Young Driver AMR joins forces with Aston Martin Racing for Le Mans and Nürburgring 24hrs

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.