vantage GTE during its first two races at Sebring and Long Beach, so we’ll target another WEC podium come race weekend. The whole team is looking forward to racing in Europe again, particularly at a circuit with so much heritage. The Vantage GTE hasn’t yet raced on a track such as Spa, what with its long straights and high-speed corners, so I’m sure we’ll learn a lot about the car throughout the weekend which will be beneficial for the rest of the season.”

Works driver Turner said: “We’ve had two good races now with the Vantage GTE, taking strong results in both of them. The car is coming along well now and we understand more about its performance and characteristics every time we go out. Racing at Spa is usually a highlight of a driver’s season and it’s no different for me so I hope we can continue our good work there. After the two American races this one will be more akin to Le Mans, with regards to strategy and the long lap time. It will be good for the guys to readjust from the ALMS to the WEC regulations before we head off to Le Mans.”

Team-mate Mücke added: “Spa is one of my favorite tracks and I have many good memories of racing there in the past in the Aston Martin DBR1-2 prototype. The track has a good mixture of slow and fast corners in combination with long straights and a lot of full throttle periods, which all make it good preparation for Le Mans.”

Fernandez, making just his third competitive appearance in a production-based racing car, said: “I am truly excited to be racing for the first time at Spa. This is a track that I have always wanted to drive. It is one of the most challenging circuits in the world, a first-class facility and a favorite track for many drivers with the high speeds and elevation changes. It will be a good training ground for us in preparation for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. As for the season, we are off to fairly good start with a third and fifth-place finish in the Lowe’s Vantage GTE. For me personally, after testing and two races, I feel quite comfortable in the car. Everyone at Aston Martin has high expectations for this race, and I feel quite confident that we can continue to build on our momentum at Spa.”

The Six Hours of Spa-Francorchamps will witness the latest instalment in Aston Martin’s return to production-car derived motorsport. Having won the GT1 category at the 24 Hour of Le Mans in both 2007 and 2008 with the DB9-based DBR9, Aston Martin returned to the discipline for the 2012 season after three successful years in the prototype category. The new Vantage GTE, which shares its bonded aluminium structure and base engine with the V8

Vantage road car, has proven its considerable pace potential and durability on its first two competitive outings and continues to improve ahead of Aston Martin Racing’s two-car campaign at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Aston Martin Racing

Two are better then one: Young Driver AMR doubles the chances for the 24-hour race on the gruelling Nürburgring-Nordschleife (17th to 20th May) and enters a pair of new Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3. For the “Nürburgring 24”, Stefan Mücke (GER), Darren Turner (GBR) and Tomas Enge (CZE) return to Young Driver AMR. They are joined by Nürburgring-expert Oliver Mathai (GER). Also the driver line-up for the second Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 is now complete. Rapid Swiss man and former WTCC-racer Fredy Barth (SUI) joins Ferdinand and Johannes Stuck (AUT), sons of motorsport legend Hans-Joachim Stuck, and Dennis Rostek (GER). Young Driver AMR enters both Aston Martin in this weekend’s third round of the VLN Endurance Championship (28th April) at the Nürburgring-Nordschleife as a final rehearsal for the 24h-race in mid May.

The schedule is tight at this weekend’s final rehearsal for the 24h-race, as Saturday’s race is only four hours short. For the best possible preparation, both Young Driver AMR-Aston Martin will be driven by the same driver squad, that is going to race the two V12-powered Aston Martin in the 24h-race in the „Green Hell“. Young Driver AMR already collected valuable experience in the first test race on the Nordschleife two weeks ago, and used this experience together with Aston Martin Racing for further developments of the new-for-2012 Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3. Main topic for the second test race on the nearly 25 kilometre long track in the Eifel mountains is further development and fine tuning in the best possible way for the 24-hour endurance.

"I’m really happy to welcome back Stefan Mücke, Darren Turner and Tomas Enge in the team. In the last two years, we have been successful together and claimed five victories in the FIA GT1 World Championship and finished in the runner-up spot in the driver’s championship last season. They are teamed up with Oliver Mathai, a true Nordschleife- and Aston Martin-expert“, Young Driver AMR-team principal Hardy Fischer says. „I like also to welcome Fredy Barth to Young Driver AMR, who joins the Stuck-brothers and Dennis Rostek and completes a very serious line-up in our second car. With a strong line-up and an Aston Martin, which showed promising potential in the first test race, we are well prepared for the 24-hour race. We are proud to represent Aston Martin in the 24h-race with features maybe the strongest competition in it’s history, and your goal is to fight for a podium finish."

