Barwell Motorsport is renewing its historically successful association with the Aston Martin Racing marque this season, as it challenges for success in both the GT3 and GT4 categories of the Aston Martin Festival race at Le Mans on June 16th – the main Saturday morning support event for the 24 Hours. The Festival race event

features cars from the Aston Martin Racing stable across the board of the internationally recognised GT1, GT2, GT3 and GT4 classes.

From 2006 to 2011 we scored multiple race wins and podiums in international GT3 championships across Europe, plus two British GT titles, with the venerable Aston Martin DBRS9, and Barwell will now be taking this 6-litre V12 GT3 beauty to the famous 8.5 mile Le Sarthe track to further enrich our association with the marque. It is the Paul Whight-owned chassis (No.019) that will be competing in the 45-minute AMR Festival race, with Paul and Barwell MD, Mark Lemmer, sharing the driving duties. This is the car that we ran under the Barwell-Cadena banner for Paul during the 2010 season (claiming podiums in both British GT and Spanish GT), and then last year claimed fourth place in the Belcar Endurance Series with Barwell-Petronas drivers Jeffrey van Hooydonk and Tim Verbergt, as well as a top 10 Pro-Am finish at Spa 24 Hours during our first association with Ecurie Ecosse. The Le Mans race will thus be another significant highlight in the successful and colourful history of Chassis DBRS9-019.

In the GT4 class we are delighted to announce that we will be ramping up the international flavour of our team, by running American drivers Fred Schrader and Kevin Buckler in a 2011-spec Vantage GT4. Fred is no stranger to the Vantage GT4 as he races his own car successfully in the USA, whilst it will also be very exciting for us to have Kevin aboard – who owns highly respected US racing team, The Racers Group (TRG), which won the GT2 class of the 2002 Le Mans 24 Hours (with Kevin as one of the drivers).

Mark Lemmer: “It will be an absolute privilege to share with Paul Whight in his fantastic V12 DBRS9 for this superb event. I’ve been involved with the DBRS9 since the project was started by AMR in 2005, so this is a great way to sign off our association in style. The last time I drove around Le Mans was in Mark Finburgh’s awesome Ford GT40 a few years ago, when we scored a podium finish in the pre-’70 Le Mans Legend sportscar race, but hopefully I won’t be too rusty!”

Paul Whight: “Getting my DBRS9 out of retirement to race with Mark in front of those huge crowds at Le Mans will be great fun. This has proven to be a superb race car over the past 5 years and Barwell have always proven that they had the edge on car prep and set-up – even if they didn’t always have the drivers! I am looking forward to it immensely.”

Fred Schrader: “Wow! What an honour to be racing with such a famous marque on this historic course . My hat’s off to the Barwell boys and AMR for making this happen, and letting a couple of ‘Yanks’ come over and play on your side of the pond. I am proud to have my good buddy and fellow vintner Kevin as my co-driver. We are known stateside as the tortoise and the hare... I'll let you guess who's da hare !!”


Kevin Buckler: “Returning to Le Mans with a great friend as my co-driver and the storied Aston Marque will be something really special. We have had some amazing moments and good runs at the epic 24-hour event and this will add to it in so many ways. It will be a real honour to drive with Fred and for Barwell Motorsport and I hope we can make some history of our own. Fred and I will be ready!!”
Barwell Motorsport

Villois Racing will debut their new Aston Martin Vantage Super GT at the famous Nurburgring circuit in Germany for round two of the International GT Open.

Aston Martin Racing has built a unique V12 Vantage for the Super GT class which will be delivered directly to the circuit prior to the race.

Villois had promising start to their 2012 season will Alvaro Barba and Matteo Malucelli finishing on the podium at Portimão, however the Nurburgring will be a challenge for mechanics, engineers and Drivers, as it will be the first time any of them will have worked with the new car. Friday practice will be dedicated to test the new components, operating temperatures, mechanical and aerodynamic balance.

“It will be difficult but the both, Villois Racing and Aston Martin staff motivation is very high” said Chicco Villois “The project also involved everyone from beginning, there will be to some long nights, but that’s nothing to worry about. This weekend we will write a new Italian chapter of history for the British brand….!”

During a weekend in which the ADAC Zurich Nürburgring 24 Hours proved that it’s still every bit as challenging as ever, Aston Martin has successfully conducted a valuable testing exercise for its new-for-2012 V12 Vantage GT3 racing car, whilst its engineering department and customer race teams racked up three podium finishes across two classes.

In partnership with its motorsport arm, Aston Martin Racing, and long-standing partner team, Young Driver AMR, Aston Martin entered a pair of V12 Vantage GT3s into this most gruelling of endurance races to further the development of the new Vantage-based racer. Having competed in the Nürburgring 24 Hours every year since 2006, this would represent the marque’s first foray into the headlining SP9 category for GT3 cars, making this Aston Martin’s most ambitious campaign at the 24-hour epic to date.

The two V12 Vantage GT3s were crewed by professional driver line-ups, made up of Aston Martin Racing factory driver Stefan Mücke (D), Tomas Enge (CZ), Fredy Barth (CH) and Oliver Mathai (D) in the #006 car, with Darren Turner (GB) – also a factory driver – Dennis Rostek (D) and Johannes and Ferdinand Stuck – sons of triple Nürburgring 24 Hour winner Hans-Joachim Stuck – in the #007 car. Running in matching sky blue and black liveries, the GT3s qualified in 17th and 16th positions respectively among a grid of 170 starters in the hands of Enge and Johannes Stuck.

The race began at 1600hrs CET on Saturday (19 May). Both cars suffered early setbacks on their fourth tour of the 25-kilometre circuit; the #006 V12 Vantage GT3 developed a minor clutch issue which eventually cost it 15 laps to its SP9 rivals, while the #007 became stranded on the circuit following a tyre blow-out. The Young Driver AMR technicians were able to transport a replacement wheel and tyre to the stricken car, which was back up and running again within 13 laps.

Both cars ran largely fault-free and at a competitive pace into the night and subsequent morning, only minor niggles such as a front splitter working itself loose spoiling an otherwise clean copybook. Having covered close to 5000-kilometres between them over the course of 20 hours – accruing invaluable data in the process – the team took the decision to rest both cars until the final lap of the race.

In addition to the pair of V12 Vantage GT3s, Aston Martin also fielded a V12 Zagato and a Vantage GT4 in the SP8 category, run by the same engineering department that had entered the Nürburgring 24 Hours every year since 2006 with a 100 per cent finishing record. The #005 V12 Zagato – running in the same livery as the V12 Vantage GT3s – was driven by Aston Martin CEO Dr Ulrich Bez (D), chief engineer Chris Porritt (GB), Nürburgring Test Centre Director Wolfgang Schuhbauer (D) and journalist Richard Meaden (GB). Aston Martin’s fourth official entry, an orange #85 Vantage GT4, was driven by Mal Rose (AUS), Robert Thomson (AUS), Jürgen Stumpf (D) and Peter Cate (GB).

