Young Driver AMR scores top-ten result at the Nürburgring-Nordschleife

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.”