Driver line-up VLN Endurance Championship 28th April 2012:

#32: Ferdinand Stuck, Johannes Stuck, Dennis Rostek, Fredy Barth
#37: Stefan Mücke, Darren Turner, Tomas Enge, Oliver Mathai

The first test for the team Young Driver AMR in their preparation of the 24h Race at the Nürburgring Nordschleife (19th/20th May) finished successfully. The new Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 made its debut at the 4 Hour Race of the VLN endurance racing championship at the Nürburgring Nordschleife and the team Young Driver AMR was very happy last Saturday about a very promising debut at the most beautiful but at the same time most demanding race track of the world. Ferdinand and Johannes Stuck (both from Austria) together with Dennis Rostek (Porta-Westfalica/ Germany) finished into position 13 in their class and became 18th overall from amongst the just below 190 starters.

Under partly difficult track conditions with rain showers in some sections of the almost 25 kilometres long circuit, the Stuck brothers and Rostek had a race without any mistakes or problems. Main focus for the debut of the V12-Aston Martin at the Nordschleife was hereby put on gaining experience and collecting basic data on fuel consumption, suspension set-up, tyre wear and the specific conditions at the Nordschleife. “Everything went like clockwork”, said the happy Young Driver AMR team manager Hardy Fischer. “We completed the very first meters in the Aston Martin at the Nordschleife during the qualifying session on Saturday morning only and managed to finish the race without any kind of problem. It was a very good first test for the 24h Race and I am really happy.”

In preparation of the 24h Race in May, Young Driver AMR will contest another race at the ”Green Hell”, the third round of the endurance racing championship on 28th of April and their final test for the marathon race at the Eifel track.

Johannes Stuck: “I am very happy with today’s race. It was the first time for Ferdi to be the start driver at a round of the endurance racing championship and he has done a very good job. We have today completed the distance which we needed to get the right feeling with our car at the Nordschleife. I am positively surprised as the car has already achieved the level of performance which it should have. A big compliment to Aston Martin Racing and the team Young Driver AMR. We will now analyse and evaluate the collected data and have to work on some details.”

Ferdinand Stuck: “This was my first time to start a race at the Nordschleife. I must admit that this was something different compared to the ADAC GT Masters. The race itself was not easy. The weather conditions had been very difficult, furthermore there was some oil on the track, yellow flags and accidents. It took me some laps to get used to the new Aston Martin at the Nordschleife but I gained more and more confidence lap by lap. The distance covered under race conditions today was very important and we have gained a lot of experience.”

Dennis Rostek: “The Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 has a big potential, we were able to set very satisfying lap times right from the beginning in today’s race. This was a significant performance. We have to concentrate and work now on the usual details. I am, however, very happy and I am already looking forward to our next race. A big compliment to the Young Driver team around Hardy Fischer which has done a brilliant job for our first start at the Nordschleife. We have furthermore received a perfect support this weekend by our suspension partner KW. We were pretty close to the top ten today and even though we didn’t make it yet, we are not far away. If Aston Martin Racing and the team Young Driver AMR will be able to implement the experience gained this weekend until the next race, and I am convinced they will, we will move another big step forwards.”

GT Open regulars, Villois Racing will return to the series this year with their V8 Vantage GT2 before switching to the new V12 Vantage Super GT from the second round of the championship. The V12 Vantage Super GT will be built under the current GTE/GT2 rules and based of the new Vantage GTE, however the car will feature the Aston Martin's V12 engine rather than the normal V8 of the current GTE Vantage.

Villois were the first team to win with the GT2 spec Vantage at Brands Hatch in 2010 and will be looking to repeat their success in the 2012 season. Matteo Malucelli will return to the team with 2010 champion, Alvaro Barba completing the line up.

The Italian team will also enter the Aston Martin Racing Festival at Le Mans which will see Villois join over 30 other Aston Martins including two GT1 DBR9 and the new V12 Vantage GT3.

The GT Open season will get underway at Portimao April 29th.

Super GT300 team, Aspeed racing have taken delivery of their Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 which they will debut at Fuji for the second round of the Japanese Super GT championship.

The Vantage GT3 features a modified version of Aston Martin’s production 6.0 litre V12 engine found in the marque’s highly acclaimed sports cars. The dry-sumped engine is expected to produce 600 bhp with 700 Nm of torque and its position has been optimised further to improve weight balance. A carbon fibre propshaft mates the engine to a Xtrac 6 speed sequential transmission with semi-automatic paddle shift gear change.


Aspeed started the 2012 Championship with their V8 Vantage GT2 from last season whilst they waited for their GT3 spec car to be built by Aston Martin Racing. Aspeed’s Vantage is the fourth to be delivered after Beechdean and Young Driver AMR.

The ongoing development of Aston Martin Racing’s new V8-powered Vantage GTE took another significant step forward at Long Beach, California, over the weekend as the team scored a fine fifth in class at the second round of the 2012 American Le Mans Series (ALMS). A faultless and competitive performance from the Aston Martin Vantage-based racer – on just its second race outing – and factory drivers Darren Turner (GBR) and Adrian Fernandez (MX) saw the team narrowly miss out on an overall top-ten finish in the heavily manufacturer-backed series.