Having won the SP8 class twice since 2006, Aston Martin was hopeful of a strong showing. The qualifying performance bolstered such hopes when the #005 car set the third fastest time in its class and the #85 went second fastest.

A quite remarkable 24 hours would follow for both cars, neither of which suffered any significant technical maladies despite the punishing nature of the Nordschleife circuit. None of the eight amateur drivers made any errors, either, despite the persistent rain that arrived in the early hours of Sunday morning. Having lapped the circuit 137 times the #005 V12 Zagato finished a strong second in class and 26th overall, while the #85 Vantage GT4 completed 135 laps to finish third in class behind the Zagato, and 33rd overall.

Aston Martin’s third podium result came courtesy of customer outfit, Team Mathol Racing. Winner of the SP10 class in 2010, Team Mathol Racing was on course to repeat its success until an accident soon after the mid-way point. The team’s technicians were able to repair the damaged bodywork, enabling the Vantage GT4 to rejoin the fray and eventually battle on to second in class.

David King, Aston Martin’s Head of Motorsport, was delighted by the performance of all four cars: “The number one objective coming into this race was to get all of our cars home to maintain our 100 per cent finishing record in the Nürburgring 24 Hours and we’ve absolutely done that. The second objective was to get class podiums with our V12 Zagato and Vantage GT4, which we also achieved.

“The final objective was to make sure we managed plenty of strong running with the GT3 cars. We knew we wouldn’t have a trouble-free run with those, but we learnt an awful lot about the car and the circuit this weekend. This has been a fantastic example of teamwork and passion from the people that make Aston Martin special.”

Darren Turner highlighted the progress the team made with the V12 Vantage GT3: “Watching the Zagato cross the line alongside the two GT3 cars was just fantastic. We’ve learnt a great deal about the car this weekend. Both GT3s had a few issues during the race, but when the car was running without any problems it was really strong and we had good pace. We will take a lot from this year and carry it on to next year.”

Aston Martin CEO Dr Ulrich Bez, who enjoyed the honour of crossing the finish line in the V12 Zagato, said: “We did very well with the #005 car this weekend. We had a flawless race while the drivers of the Vantage GT4 had fun and managed a good result as well. There were nine Aston Martins competing here and seven of them finished the race.

“This is the greatest and most competitive GT race in the world. It is the most demanding on people and cars. It’s important to me that Aston Martin wins this race; we have to show that a relatively small, exclusive company can compete with the big ones, especially in a race as challenging as this one. Aston Martin was founded in 1913 and this brand at least deserves an effort to win this race in 2013.”

Since the start of the 2012 motorsport season all of Aston Martin’s competition cars have been based on the Vantage road car. As a result, they all share its fundamental engine architecture, suspension design and bonded aluminium chassis, reflecting the Vantage’s status as Aston Martin’s sportiest road-going model.

Aston Martin

Mixed fortunes for Aston Martin heading into the final three hours

While this morning’s rain and thick cloud cover cleared as the 16th hour made way for the 17th, Aston Martin’s four official entries continued their individual marches up the leaderboard. The #005 V12 Zagato and #85 Vantage GT4 remain on course to score a double SP8-class podium for Aston Martin while the pair of V12 Vantage GT3s continued to set competitive lap times and climb up the order after their early delays.

The #007 and #006 cars had risen up the class SP9 leaderboard to 21st and 22nd respectively. In the 20th hour, however, the team took the decision to rest each of the V12 Vantage GT3s from the closing stages of the race – with intentions to complete the very last lap alongside their Aston Martin stablemates  – having felt certain that the engineers and drivers had achieved all the could in terms of development and durability testing without unnecessarily risking the cars.

David King, Head of Motorsport at Aston Martin, said: “We came to the Nürburgring with the aim of extending our 100 per cent finishing record with the cars run by our engineering team and to learn more about the new V12 Vantage GT3 in preparation for a full assault on this race in the future. We are well on target to achieve both objectives.”

Just three hours remain at the ADAC Zurich Nürburgring 24 Hours and the sun is shining brightly over the Eifel region. The peerless reliability and competitive speed of the #005 V12 Zagato throughout the duration of the race has placed the sky blue and black machine on the brink of the top 30 overall as it lies in 32nd position. A similarly impressive performance from the #85 Vantage GT4 has seen the orange V8 racer break into the top 40.

One of the drivers responsible for the V12 Zagato’s fine performance is renowned motoring journalist, Richard Meaden (GB): “The car has been running brilliantly all weekend. I did a double stint early this morning and I was told to push as hard I wanted to, so I did! It was brilliant fun and the car felt strong, as though I wasn’t taking anything out of it.

“It was a pleasure to drive through the night and into the sunrise. Those were probably the best racing laps I have ever done.”

Having led the SP10 until an accident dropped it down to fourth position, Team Mathol Racing’s Vantage GT4 is now back up to second and within a single lap of the SP10 class leader.

Keep up to date with Aston Martin’s progress on the official website at www.astonmartin.com/racing, or on its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/astonmartinracing and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/amr_official.

Fans can follow the race live via Radio Le Mans at www.radiolemans.com, which will broadcast for the duration of the 24 hours.

Aston Martin

With the sun having risen back over Germany’s Eifel region, Aston Martin’s four official entries have battled their way up the overall standings after 16 hours. Light rain arrived once the ADAC Zurich Nürburgring 24 Hours had moved into its second half, and the pair of V12 Vantage GT3s climbed to within reach of the class SP9 top-20.

With eight hours to run, the #007 car holds 21st position in the category having logged 84 laps of the 25-kilometre circuit with the #006 V12 Vantage GT3 a few laps behind in 23rd. Leading Aston Martin’s charge is the metronomically consistent #005 V12 Vantage, which itself is knocking on the door of an impressive result as it lies 32nd in the overall standings. The #85 Vantage GT4 – run alongside the V12 Zagato by Aston Martin’s engineering department – has also run faultlessly for 16 hours and now lies third in class SP8, one position behind its stablemate.

The rain increased in intensity as the 15th hour passed, forcing all teams to switch to wet-weather rubber.
Aston Martin factory driver Stefan Mücke (D), one-quarter of the #006 V12 Vantage GT3’s crew this weekend, described his night-time stints at the wheel: “There have been so many things going on out on the circuit, like repairs to the barriers, so in places we have to slow down. The car was running really well and the balance was good.

