Aston Martin Racing ​enters every class a​t BES Silverstone​

Thursday, May 30, 2013


Aston Martin Racing has announced it will enter the Bilstein Vantage GT3 recently campaigned at the ADAC Zurich Nürburgring 24 Hours (N24) into its home round of the Blancpain Endurance Series at Silverstone this weekend (1-2 June), in support of its three customer team entries.

The blue and yellow Bilstein-liveried car, which will be driven this weekend by the team’s FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) works drivers Darren Turner (GB), Stefan Mücke (D) and Frédéric Makowiecki (FR), returned to the UK this week following its front row start and top ten finish in the N24, a race that it led outright at the overnight red flag interruption.

The team will now enter the second round of the Blancpain Endurance Series to ensure that Aston Martin – in its centenary year – will be represented in every class on its home round of the championship.

The Blancpain Endurance Series is one of the most competitive GT championships in the world and boasted a 67-strong grid across three classes at the first round at Monza last month. The Silverstone round is the second of the five-round series and Aston Martin Racing is looking to challenge for the podium in each of the classes, including mounting a campaign to take the overall win with the #97 Bilstein car.

The #97 is one of four V12 Vantage GT3s racing in the three-hour endurance event. Aston Martin Racing’s partner team Beechdean AMR is contesting the Pro-Am category with newly-signed Aston Martin Racing works driver Jonny Adam (GB), Aston Martin Racing reserve driver Daniel McKenzie (GB) and team-owner Andrew Howard (GB). Barwell Motorsport, one of Aston Martin Racing’s longest serving and most experienced partner teams, will also contest the Pro-Am category with a very strong all-British driver line-up of Mark Poole, Richard Abra and Joe Osborne, while partner team PGF-Kinfaun AMR will enter the Gentlemen’s Cup.

John Gaw, Team Principal at Aston Martin Racing, comments: “The Blancpain Endurance Series is highly competitive, with many strong team and driver line-ups. We are, of course, entering with the aim of finishing as high as possible, if not at the front in each of the classes, at our home event.

“The factory Vantage GT3 performed faultlessly at the Nürburgring 24 Hours and we appreciate the ongoing support from our partners including Bilstein and Immun’age to enable us to enter this additional car in the Pro class where we have no customers racing at this round.

“Bringing the WEC drivers to support both our customer and our reserve drivers seems a smart thing to do as we will be able to share any lessons as well as sharpen the focus of the factory team and drivers just before we head to Le Mans, one of the most important races of the year.”

The Silverstone round of the Blancpain Endurance Series starts on Saturday 1 June with qualifying at 09:00hrs BST. The race starts at 14:50hrs BST on Sunday 2 June.

Image: Richard Leach

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