The two-hour street-circuit race was run under sunny skies, quite in contrast to the preceding sessions. Qualifying was abandoned after 15 minutes due to torrential rain with grid positions instead determined by championship points following the opening round of the series, the 12 Hours of Sebring, last month. Although Aston Martin Racing achieved a superb podium in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) category of the famous Floridian race, the team wasn’t registered to score ALMS points. The #007 Lowe’s Vantage GTE therefore started from the very back of the GTE field in 12th position – 27th overall – but battled through to fifth in class and 11th overall despite minimal dry running around the 1.968-mile circuit ahead of the race.

On top of such challenges, Turner had never before competed at Long Beach, while Fernandez was making just his second production-based race outing after his GTE debut at Sebring. The Briton started the race behind the wheel of the Gulf-liveried machine and quickly progressed through the field. A safety car interruption at the mid-point of the race gave the team the opportunity to switch drivers without losing ground to its rivals; Turner had already battled towards the top-half of the GTE field by the point of the driver change, with Fernandez now tasked with bringing the result home. At the Mexican’s local race – and in front of legions of dedicated fans – the GTE rookie overcame his minimal experience to match Turner’s lap times and pull off a daring overtaking manoeuvre with 15 minutes to run to climb to fifth in class.

John Gaw, Aston Martin Racing Team Principal, said: “We faced a huge challenge at the start of the race. As a result of the abandoned qualifying session and wet pre-race practice, we hadn’t managed much dry running at Long Beach and we started from the back of the field. Our drivers did an excellent job to prove just how competitive the Vantage GTE is, though, as they fought their way up the order. The pace of the car in what is effectively a sprint race is really very encouraging for the remainder of the WEC and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

“We learned an awful lot about the Vantage GTE over the course of the weekend while the drivers got lots of valuable seat-time in the new car. I’m delighted that the whole team put on such a strong show for the countless North American Aston Martin Racing fans and its encouraging to think that we may well have challenged for an ALMS podium had qualifying not been abandoned.”

The team will now fly back to Europe ahead of the their next competitive outing at Spa-Francorchamps (5 May), the second WEC race of the season.

Aston Martin Racing

Aston Martin Derby’s Paul Dunk and his wife Julie will tomorrow (Sunday) skydive in aid of Manchester's Christie Hospital. Donate £10 or more through Paul’s Just Giving page and you’ll have a chance to win two tickets to this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours which have been kindly donated by Travel Destinations. 

The Christie Charity raises funds to help provide additional services and undertake vital research for our cancer patients. As one of Europe’s leading cancer centres, treating more than 40,000 patients a year every penny really does count.

http://www.justgiving.com/paul-dunk

 In unseasonably wet conditions, qualifying for the second American Le Mans Series (ALMS) round of 2012 at Long Beach, California, was abandoned as the waterlogged street circuit became too treacherous for competitive action. With grid positions therefore determined by ALMS championship points, Aston Martin Racing’s #007 Vantage GTE will start from the back of the GTE field for Saturday’s two-hour race by dint of having been registered for FIA World Endurance Championship points – rather than ALMS points – at the season opener at the 12 Hours of Sebring last month.

The qualifying session started in dry conditions, during which time factory driver Darren Turner (GBR) was able to elevate the team to second in class. The rain arrived shortly after, however, and the race officials took the decision to abandon the session and instead determine grid positions on ALMS points.

As a result, Aston Martin Racing looks forward to an exciting race in the Lowe’s backed car and an opportunity to prove the V8-powered Vantage GTE’s competitive pace and durability against the world’s leading production-based racing cars.

John Gaw, Aston Martin Racing Team Principal, said: “It’s a pity that the rain arrived when it did because we were setting a very competitive pace in the early stages of qualifying. Rather than starting the race towards the front of the GTE field, we’ll instead start towards the back, but I’m confident that we can work our way back up through the field tomorrow. The race looks as though it’ll be dry, and with most teams only having covered a single flying lap in the dry this week, the race on this tricky street circuit will be exciting and we are fully prepared to fight hard right from the start.”

Wet conditions had also prevailed for the pre-race practice session, during which Aston Martin Racing drivers Turner and Adrian Fernandez (MX) each familiarised themselves with the unforgiving 1.968-mile Californian circuit. Despite the challenging conditions and the drivers sensibly taking no risks, they were able to lap the circuit fifth quickest of all the GTE competitors.

Saturday’s two-hour race is expected to be run in drier conditions as it gets underway at 1630hrs (PDT).

Aston Martin Racing

Aston Martin Racing will return to production-derived motorsport at the 24 Hours of Le Mans (16/17 June) with a pair of V8-powered Vantage GTEs. Works drivers Darren Turner (GBR), Stefan Mücke (D) and Adrian Fernandez (MX) will crew the lead Vantage GTE in the GTE Pro category, while Aston Martin Racing’s long-established partner team Young Driver AMR will join forces with the factory outfit to run the second car in the GTE Am class.