“I drove one stint in the middle of the night and another as the sun was coming up. That was really good because it felt like we had completed another step of the race, but there is still a long way to go!”

Erstwhile SP10 class leaders Team Mathol Racing slipped down the order following an accident, the team’s Vantage GT4 requiring some bodywork attention before it could rejoin. It continues in fourth position, still in the fight for a class podium, with customer Vantage GT4s also in sixth and eighth.

David King, Head of Motorsport at Aston Martin, said: “Our four official cars survived the night without any dramas, but in the best traditions of the Nürburgring we’ve now got a new challenge to contend with; the rain. The drivers know that they just need to take it steady during this period of the race. Although there are still eight hours to run, it now feels as though the end is in sight.

“We’ll continue to push for two top-20 finishes in the SP9 class, while the V12 Zagato has a fair chance of finishing in the top 30 overall, which would be a brilliant result given that it’s so closely related to a standard road-going car. It’s a shame to see the Team Mathol Racing car dropping out of the SP10 class lead, but as expected it is absolutely flying in the wet conditions and has every chance of regaining the lead.”

Aston Martin

At the mid-way point of the ADAC Zurich Nürburgring 24 Hours, all four official Aston Martin entries continue to circulate the 25-kilometre track consistently and reliably. In the black of the night and under the threat of rain, the pair of V12 Vantage GT3s are pressing on with their recovery in the headlining SP9 class following early setbacks while the SP8-category V12 Zagato and Vantage GT4 continue to hold podium positions.

The #007 V12 Vantage GT3 lies 23rd in class having climbed a position since the eight-hour mark, despite losing a lap to its rivals whilst the Young Driver AMR technicians repaired a damaged front splitter. The #006 sister car suffered a brief delay of its own when a small component in the power steering system failed, but it has risen to 24th position in class as it sets competitive lap times.

In the SP8 class, the #005 V12 Zagato and #85 Vantage GT4 hold second and third respectively having closed the margin to the class leading Lexus LFA. V12 Zagato driver Richard Meaden (GB) has embarked upon a double-stint, which will last two-and-a-half hours, as he bids to maintain the podium position. Run by Aston Martin’s engineering department, both cars have reached the mid-way point of the race without any technical issues.

Team Mathol Racing’s Vantage GT4 has retained its lead of the SP10 class after 65 trouble-free laps, while similar cars are running fifth in eighth in the category. The fourth Vantage GT4 dropped out of the action in the early stages of the race.

David King, Head of Motorsport at Aston Martin, said: “We’ve had a couple of minor issues with the V12 Vantage GT3s, but we anticipated that for our first 24-hour race with the new car. This is very much a development exercise for which we set ourselves no performance targets, so we’ve actually been pleasantly surprised by the pace of the two GT3s.

“The V12 Zagato and Vantage GT4 have run very smoothly for the first half of this particularly demanding race, and we remain on course to score a double podium in the SP8 class. Team Mathol Racing is continuing to prove just how well suited the Vantage is to this track as its leads the SP10 category. We’ll see the sun starting to rise quite soon, which will put the most treacherous period of the race behind us.”

Keep up to date with Aston Martin’s progress on the official website at www.astonmartin.com/racing, or on its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/astonmartinracing and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/amr_official.

Fans can follow the race live via Radio Le Mans at www.radiolemans.com, which will broadcast for the duration of the 24 hours.

Aston Martin

Aston Martins running strongly after eight hours at the Nürburgring

Following an eventful start to the ADAC Zurich Nürburgring 24 Hours, Aston Martin’s four official entries have performed reliably in the second phase of the race, during which the sun set over the 25-kilometre circuit. The pair of V12 Vantage GT3s – competing in the headlining SP9 category – have continued their recovery from early setbacks whilst the #005 V12 Zagato and #85 Vantage GT4 remain on course to finish well for Aston Martin in class SP8.

The #007 V12 Vantage GT3 – which fell 13 laps behind its rivals after collecting a puncture early in the race – now lies 24th in class having run faultlessly since its delay. The #006 V12 Vantage GT3, meanwhile, continues its recovery from an unfortunate clutch-related issue – which cost it 15 laps – as it matches the pace of the race-leading cars and ranks 25thin class.

Aston Martin has won the SP8 category twice since its Nürburgring 24 Hour debut in 2006 and, one third of the way through the race, it remains on course to score strongly in the class. The #005 V12 Zagato lies second in SP8 with the #85 Vantage GT4 close behind in third. Both cars – run by Aston Martin’s engineering team – have performed with impeccable reliability and continue to hit their target lap times.

The strong early showing of the marque’s customer teams has continued into the second phase of the race, with Team Mathol Racing still leading the SP10 class with its Vantage GT4. In the same category, Vantage GT4s also reside in fifth, tenth and 13th positions.

David King, Head of Motorsport at Aston Martin, said: “We can be encouraged by the pace and reliability that the V12 Vantage GT3s have shown in this second part of the race. The #006 car in particular has displayed impressive speed, bettering many of the leading cars in terms of lap times, although it has been tricky to judge the pace given the yellow flag interruptions.

“Our SP8 runners have continued with the form they showed in the opening four hours, running with strong pace and avoiding costly errors. With the night well and truly set in, we’ll concentrate on making it through the darkness unscathed and protecting both Aston Martin’s 100 per cent finishing record in this race and our podium positions in SP8 and SP10.”

Aston Martin

Beechdean Motorsport secured the first race win for the new Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 in Race One of the Avon Tyres British GT Championship race at the Nürburgring.

Starting second on the grid after an impressive qualifying performance, Andrew Howard put in a strong opening stint in difficult conditions to hand over to Jonny Adam in fourth place during the mandatory pit stops.

Adam immediately set a blistering pace, moving up to second place as the pit stops cycled through. Jonny then set about closing down the 15 second gap to Alex Buncombe in leading RJN Nissan GTR. Catching him by over a second a lap, the Scott soon had the lead down to 6 seconds with just over 10 minutes of the race remaining.

On lap 28 the Nissan pulled into pit lane to serve a drive through penalty, handing the lead to Adam who held it to the end of the race, securing the first victory for the Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3.

“That was great” said Jonny Adam. “I was up for the fight and I could see the target (RJN Nissan) in front and I think we’d have got them at the end without the penalty. It’s great to win and it’s good to have our championship quest back on track too.”

“Awesome, mega, fantastic, amazing! To start in the conditions we did was difficult. It was cautious on the first two laps, once it settled down, I just couldn’t catch the guys in front” Said Andrew Howard. “To be fair to Nissan, I think it was heading towards a great finish anyway before the penalty. Fantastic to give the Vantage GT3 its first victory too, what a place to do it.”

Round three of the British GT Championship at Rockingham June 9th.

AMRteams

Aston Martin recovering from tough start to Nürburgring 24 Hours

Aston Martin’s four official entries continue to set competitive lap times at the ADAC Zurich Nürburgring 24 Hours after the opening four hours despite early delays for the pair of V12 Vantage GT3s. While the #007 car lost time with a punctured tyre and its #006 sister car suffered a clutch issue, the two SP8 category cars remain in contention for class podiums.

Aston Martin factory driver Darren Turner (GB) suffered a right-rear tyre blow out mid-way around the 25km circuit on his fourth lap. Unable to return to the pits, the team’s technicians responded quickly by transporting a replacement wheel and tyre to Turner, who was able to recover to the pit lane as a result. The Briton handed over to team-mate Ferdinand Stuck (A) while the team refueled the V12 Vantage GT3, which returned to the fray having dropped 13 laps to its class SP9 rivals.

The #006 V12 Vantage GT3, meanwhile, also suffered its own misfortune on the fourth lap as driver Oliver Mathai (D) reported a minor problem with the clutch. The team recovered the car to the paddock, where the technicians swiftly coorected the issue before sending the V12 Vantage GT3 back out on the circuit with 15 laps lost to its rival and Stefan Mücke (D) at the helm.

The two SP8 class cars – entered by Aston Martin’s Nürburgring Test Centre team – continue to run to their individual plans, hitting their target lap times. Chris Porritt (GB) pitted the #005 V12 Zagato after eight laps to make way for Richard Meaden (GB), who continued to circulate with fresh tyres and a full tank of fuel. After a further eight laps, Meaden handed over to Aston Martin CEO Dr Ulrich Bez who continues to run third in class.

The orange #85 Vantage GT4 is just a single position behind the V12 Zagato within the SP8 class having also enjoyed a positive start to the punishing 24-hour race.

Aston Martin is also being represented by its customer teams in the SP10 class for GT4 cars. Team Mathol Racing’s Vantage GT4 currently leads that category following a flawless start to the race, while the three remaining Vantage GT4s are sixth, 11th and 13th in class.

David King, Head of Motorsport at Aston Martin, said: “Our GT3 cars have had a tough start to the race, but we didn’t expect an easy ride here at the Nürburgring. The Young Driver AMR technicians worked quickly and effectively to get both cars back out onto the circuit and they are now lapping at a strong pace. Although the issues were costly, they were actually very minor, so we can still expect to run well for the remainder of the race. We must keep in mind that this is the first time Aston Martin has competed in the top class; we’re here to learn and that’s exactly what we’re doing.

“The #005 V12 Zagato and #85 Vantage GT4 have been running very well and both remain firmly in contention for SP8 class podiums. We also lead the SP10 class through our customer outfit, Team Mathol Racing, so Aston Martin is on course to achieve a handful of very positive results this weekend.”

Aston Martin

Gulf Racing has been testing at Snetterton in preparation for the Aston Martin Racing Le Mans Festival which will see over 30 Aston Martins competing around the famous Le Mans 24hr circuit.

The 45 minuet Aston Martin exclusive race will take place before the start of the main endurance event with practice and qualifying sessions in the preceding days.

The team will enter two Gulf liveried Aston Martins in the event, Archie Hamilton will drive the team’s regular V8 Vantage GTE, whilst team owner Roald Goethe will pilot the DBR9 GT1 entry which last race at Le Man in 2008 finishing 4th in class at the hands of Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Andrea Piccini and Karl Wendlinger.


Images © Richard Leach

Aston Martin's pair of V12 Vantage GT3s will line up alongside one another on the grid for tomorrow's ADAC Zurich Nürburgring 24 Hour race having qualified in 16th and 17th positions. Among a grid of close to 170 cars, Aston Martin drivers Johannes Stuck (A) and Tomas Enge (CZ) were able to secure the marque's strongest starting positions to date for the twice-around-the-clock endurance epic.

Following two preliminary qualifying sessions on Thursday evening and Friday morning, the 40 fastest cars entered into a two-lap pole position shootout, which was a new addition for 2012. Having randomly drawn their starting positions earlier in the day, Stuck began the session ninth on the road, with Enge in second.

Stuck set his quickest time on the second of his two flying laps, stopping the clock at 8m 23.816s in the #007 V12 Vantage GT3. Enge was able to pass the first-placed car on the long Döttinger Höhe straight soon before his first flying lap to ensure he had a clear circuit ahead of him. The Czech driver also set his fastest time on his second tour of the 25km circuit in the #006 car, recording a best of 8m 24.824s.

Stuck and team-mates Dennis Rostek (D), Ferdinand Stuck (A) and Darren Turner (GB), one of Aston Martin's factory drivers, will line up in 16th position. Enge and co-drivers Fredy Barth (CH), Oliver Mathai (D) and Stefan Mücke (D), also a factory driver, will start the 24-hour race from 17th on the grid.

Of his qualifying effort, Stuck said: "I'm very pleased with the time. I was a bit cautious for the first couple of kilometers of my warm-up lap, but I felt that the car was good so I was able to push hard. Maybe we could have been a couple of places higher, but this is a 24-hour race so qualifying is really just about prestige. Those were the first two laps I've ever had in a racing car on this track without seeing another car, which allowed me to focus on the lap. The car felt really good and it was a lot of fun to drive."

Enge added: "I'm happy with the starting position, but I think I could have gone even quicker. This is Aston Martin's first time out at this race with GT3 cars, so it's encouraging that we're quite quick already. It's also the first time that I've been able to push 100 per cent because there was no traffic and with two more laps I could have been faster. I'm very pleased with the Yokohama tyres and the performance of the car, but we know that this race can be unpredictable. The key will be staying out of trouble."

Alongside its two V12 Vantage GT3s, which are being run in conjunction with Aston Martin Racing and its long-standing partner team Young Driver AMR in the headlining SP9 category, Aston Martin is also fielding two official entries in the SP8 class. The V12 Zagato - which shares its sky blue and black livery with the V12 Vantage GT3s and is crewed by Aston Martin CEO Dr Ulrich Bez (D), Chris Porritt (GB), Wolfgang Schuhbauer (D) and Richard Meaden (GB) - set a time of 9m 18.855s to line up third in class. The orange #85 V8-powered Vantage GT4 of Jürgen Stumpf (D), Robert Thomson (AUS), Mal Rose (AUS) and Peter Cate (GB) qualified a strong second in class with a time of 9m 17.674s.