The factory’s partnership with Young Driver AMR has proven highly successful in the past; six outright race wins in the fiercely competitive FIA GT1 World Championship since 2010 serves to highlight just how formidable the association has been, while the driver pairing of Turner and Mücke finished a close second in the Drivers’ standings of the same series in 2011 under Young Driver AMR’s guidance.

The decision to incorporate Young Driver AMR into the factory team for Le Mans gives 26-year-old Christoffer Nygaard the opportunity to prove his talent at sportscar racing’s highest level. 2009 Le Mans class winner Kristian Poulsen and five-time Le Mans competitor Allan Simonsen, himself a former Aston Martin racer, complete the all-Danish driver line-up for the second Vantage GTE.

John Gaw, Aston Martin Racing team principal, said: “When we last competed in the GT category at Le Mans, we dominated our class for two consecutive years in 2007 and 2008. Aston Martin Racing has long been a force to be reckoned with in GT motorsport, so we’ve set ourselves typically high targets for Le Mans this year. We’re confident that our GTE Pro crew can score a strong result following its podium at the 12 Hours of Sebring in the WEC and we’re expecting Nygaard, Poulsen and Simonsen to finish on the GTE Am podium at the very least.

“I’m thrilled to welcome the Danish trio into the team. Upwards of 50,000 race fans make the pilgrimage from Denmark to Le Mans each year and I hope they will cheer us on throughout the 24 hours. Our partnership with Young Driver AMR is one of our most valued so to be teaming up for the world’s most famous race is very exciting indeed.”

In addition to the Le Mans-programm, Young Driver AMR will also represent Aston Martin at the Nürburgring 24 hour race and will enter an Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3. The new Aston Martin will be driven by Ferdinand and Johannes Stuck, Dennis Rostek and a yet to be confirmed fourth driver. In preperation for the “N24” at the grueling “green hell”, Young Driver AMR will compete in two VLN rounds at the Nürburgring-Nordschleife, starting with this weekend´s three-hours race.

Young Driver AMR will continue its partnership with the factory as it contests the thriving ADAC GT Masters series in Germany with a pair of V12-powered Vantage GT3s.

 Aston Martin Racing will return to production-derived motorsport at the 24 Hours of Le Mans (16/17 June) with a pair of V8-powered Vantage GTEs. Works drivers Darren Turner (GBR), Stefan Mücke (D) and Adrian Fernandez (MX) will crew the lead Vantage GTE in the GTE Pro category, while Aston Martin Racing’s long-established partner team Young Driver AMR will join forces with the factory outfit to run the second car in the GTE Am class.

The factory’s partnership with Young Driver AMR has proven highly successful in the past; six outright race wins in the fiercely competitive FIA GT1 World Championship since 2010 serves to highlight just how formidable the association has been, while the driver pairing of Turner and Mücke finished a close second in the Drivers’ standings of the same series in 2011 under Young Driver AMR’s guidance.

The decision to incorporate Young Driver AMR into the factory team for Le Mans gives 26-year-old Christoffer Nygaard the opportunity to prove his talent at sportscar racing’s highest level. 2009 Le Mans class winner Kristian Poulsen and five-time Le Mans competitor Allan Simonsen, himself a former Aston Martin racer, complete the all-Danish driver line-up for the second Vantage GTE.

John Gaw, Aston Martin Racing team principal, said: “When we last competed in the GT category at Le Mans, we dominated our class for two consecutive years in 2007 and 2008. Aston Martin Racing has long been a force to be reckoned with in GT motorsport, so we’ve set ourselves typically high targets for Le Mans this year. We’re confident that our GTE Pro crew can score a strong result following its podium at the 12 Hours of Sebring in the WEC and we’re expecting Nygaard, Poulsen and Simonsen to finish on the GTE Am podium at the very least.

“I’m thrilled to welcome the Danish trio into the team. Upwards of 50,000 race fans make the pilgrimage from Denmark to Le Mans each year and I hope they will cheer us on throughout the 24 hours. Our partnership with Young Driver AMR is one of our most valued so to be teaming up for the world’s most famous race is very exciting indeed.

“The GTE Am category is important to us because we want to show what our partner teams will be able to achieve with the Aston Martin Vantage GTE from 2013 onwards. The car has already shown considerable promise and we’ll continue to improve it during our forthcoming WEC and ALMS outings.”

The factory team’s preparations for endurance racing’s crowning event will continue at the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) qualifier at Long Beach, California, this weekend, followed by the second FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) round at Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium, on 5 May. Aston Martin Racing will also compete in the ALMS qualifier at Laguna Seca on 12 May and attend the official Le Mans test on 3 June in preparation for the celebrated 24-hour race. The team’s return to the GT class at Le Mans coincides with the Aston Martin Festival, which will witness up to 50 of the marque’s competition cars racing at La Sarthe on the morning of the 24-hour epic in an exclusive 45-minute race.

Young Driver AMR will continue its partnership with the factory as it contests the thriving ADAC GT Masters series in Germany with a pair of V12-powered Vantage GT3s.