Four further Aston Martin Vantage GT4s are contesting the Nürburgring 24 Hours in the hands of customer outfits in the SP10 category this weekend. Team Mathol Racing - champion and stalwart of the Nürburgring -based VLN series - qualified second in class, while HRT Performance's pair of GT4s will line up in eighth and ninth. AVIA Racing Team's sole GT4 will start the race from 13th.

David King, Head of Motorsport at Aston Martin, praised the team's efforts: "We're making our GT3 debut on the Nürburgring 24 Hours this weekend with our most ambitious campaign to date, so we can be very encouraged by our performance in qualifying. Starting from 16th and 17th puts us in contention for top-ten results, as long as we can stay out of trouble and perform consistently in the race. We have a small amount of time to make up on the very quickest cars here, but much of that will come as we learn more about the V12 Vantage GT3s and this very challenging circuit.

"Our ambitions of scoring a third SP8 class victory since our 2006 Nürburgring 24 Hour debut were boosted when the Vantage GT4 and the V12 Zagato qualified so well in their class. What's even more encouraging is that the drivers are all very pleased with the performance of their cars.

"My congratulations also go out to our customer teams for their qualifying results, and particularly to Beechdean Motorsport drivers Andrew Howard and Jonny Adam, who today recorded the V12 Vantage GT3's first race victory in the British GT Championship support race here at the Nürburgring."

Aston Martin Racing

 
Beechdean with Aston Martin Racing driver Jonny Adam is ready to light the touchpaper on his 2012 season when Germany's famous Nurburgring circuit plays host to the Avon Tyres British GT Championship this weekend (May 17-19).

Teething troubles with the setup of the brand new Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 thwarted the Fife driver and team-mate Andrew Howard's chances of fighting for podium positions in the monsoon conditions of the first round at Oulton Park last month - despite qualifying second on the grid.

However, the determined Scot believes the ice cream team have put that firmly behind them and are now in a position to lick the opposition by showing their true potential on the continent.

"We've worked really hard since the first round and our preparation has been first class.

"As well as training hard physically we've been able to put in some solid hours on the simulator getting to know the layout of the Nurburgring, which has been really useful as it gives us a baseline to work from as soon as we arrive.

"I've never raced the GP circuit there but from what I can see it should really suit the car, and the sweeping corners should play to its strengths."

Before embarking for Germany the Beechdean squad carried out final preparations in a testing session at Snetterton, with the focus on ensuring both the drivers and the 007 car won't melt under the pressure of what is sure to be a major event.

"The test at Snetterton was really useful for a number of reasons," explained Adam.

"We were able to work through the changes we have made since Oulton and confirm that they are a step in the right direction.

"We've also got a round of the championship there later in the year, so all the data will be valuable when we go back there to race in August.

"I'm just looking forward to getting back into the driving seat of the Vantage GT3 at the Nurburgring, it's such a great piece of kit.

"It's important we get really solid results in both races in Germany and be in contention for podium places, that's our goal."

Round two of the British GT championship gets unerway on Thursday with two hour long Free Practice sessions (7:40am and 8:55am) and a single 35-minute qualifying session from 17:10. Race one is Friday from 15:30 and race two is on Saturday morning at 8:15am.

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Image: AMRteams

Having started from pole position, Aston Martin Racing led the fiercely competitive GT category at Laguna Seca, California, until the first refuelling stops. Competing on the third round of the American Le Mans Series (ALMS), the team’s #007 Vantage GTE had been on course for its best finish to date. However, it quickly became apparent that the time taken to refuel the Vantage GTE at pit stops – as a result of changes to ALMS fuelling restrictor regulations – would seriously harm the team’s chances of fighting to victory.

Factory driver Darren Turner (GB) had qualified the V8 machine on pole position, setting a time that was almost half a second clear of his nearest rival. Team-mate Stefan Mücke started the six-hour race behind the wheel of the Vantage GTE, maintaining the advantage for the opening stint of the race until the refuelling delays at the first pit stop dropped the car to ninth in class. Mücke set about fighting back through the field, setting fastest lap times among the GT class and rising back to fourth position over the course of the following hour.

A collision with another competitor, however, elicited a penalty for Mücke, which he served immediately before pitting to hand over to Turner. The Briton rejoined the fray in 11th position in class before reeling in the tenth-placed car at a rate of three seconds per lap. Having recovered to eighth, Turner made way for Adrian Fernandez (MX), who drove consistently in the final stint to deliver the result and prove the Vantage GTE’s durability over long distances.

John Gaw, Aston Martin Racing Team Principal, said: “Finishing eighth in class isn’t what we wanted having started from pole position, but it’s clear there is some work required to equalise refuelling times of similar cars in the ALMS because these delays cost us the chance to fight for the Vantage GTE’s first win. It’s a shame because although we didn’t come here to score points, the ALMS is a terrific championship and a race win would have given the whole team a real boost.

“Nonetheless, we wanted to prove that the car is quick and reliable – as well as to continue our development programme – and we’ve absolutely done that this weekend.

“This was our last outing before the 24 Hours of Le Mans and it’s clear we have made great progress in the last six months. The priority was to log a race finish while proving that we can compete with the world’s fastest GT cars for the entirety of an endurance race. I’m confident that we’ve achieved that, so the whole team is heading to La Sarthe next month in a very positive frame of mind.”

Aston Martin Racing competed at Laguna Seca – having also contested the second ALMS round at Long Beach, California, last month – in support of its FIA World Endurance Championship programme in order to gain more competitive experience of its new-for-2012 Vantage GTE. The factory team will field a pair of the Gulf-liveried V8 racers at the 24 Hours of Le Mans on 16/17 June. After three years in the prototype category, Aston Martin Racing has returned to the production-derived discipline that earned it back-to-back victories at Le Mans in 2007 and 2008.

Away from the action on track, Aston Martin was saddened to learn of the death in Dallas on Thursday of racing legend and former Aston Martin race car driver Carroll Shelby. The 89-year-old ex-driver, team boss and car designer co-piloted the iconic Aston Martin DBR1 sports car to victory in the 1959 Le Mans Grand Prix of Endurance alongside Briton Roy Salvadori.

Aston Martin CEO, Dr Ulrich Bez, paid tribute to Shelby: “I knew Carroll personally, and admired his exceptional abilities as a driver and creator of classic sports cars. He played a huge part in what remains perhaps Aston Martin’s finest hour at Le Mans, and our thoughts go out to his family.”

As a mark of respect for Shelby, Aston Martin’s Vantage GTE raced at Laguna Seca with a black number square and a black strip across the windscreen.