Aston Martin Racing

Young Driver AMR returns this year to Le Mans with a new and so far secret top-notch driver pairing. Two years after the Aston Martin-team scored a podium finish in the GT1-class on it’s Le Mans-debut, Young Driver AMR returns to “La Sarthe” with its Gulf liveried Aston Martin DBR9 and the infamous „not so Young Driver’s“. “We needed a bit change, so we will attack at the Aston Martin Racing Festival with our ‘not so Young Drivers’", Young Driver team principal Hardy Fischer explains. The "not so Young Driver’s" are Young Driver AMR-Co-Founder Jan Struve and Young Driver AMR-Consultant and former Formula 1-driver Jacob “Jac” Nellemann, who will take on the inaugural Aston Martin Racing Festival in an Aston Martin DBR9. The Aston Martin Racing Festival will take place on 16th June in Le Mans as a prelude to the 80th running of the 24h of Le Mans.

"Our competitors better take care when the ‚not so Young Driver’s ‚ hit the track", Jan Struve laughs. "After we can’t race our Aston Martin DBR9 in the FIA GT1 World Championship any more after a rule change, it is a fantastic opportunity to race this car in the Aston Martin Racing Festival at Le Mans. I’m a great fan of the 24h of Le Mans and to take part in a race on the genuine ’Circuit le la Sarthe’ just before the main race, is a little dream come true. I’m sure that we will enter the car with a big smile and will step out of it with an even bigger smile. We may not be the youngest drivers out there and perhaps not the quickest, but we will for sure have the most fun."

Jan Struve (left) with Jac Nellemann

"The opportunity to compete in the Aston Martin Racing Festival together with my good friend Jan Struve is certainly one of the highlights in my racing career", says Jac Nellemann, who was successful on European racetracks in the 1970s und 1980s and most recently won the inaugural race of the GT4 Cup in Silverstone 2007 for Aston Martin. „Being ‚not so Young’ just adds to the whole experience, and I am sure Jan and I will have a lot of fun on the track with our fellow Aston Martin participants."

"Being the team-principal, I have to check the lap times, whether it’s a Young Driver or a ‘not so Young Driver’ and will be at the pit wall with the stopwatch", Young Driver AMR-Team principal Hardy Fischer says with a smile. „Because you never know, maybe we will find our next drivers within our own team."
 

Young Driver AMR

Aston Martin Racing’s V8-powered Vantage GTE will make its second competitive outing on round two of the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) at Long Beach, California, on 14 April. The team will compete in the two-hour street circuit race in a bid to continue the development of its FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) contender in preparation for the forthcoming Six Hours of Spa-Francorchamps and the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June.

Aston Martin Racing is well acquainted with the ALMS having competed in the series with the DBR9 GT1 car in 2005 and 2006 and more recently winning the Laguna Seca round outright in 2011 with the DBR1/2 LMP1 prototype. In line with the factory outfit’s return to production-based motorsport for 2012, the team will run in the heavily manufacturer supported GT category at Long Beach with its sights set on a reliable, competitive performance.

John Gaw, Aston Martin Racing Team Principal, said: “It’s always a pleasure to compete in this high profile event at the home of Aston Martin in North America. The Long Beach street race is a highlight of the calendar and we look forward to hosting many guests from our sponsor, Lowe’s. Our aim is a competitive and reliable performance, but another podium result is certainly not out of the question. A street race is always a bit of a lottery and we’ve not had much testing time, but we will arrive on the back of a strong performance at Sebring with experienced drivers and a competitive car.”

Factory drivers Darren Turner (GBR) and Adrian Fernandez (MX) will share the Vantage GTE at Long Beach. While Turner is an experienced GT racer having twice won the GT1 class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Aston Martin Racing, Fernandez is new to the discipline having spent the vast majority of his career in open-wheelers and prototypes; he’ll use the Long Beach outing to further familiarise himself with the unique challenge of GT racing having already shown himself to be highly competitive on his GTE debut at the 12 Hours of Sebring in March.

Ahead of his Long Beach debut, Turner said: “We had a good race at Sebring; to even get a finish in the car’s first 12-hour race was fantastic but to also take a podium and show good pace was great. I haven't actually raced at Long Beach before and I've heard it's a challenging street circuit so I'm really looking forward to racing there and also enjoying the special Long Beach atmosphere that I have heard so much about.”

Team-mate Fernandez added: “I am excited to be back racing in Long Beach. This is a fantastic event with tremendous crowds and atmosphere. Obviously, this year will be a completely new experience for me in the #007 Lowe’s Vantage GTE. With the race at Sebring and our recent tests, I have logged a lot of miles and have really progressed on my learning curve in this type of car. It will be an entirely different ballgame with 35 cars on the tight street circuit, but all of us at Aston Martin Racing have a lot of confidence going into the race. The car has been performing extremely well and if we can stay out of trouble, I think we can have another strong finish.”

The 1.968-mile Long Beach street circuit is particularly challenging for its bumpy surface and unforgiving walls, which leave no margin for error. Aston Martin Racing’s second outing of the season comes weeks after the Vantage GTE scored a WEC podium on its competitive debut at the 12 Hours of Sebring. The shorter, two-hour Long Beach race will place more emphasis on outright race pace rather than durability, offering a whole new challenge for both the team and car.

The team’s next WEC race will be the Six Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium, on 5 May, before its next ALMS outing at Laguna Seca on 12 May. Qualifying gets underway at 1720hrs (PDT) on Friday, 13 April, with the two-hour race due to start at 1630hrs on Saturday, 14 April.

Aston Martin Racing

Hamburg Racing Team uses the VLN endurance racing championship as an opportunity to prepare for the 24 Hour Race at the Nürburgring. Nobody could however have expected that the first round would already turn out to be the such a tough test due to weather conditions in the Eifel region. The two professional race drivers José Manuel Balbiani and Juan Manuel Silva from Argentina got to the see full characteristic of Nürburgring. Rain, cold wind and fog were the made for a very difficult race at the Nordschleife. The Argentinean driver duo nevertheless managed to show a good performance in their Aston Martin Vantage V8 GT4. “It was definitely not easy but they both have done a brilliant job”, said team manager Michael Budde full of praise. In practice already, the two drivers experienced in an impressive way how it feels when the track gets faster and faster towards the end of the session. Whilst the track was still wet in the morning due to the rain in the night, the fastest lap times were set in the last minutes of the timed practice session. The team was nevertheless aware that the starting position would play a minor part at the 4 Hour Race. It was much more important that the two drivers could complete constant lap times and refrain from getting involved into too close battles. The team was rewarded for their hard work with fifth position in class. “I am really happy with this start, especially as our second car finished in a good class position, too”, said Budde. The teams second Aston Martin Vantage V8 GT4 driven by Kim Hauschild, Karl Pflanz and Frank Borkowsky. Juan Manuel Silva, too, was racing in order to gain more experience. The driver quartet were please with their ninth class position, considering that Kim Hauschild lost almost one lap when he had to complete almost half a lap on three wheels to come to the pits after a puncture. “It is only a pity that could not complete the full race distance,” said Budde as the race was stopped upon instruction of Race Control after about two and a half hours. The visibility at the section ‘Döttinger Höhe’ had become so bad due to extremely heavy fog. In combination with the rain and the resulting strong spray, the situation had become too dangerous for all involved. “I hope that we will have a considerably better weather after Easter so that we can further pursue our aims”, said Budde. The second round of the VLN endurance racing championship will start on 14th April already. HRT Performance considers participating there with one Aston Martin Vantage V8 GT4 and with one Porsche 997 GT4. Image: VLN

Valmon Racing Team Russia will represent Aston Martin in the 2012 FIA GT World Championship which gets underway at Nagaro this weekend.

Run by 2011 FIA GT3 team, LMP Motorsport who will campaign the cars in partnership with Aston Martin Racing the team will start the season with two Aston Martin DBRS9s before switching to the new V12 Vantage GT3 later in the year. Austrian Andreas Züber will be joined by Sergey Afanasyev in the lead car with Alexey Vasilyev and his yet to be confirmed team mate in the second car.

Valmon Racing Team Russia supported by Villois Racing will also compete in the FIA GT3 round at Nagaro with 2011 Le Mans LMP2 class winner Tom Kimber-Smith and Natalia Freidina.

2012 FIA GT1 World Championship

6th - 9th April: Nogaro, France
20th - 22nd April: Zolder, Belgium
26th - 27th May: Navarra, Spain
8th - 10th June: Slovakia Ring, Slovakia
6th - 8th July: Algarve, Portugal
24th - 25th August: Beijing Goldenport, China
30th August - 2nd September: Ordos, China
14th - 16th September: Korean International Circuit, Korea (*)
29th - 30th September: Moscow, Russia (*)
30th November - 2nd December: Delhi, India

2012 FIA GT3 European Championship

6th - 9th April: Nogaro, France
20th - 22nd April: Zolder, Belgium
26th - 27th May: Navarra, Spain
6th - 8th July: Algarve, Portugal
29th - 30th September: Moscow, Russia (*)
5th – 7th October: Zandvoort, Netherlands
(*) TBC by April 15th

Following the success in its inaugural year, Aston Martin Racing’s pioneering Global Challenge has returned for the 2012 motorsport season. The Challenge enables all of Aston Martin Racing’s customer teams and drivers across the globe – contesting a great variety of motorsport series – to compete against one another in a bid to be crowned 2012 Global Challenge champions.

Any team competing with an Aston Martin Racing built GT car – ranging from the newly updated Vantage GT4 to the now-superseded double Le Mans winning DBR9 GT1 – in a recognised championship is eligible to score Global Challenge points. The victors will be announced during an end of season awards ceremony at Aston Martin’s prestigious Gaydon headquarters.