Works drivers Turner and Mücke will now switch their attentions to the ADAC Zurich Nurburgring 24 Hours next weekend (19/20 May), where they will compete in V12 Vantage GT3s as part of Aston Martin’s most ambitious campaign at the celebrated race to date.

A fantastic first shift, saw the #55 Multimatic Aston Martin Vantage V8 Grand Am, at the hands of Tonis Kasemets, start from P3 and lead for a significant portion of the B+ HEROES 200 at New Jersey Motorsports Park. A strategic green flag pit stop, and driver change, as the car entered its finishing window, left Scott Maxwell to battle through the GS field. Despite an incredibly competitive class, Maxwell was in familiar territory and quickly worked his way up the leader board using a mix of great driving and good strategy, as some of the cars ahead made stops for fuel. It looked like a solid finish, as the #55 Multimatic Aston Martin came to the chequered flag in P5, but to the dismay of Maxwell, Grand-Am awarded a 35 second penalty for an incident in the final laps of the race. Due to the extremely tight competition in the series, the seemingly minor penalty resulted in a loss of 14 positions, dropping the #55 Multimatic Aston Martin to P19 in GS. Highlights of the weekend were as follows:   

During practice, the #55 team focused on improving the car’s setup over long, full fuel stints, making good progress thanks to input from both drivers. Kasemets had another great qualifying run, once again earning himself a P3 start for the race, and because of the tight nature of New Jersey Motorsports Park, with few places to pass, his qualifying effort was all the more satisfying.

Despite contact in the first corner that dropped the #55 Multimatic Aston Martin three positions, Kasemets had a solid opening stint. Race Engineer Will Kerley employed an alternative race strategy and opted to keep Kasemets out for as long as possible; instead of following the leaders to the pits at an early yellow. The strategy paid off and the Aston led for a good portion of the race. The Multimatic team finally brought the #55 car to the pits during green flag racing on Lap 45, when calculations showed a full fuel load would make the end. Unfortunately, a problem during the driver change delayed the stop and Maxwell returned to the track near the back of the GS field.

At the beginning of his stint, Maxwell was on a charge, working his way up to P12 before a lengthy full course yellow on Lap 53. As competing cars cycled through the pits during the caution, needing a final fuel stop, the #55 Multimatic Aston Martin position was improved. When a final full course yellow occurred on Lap 78, Maxwell had moved up to P7. With the final restart there was only enough time for two laps, a typical green-white-checkered finish, and Maxwell battled to P5. Unfortunately, in the process, contact was made with another car, earning Maxwell a 35 second driver’s penalty. Despite the disappointing result, the #55 Multimatic team remains upbeat and is looking forward to exploiting the true potential of the Vantage V8 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on June 8th-9th.

Beechdean Motorsport have been testing at Snetterton in preparation for the second round of the British GT Championship at the Nurburgring.

Jonny Adam and Andrew Howard showed the potential of the new car during the first round of the championship at Oulton Park, qualifying 2nd for both races. However the team suffered during with wet races, eventually finishing 9th and 15th. Since then they’ve been working hard to ensure they bounce back at Nurburgring with Jonny and Andrew both completing multiple sessions in the simulator at Base Performance.

Beechdean Mortorsport will also race in the Aston Martin Le Mans Festival in June where Andrew Howard will be joined by Aston Martin Racing MD John Gaw.

The British GT Championship resumes Thursday 17th May in support the of the Nurburgring 24 hours.

Images © Richard Leach

Aston Martin Racing will start the third round of the 2012 American Le Mans Series (ALMS) at Laguna Seca, California, from pole position having dominated today’s qualifying session. Factory driver Darren Turner (GB) set the fastest time in the GT category aboard the V8-powered Vantage GTE to score the car’s maiden pole on just its fourth competitive outing.

In dry and sunny conditions, Turner set a best time of one minute, 22.229 seconds around the 2.238-mile circuit to lead the highly competitive 12-car field of production-derived racers.

Turner praised the team’s efforts having judged the tyres and track conditions to perfection: “Getting pole here is a really good feeling for everybody in the team. They all worked so hard over the winter to get the Vantage GTE up to speed and it was great to get the most out of it in qualifying today.

“I’m looking forward to the race, but anything can happen. If we can keep it in the top three, we’ll be really pleased.”

John Gaw, Aston Martin Racing Team Principal, added: “The team has worked with real focus and determination to get the car to this point, so we can be proud having claimed pole position for tomorrow’s race. We were fastest in the final practice session earlier in the day so we were confident that we had dialed the Vantage GTE into the circuit ahead of qualifying.

“The engineers and technicians worked hard experimenting with new ideas and they found the perfect setup for the car just at the right time. Darren did a superb job to extract the performance from it. The GT class of the ALMS is renowned for its close competition, so to score pole position in qualifying is very encouraging, although I think the conditions at the time particularly suited how our car used its tyres during the short session.

“The race will be a tough one, but having proved the car’s pace today I’m sure we can prove its durability tomorrow and achieve a strong result.”

Aston Martin Racing is competing at Laguna Seca – having also contested the second ALMS round at Long Beach, California, last month – in support of its FIA World Endurance Championship programme in order to gain more competitive experience of its new-for-2012 Vantage-based racer. The factory team will field a pair of Vantage GTEs at the 24 Hour of Le Mans in June.

Aston Martin Racing

Perfection Racing will enter the Danish Endurance Championship this season with an Aston Martin Vantage GT4.

"Endurance racing is known to every Dane after the success of Tom Kristensen, John Nielsen, Jan Magnussen and several others who year after year have put Denmark on the racing map with their participation in the legendary Le Mans 24 hours. There is a special challenge associated with running for many hours - especially for drivers, but certainly also for the team behind it. So when the DTC series ended in 2011, it was natural to explore possibilities to try out this kind of racing," says Perfection Racing's Kent Bo Steffensen

"It will be a completely different to how we prepared for the DTC’s (Danish Touring Car Championship) short sprint races of 15-20 minute. Drivers will need to sit for hours behind the wheel, while the team constantly follow the entire race and be ready to change tactics if things are not progressing quite as expected - here we have more ready to intervene during the entire race and adapt to the immediate situation. It will be really exciting to try.”

The team will run three drivers during the season, two of them, Kim Holmgaard and Michael Klostermann, have raced long distance before, but it is a whole new discipline for 24-year-old Mikkel C. Johansen. "It’s a big change, I have had the opportunity to run  15-20 laps at full speed on Padborg Park. The car is much larger and heavier than my little Legend racer from last year. But it runs great and even though it’s very different, it was actually relatively easy to learn. Of course it will take a few laps before I can push 100%, but we'll be working on it - and the advantage of long distance running is precisely that we all get a lot of driving time in the car," explained Mikkel C. Johansen.