John Gaw, Aston Martin Racing Managing Director, praised the innovative scheme: “A gentleman driver competing in the Aston Martin GT4 Challenge of Great Britain – which is also returning for 2012 – can do battle with a seasoned FIA GT1 World Championship campaigner, for example, without ever sharing the same piece of asphalt. This unique scheme adds an extra level of intrigue for our customer teams and drivers, rewarding the most successful for their performances over the course of the season without favouring one series over another.”

Points are awarded depending on class position come the end of a race. A class win scores 25 Global Award Challenge, with second earning 18 points, down to a single point for tenth in class in accordance with the FIA’s points structure. Teams will only score points for their best-placed car, meaning that one-car teams stand the same chance in the Global Challenge as a multi-car team.

The only major revision to the programme from last season is a multiplying factor depending on the duration of the race to reward performances in longer endurance events. Any race lasting between two and six hours is subject to a two-times multiplier; races up to 12 hours are subject to a three-times multiplier; and races between 12 and 24 hours are subject to a four-times multiplier. The factors apply to both the Driver and Team categories.

In 2011, no fewer than 182 drivers in 25 series competed for the Aston Martin Racing Global Challenge. Competition in the Driver category was so fierce that two drivers were crowned joint winners; Spanish and Portuguese GT Championship racers Francisco Carvalho and Miguel Ferreira shared the laurels, while Veloso Motorsport collected honours in the Team category.

Aston Martin

Young Driver AMR had a promising start into the 2012 ADAC GT Masters season with its pair of brand new Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3. At the series season opener at Oschersleben near Magdeburg, Kristian Poulsen (DK) and Christoffer Nygaard (DK) finished 8th in the first race, which gave Poulsen an outright victory in the amateur championship of the ADAC GT Masters. In the second heat, Poulsen stepped again on the amateur podium in second position and finished 16th overall along with Nygaard. Ferdinand (A) and Johannes Stuck (A), sons of motorsport legend Hans-Joachim Stuck, showed a strong race pace, but were handicapped by a penalty in the second raced and finished 15th. In the first race, the Stuck-bros retired.

In the more then 40 car strong grid of the ADAC GT Masters, both Young Driver AMR-Aston Martin V12 Vantage had a promising start in the season. During the Qualifying, all four drivers qualified in the mid field. „The V12 Vantage GT3 and the Yokohama tires used in the ADAC GT Masters are entirely new ground for us“, Young Driver AMR team principal Hardy Fischer explained. „But we made good progress in every session, which leaves me very optimistic.“

Saturday’s first race started on a damp track, but Poulsen and Nygaard decided for slick tires. That was a perfect call and the light blue Aston Martin finished 8th after staring 23rd, while the sister car of the Stuck-Bros retired with an electronic issue.

In Sunday second race, Poulsen and Nygaard finished 11th after starting 29th, but a late time-penalty after a contact with a BMW moved them back to 16th position. Ferdinand and Johannes Stuck, who were also handicapped by a penalty after a contact, finished 15th after starting from 27th position.

“I’m not too unhappy with our first weekend in the ADAC GT Masters“, Hardy Fischer said. „We made good progress and had competitive lap times in both races. The only thing, which causes us some headaches, is he current „Balance of Performance“, as I don’t think the Aston Martin has a fair balance yet. I really hope the results from Oschersleben will be analysed by the organisers and I hope for corrections until the next round in Zandvoort.”

Ferdinand Stuck (#32 Young Driver AMR Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3): „We started this weekend in a new team, with a new car and also a had a new tire. There was a lot to learn for us, but it really went well. The team is very strong and made a perfect job this weekend. That makes me very optimistic for the next round.“

Johannes Stuck (#32 Young Driver AMR Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3): „We made good progress during the weekend, but I’m not too happy, as in both races, we couldn’t beat our teammates. For the next race in Zandvoort we have to minimize our small personal errors and will fight back with the experience we collected at Oschersleben.“

Christoffer Nygaard (#33 Young Driver AMR Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3): „The weekend was at the end much better then expected. To start the season in the point ranks in a 40 car strong field is not too bad. At moment, we are lacking about 20km/h top speed on the straights, because of the ‚Balance of performance’ that should equal the performance of the different cars and I really hope that this will be reviewed before the next round.”

Kristian Poulsen (#33 Young Driver AMR Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3): „The first weekend in ADAC GT Masters with Young Driver AMR and Aston Martin was a lot of fun. In every session, we improved. I’m really impressed by the team, they did a very good job. The victory and the second place in the amateur championship is a great way for me to start the season.“

Over the course of last weekend, Aston Martin Racing’s partner teams represented the marque across five separate motor racing series, racking up no fewer than four podium results. Three variations of the Vantage racing car scored two class victories over one weekend of fiercely competitive motorsport action.