The team will debut their new car at the 6-hour race at Padborg Park May 12th

For the seventh successive year, Aston Martin will compete in the ADAC Zurich Nürburgring 24 Hours (19/20 May) as a total of eight Vantage racers gear up for the endurance epic. The marque will field its most ambitious entry to date with four official Aston Martins – including a pair of V12-powered Vantage GT3s – supported by a further four customer cars.

In excess of 170 cars will start the fearsome 24-hour race, which runs on the daunting 25km circuit that combines the legendary Nordschleife with the modern Grand Prix track. Having focused its efforts in previous years on near production-specification cars since its 2006 Nürburgring 24 Hour debut, Aston Martin will, for the first time, be represented in the senior SP9 category for FIA-homologated GT3 cars. The pair of V12 Vantage GT3s will be run in association with long-standing official partner team, Young Driver AMR.

The lead Vantage GT3, carrying the iconic #007 designation, will be driven by Johannes and Ferdinand Stuck (A) – sons of triple Nürburgring 24 Hour winner Hans-Joachim Stuck – alongside Dennis Rostek (D) and Aston Martin Racing factory driver Darren Turner (GB). Turner’s regular works team-mate, Stefan Mücke, will drive the #006 car with Tomas Enge (CZ), Fredy Barth (CH) and Oliver Mathai (D).


In addition, Aston Martin’s engineering department will return with the spectacular V12 Zagato concept car that made its Nürburgring 24 Hour debut in 2011. Targeting another successful race finish will be Aston Martin Chief Executive Dr Ulrich Bez (D), Chief Engineer Chris Porritt (GB), Aston Martin Nürburgring Test Centre Director Wolfgang Schuhbauer (D) and renowned motoring journalist and racer Richard Meaden (GB).

Ahead of the race, Dr Bez said: “Our 100 per cent finishing record in thirteen starts in one of the world’s toughest endurance races is remarkable; truly a testament to the reliability of our cars and the efforts of our people. In the past six years we have deliberately focused on racing close-to-production cars, achieving seven class podiums and three class wins. For 2012, I am delighted to be returning again to drive our V12 Zagato with my engineering team, but also to have such an exciting step up with the V12 Vantage GT3s.”

The fourth official entry will be a V8-powered Vantage run by Aston Martin’s Nürburgring Test Centre team and driven by Jurgen Stumpf (D), Australians Mal Rose and Rob Thomson, and Peter Cate (GB). Aston Martin will be represented by four further customer outfits, including Team Mathol Racing, winners of the SP10 class for GT4 cars in 2010.

David King, Aston Martin’s Head of Motorsport, said: “The Nürburgring 24 Hour race is the most important 24-hour race in the world for GT cars. The quality of the entry in the GT3 class and throughout the field is truly impressive. It is a hugely important step for us to be challenging in the SP9 class, with a top class partner team and a fine driver line up. The V12 Vantage GT3 has a direct line to our V12 Vantage road car, sharing the same chassis and base engine, and I know all the fans will love to see and hear these cars hopefully running near the front of the pack.”

John Gaw, Aston Martin Racing Team Principal, added: “2012 is a development season for the new V12 Vantage GT3 and the Young Driver AMR team are being closely supported by Aston Martin Racing to tune the car to the unique demands of the Nordschleife. We see this as the first step in a longer term plan to challenge for race victory at the Nürburgring in future years, but we are already greatly encouraged by the performance of the car in recent four hour VLN races here.”

Young Driver AMR Team Principal, Hardy Fischer, concluded: “It is an honour and also a big challenge for my team to be representing Aston Martin at this great event; it is something we have wanted to do for a long time. The racing and working conditions are unique – for the cars, the drivers and the team – it takes some getting used to, but we are ready for the challenge.”

Aston Martin

Young Driver AMR made another big step forward with the new Aston Martin V12 Vantage at the second round of the ADAC GT Masters. In the series first race at the former Dutch Formula 1 track, Ferdinand and Johannes Stuck finished sixth in the first race. In Sunday’s second race, Kristian Poulsen and Christoffer Nygaard bettered this result with a fifth place finish in the highly competitive 40 car strong grid of the ADAC GT Masters.

Johannes Stuck started from eleventh into the first race and was already in eight position after a decent first lap. He handed the Aston Martin in eight to his younger brother Ferdinand halfway through the race, who finally brought the V12-powered Aston Martin home in sixth place. Poulsen and Nygaard in the sister car had bad luck, when Poulsen made contact with a BMW ALPINA and had to retire with a broken front splitter.

For Sunday’s second heat, luck and bad luck changed in two Young Driver AMR-line up’s and the Stuck-brothers were unlucky. Johannes Stuck was on the way to a top-five result, when a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG forced Stuck to spin after a contact and sent him into the tire barrier. Stuck managed to bring the car back into the pits, but retired from the race. Poulsen and Nygaard were on the lucky side in Sunday´s race. Nygaard had a great start and was ninth by the end of lap one, after starting from position 15. The Dane continued his strong race and handed the V12 Vantage to Poulsen in sixth place. In the latter part of the race, Poulsen gained another position and finished fifth and also scored a second place finish in the amateur-championship.

"We head in the right direction with our new Aston Martin", says Young Driver AMR-manager Hardy Fischer. "A fifth place finish for Kristian and Christoffer with our new Aston Martin is a fine result. It’s a pity that the Stucks had bad luck in the second race, otherwise I’m sure we could have scored two good results today. With the current 'Balance of Performance', we are not yet in the position to fight for victories, but I hope that the BOP will be reviewed for the next round, especially the cars with a BMW badge need some adjustments, as they seam to have a more equal BOP then other cars."

Kristian Poulsen: "The race was o.k., and fifth is good, considering the fact I’m at Zandvoort for the first time. In general, I race to win and with the current BOP, that’s simply not possible. We just need a bit more power."

Christoffer Nygaard: "We can be happy with what we achieved this weekend. Our race-pace was good, but we need to work on our qualifying performance."

Ferdinand Stuck: "My start was good and I could gain some positions. But eventually we had bad luck when Kenneth Heyer took Johannes out, and sent him into the tire barrier. It was a race incident, things like this can happen, but it’s a real shame, because otherwise we could have scored a good amount of points today."

Johannes Stuck: "It was not a bad weekend for us and we clearly made good steps into the right direction. The two races we did on the Nordschleife clearly helped us to learn more about the car and get a better feeling for it. Ferdinand had a great first stint in Sunday’s race, but then we brought our pit stop forward, as we stuck behind some slower cars. The contact with Heyer was bad luck, I think he simply missed the braking point. As a result of this contact, I had a puncture and we decided to retire as there was no chance of to score any points."

Young Driver AMR

Having led its class in the early stages of the Six Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, Aston Martin Racing was forced to retire its Vantage GTE due to gearbox issues. The V8-powered racer proved its winning potential during the opening laps of the second FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) round by leading the GTE Pro category, but the team will now switch its focus to the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) qualifier at Laguna Seca, California, next weekend.

Factory driver Stefan Mücke (D) had qualified the #97 Vantage GTE in third position in class on Friday to set the team on course for a second consecutive WEC podium result. Beneath dark clouds and on a wet circuit, Darren Turner (GB) guided the Gulf-liveried car through the spray and quickly snatched the class lead on the opening lap of the race.

The car led the GTE field for the early laps, proving its class-leading pace on just its third competitive outing. Turner, however, began reporting gear selection issues, which ultimately proved to be terminal. With mid-race gearbox changes not permitted within the WEC regulations, the team was forced to withdraw the car.

Despite the retirement, Turner was encouraged by those early laps: “The performance in qualifying showed that the pace of the car is very good and the first few laps of the race reinforced that. I was able to pull away from our GTE rivals, so I think we could have been in contention for the Vantage GTE’s first win. The performance is definitely going in the right direction; we just have to get on top of the gearbox issues, which the team is working hard to do.

“Laguna Seca is a great circuit and hopefully we can get another good race beneath our belt. The target is to finish the race in a strong position – without any issues – to help our preparation for Le Mans.”

John Gaw, Aston Martin Racing Team Principal, added: “It’s disappointing to have been forced to retire from the race because we were on course to fight for the victory. We qualified well and the pace of the Vantage GTE was strong, so we took the decision to fit a new gearbox ahead of the race to give us the best chance of winning. Unfortunately, a component within the new gearbox failed and we weren’t able to continue.

“Darren did a superb job in very tricky conditions during the opening laps and we can be encouraged by the pace that we showed during that period. We’ll now continue our preparations for the 24 Hours of Le Mans as we ready the car for its next outing at Laguna Seca this weekend where, again, we’ll be targeting a podium result in the GT class.”

Mücke, Turner and Adrian Fernandez (MX) will travel to Laguna Seca to tackle the six-hour endurance race as the team continues to develop the Vantage GTE. The highly competitive series will give Aston Martin Racing an ideal benchmark by which to measure the car’s performance level. Qualifying for the third ALMS round of 2012 starts at 1645hrs EDT on Friday 11 May, with the race starting at 1330hrs the following day.

Aston Martin Racing

 
Aston Martin Racing has qualified in third position for the second round of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) at the Six Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium. Factory driver Stefan Mücke (D) recorded a best time of two minutes, 20.227 seconds to set the team on course for a second successive WEC podium.

Competing in the GTE Pro category, the #97 Vantage GTE is making its European debut at the celebrated Belgian circuit following its first two outings in the United States. On its competitive debut in March, the V8-powered racer scored third in class at the 12 Hours of Sebring, Florida.

Mücke had set the fastest time of all the GTE competitors in the final Free Practice session earlier in the day aboard the Vantage GTE as the team perfected its setup for the high-speed circuit. Following the 20-minute qualifying session – which remained dry despite the darkening clouds – Mücke, Darren Turner (GB) and Adrian Fernandez (MX) will line up in third position for what is forecast to be a wet race.

Having qualified within half a second of pole position, Mücke said: “I think we can be very happy with our performance in qualifying because all of the GTE Pro cars are very close together. We found a really good setup for the car so I was able to push quite hard, but I think we can find even more pace in the car for the race as we were still experimenting with new setup ideas.

“We have taken another clear step forward since Sebring and we’re within a few tenths of the fastest GTE car. I’m confident that we can get another podium finish in the race, but we will target a class victory.”

John Gaw, Aston Martin Racing Team Principal, praised the team’s efforts: “I’m delighted with what the team have achieved today. The Free Practice sessions went really well for us; we were third in the first session, second in the next and fastest in the third, so we were quietly confident going into qualifying. Stefan drove very well and set a time that was half a second quicker than last year's pole time, so we can be very happy with P3 on the grid.

“The Six Hours will be a very different proposition because rain is forecast. We had a competitive race at Sebring and, encouragingly, ran very strongly in the wet in Long Beach practice. Given the showing so far this weekend we now have a clear goal to win the race.”

The team’s three works drivers will be back on the circuit on Saturday morning at 1005hrs CET for a 20-minute warm-up session. The Six Hours of Spa-Francorchamps gets underway at 1430hrs that afternoon.

Aston Martin Racing

The scream of the 6-litre V12-engine of the two Young Driver AMR-Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 will echo this weekend in the North Sea dunes of the Zandvoort. The former Formula 1-track in the Netherlands is the venue of the second round of the ADAC GT Masters and Young Driver AMR aims for success in the ultra-competitive German GT-series. After a successful start at Oschersleben four weeks ago, Kristian Poulsen (DAN), who is teamed up with fellow countryman Christoffer Nygaard, leads the Amateur-Championship while the reigning German GT-Champions, the Stuck-brothers Ferdinand and Johannes (AUT), are chasing their first championship points of the season in the Netherlands.

"Zandvoort is new to me. But as the last season showed, this isn’t a big problem, as I get used to a new track quickly", Ferdinand Stuck is optimistic. "During the last four weeks, we raced the new Aston Martin two times on the Nürburgring and gathered a lot of experience with the car. This knowledge will help us in Zandvoort.“ Other then his younger brother, Johannes Stuck raced at Zandvoort before: „I haven’t been to Zandvoort for a while, but it’s great to come back, as Zandvoort is a nice track."

A prediction for the second round of the ADAC GT Masters is quite hard to make, says Young Driver AMR director Hardy Fischer: "I really hope for a good result at Zandvoort. Our new Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 is still very early in its development, so a prediction for the next round is difficult. But certainly we will be good prepared, as since the first round we had two very promising races at the Nürburgring and I hope our good performance will continue at Zandvoort. We learned a lot about our new car during the last four weeks and hopefully will turn this experience into a good result at Zandvoort."

Young Driver AMR

After receiving their Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 little over two weeks ago, Aspeed Racing have now completed their first test with the new car at Sazuka in preparation for its competitive debut at Fuji for the second round of the Japanese Super GT Championship. Hiroki Yoshimoto & Kazuki Hoshino were on hand to sample their new machine with both drivers very positive about the handling and performance of their new racer.



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.

The SuperGT season resumes May 3rd at Fuji.