The first of the class victories came at the opening round of the Nürburgring-based VLN series as Team Mathol Racing’s Vantage GT4 prevailed in the SP10 category, continuing where it left off last season having dominated the GT4 class in the ten-race VLN endurance series. The V12-engined Vantage GT3, meanwhile, made its competitive debut in the thriving ADAC GT Masters series at Oschersleben, Germany, in the hands of Young Driver AMR with the pairing of Christoffer Nygaard and Kristian Poulsen scoring victory in the amateur class in the first of two races. Further podium results followed in VLN, with Aston Martin’s own test centre team scoring second and third in the SP8 category with a Vantage GT3 and GT4 respectively. Multimatic Motorsports rounded out a successful weekend for Aston Martin Racing’s partner teams with second overall in the North American Grand-Am series.

In partnership with the Toronto-based outfit, Aston Martin contested the second round of the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge at Barber Motorsports Park, Alabama, with a pair of Grand Sport class Vantage GT4s. The #55 car of series regulars Joe Foster and Scott Maxwell missed out on its maiden Grand-Am victory by a scant 0.5 seconds after two and a half hours of competition. The result bodes well for the remainder of the 11-round championship, which sees Aston Martin do battle with six- and eight-cylinder GT racers on its return to domestic competition in North America.

The second Multimatic-run Vantage GT4 of Hollywood movie star Patrick Dempsey and open-wheeler veteran Tonis Kasemets was unfortunately sidelined after being involved in an incident on lap three. The third round of the championship will be run at the Homestead Miami Speedway on April 28, with the team targeting the top step of the podium.

Aston Martin’s partnership with Young Driver AMR yielded six race wins in the FIA GT1 World Championship during 2010 and 2011, so its was fitting that the German squad should have the privilege of giving the new Vantage GT3 its competitive debut as the relationship progresses to encompass a full ADAC GT Masters programme. The driver pairing of Ferdinand and Johannes Stuck – sons of celebrated German racer Hans-Joachim Stuck – missed out on a top-ten result after being handed a five second penalty after race two, instead netting 16th in the highly competitive series.

Nygaard and Poulsen, meanwhile, proved the Vantage GT3’s potential with eighth in race one – during which the crew also prevailed in the amateur category – and 11th in race two. Young Driver AMR now looks ahead to round two of the series on May 5/6 at Zandvoort in the Netherlands.

The Nürburgring has become a second home for Aston Martin’s Vantage, the most sporting car in the marque’s model line up. The V8-powered coupe has competed at the punishing German circuit since 2006; its championship glory in the VLN series in the hands of Team Mathol Racing last year proved the car’s enduring competitive qualities. Victory in round one of the 2012 championship for Team Mathol Racing suggests that the outfit will mount a stern title defence this season. Of the top nine SP10 class finishers at the opening VLN race, five were Aston Martin Vantage GT4s.

John Gaw, Managing Director of Aston Martin Racing, said: “I’m delighted at the results this weekend from all our partner teams, including those in Grand-Am, but of particular significance were those of Young Driver AMR on the race debut of the new Vantage GT3. Winning the amateur class first time out was really important to us as one of the design principles of the car was to make it easy to drive for all standards of driver.

“The second main design principle of the new Vantage GT3 was to build a car that does not need expensive upgrades annually to increase performance. We ran this weekend with the most recent version of the FIA Balance Of Performance criteria, which added weight to the car and restricted the engine’s performance. Therefore, the Vantage GT3 clearly has lots more potential and we’ll continue to work with the FIA to achieve the correct Balance Of Performance.”

David King, Aston Martin’s Head of Motorsport, added: “To have three different racing versions of Vantage, including the brand new V12 Vantage GT3, performing so strongly at the start of the season is a stunning endorsement of the capabilities of the base road car. Aston Martin's super-stiff and lightweight bonded aluminium platform and ideal weight distribution makes the perfect base for a competitive race car – most clearly demonstrated by the continuing success of the almost standard Vantage GT4."

Aston Martin was also represented in the Japanese Super GT series at Okayama and the European Le Mans Series at the Six Hours of Le Castellet, France. Triple A and Gulf Racing AMR each campaigned a Vantage GT2 – the predecessor to the Vantage GTE that forms the basis of Aston Martin Racing’s factory FIA World Endurance Championship campaign – with the former scoring 11th in class and the latter a fine fourth in the GTE Am category, despite a 25 minute delay following a collision with a prototype racer.

The Vantage GT3 will make its UK debut this Easter weekend in the hands of Beechdean Motorsport at Oulton Park as it tackles round one of the Avon Tyres British GT Championship. The factory Aston Martin Racing team, meanwhile, will compete in the second of its three scheduled American Le Mans Series races at Long Beach, California, on April 14 with the works Vantage GTE.

Aston Martin

Multimatic Motorsports principal Larry Holt talks about the team's transition from Mustang Boss 302R to Aston Martin Vantage in GS as well as running the Ford Focus ST-R in ST in Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge.