ASTON MARTIN RACING CLAIM VICTORY AT SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS

 Aston Martin Racing came away with a victory at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps during the second round of the FIA World Endurance Championship. After clinching pole position in yesterday’s qualifying session, the trio of Paul Dalla Lana (C), Pedro Lamy (P) and Mathias Lauda (A) drove a faultless race to convert their advantage into the race win. The result ensures a maximum haul of 26 points – including an additional point for pole position - and the lead in both GTE Am championships.

Despite amassing a commanding advantage in the early stages of the race, a strong challenge for the lead from the #77 Porsche temporarily saw the gap reduced to within ten seconds during the third hour. With Lauda holding his nerve until the third round of pit stops, Dalla Lana soon pressed on to extend their lead once again, equipped with a full set of new tyres.

With Lauda handing the car back to Lamy with a 40-second buffer and the potential threat of light rain, the Portuguese managed the situation to the chequered flag and crossed the line with an advantage of 31.110 seconds over their closest rival to claim their third consecutive win at the circuit.

Lamy said of his opening and closing stints, “At the beginning we ran different strategies with the drivers compared to our rivals and I was able to pull a big gap despite my 10-second penalty and hand over to Paul and Mat with a good advantage. In my final stint, I had to be careful with track limits and traffic and there was a lot of pickup on the track surface. It’s really tough to make no mistakes when you’re managing a lead like that, as you don’t know whether to push or hold back but we took the result today and that’s what matters”.

Dalla Lana said, “On my second stint the track just came alive and rubbered in. It was beautiful. You dream about being at Spa and racing through the forest and I really felt that I could push. The car did exactly what I wanted it to do and I was able to extend our lead at that point”.

He added, “That was a fantastic result for the team as everyone’s been working crazy hours to make this happen, so it was a real team victory. That was the perfect car, the perfect strategy and we executed flawlessly. We do have other teams nipping at our heels, but it’s good to be heading to Le Mans with the championship lead and a victory under our belt”.

Lauda added, “In my first stint I was on used tires and it was tough, but I was still able to bring the car back with a lead of just over twenty seconds and keep ourselves ahead. It was a stressful race for us as we never had the outright fastest car and we didn’t set the fastest lap, but that doesn’t matter. We did the best job with the strategy, the pit stops and there were no mistakes by any of the drivers”.

In GTE Pro, the team’s #97 V8 Vantage GTE and #95 V8 Vantage GTE finish 7th and 8th respectively, adding vital points to the team’s overall championship points tally.

Paul Howarth, Aston Martin Racing Team Principal added, “Spa threw many challenges at the team but the team’s performance was flawless with world-class execution. That is probably one of the most important things in endurance racing. We now head to Le Mans for one of the biggest motorsport challenges in the world and the whole of Aston Martin Racing looks forward to and we come away from Spa leading the GTE Am championship”.

Aston Martin Racing Claims Podium At 6 Hours Of Silverstone

Aston Martin Racing claimed its first podium of 2017 after the team’s #98 V8 Vantage GTE finished the FIA World Endurance Championship’s season opener at Silverstone in second place.

After qualifying on pole yesterday, Paul Dalla Lana, Mathias Lauda and Pedro Lamy amassed a commanding lead by the three-hour mark. Despite the team’s strong start, an incident in the series’ LMP1 class ensured the safety car came into play, diminishing the crew’s advantage in the process.

With the three GTE Am leaders trading lap-times throughout the closing stages, Lamy emerged second by the fall of the checkered flag cementing a strong start to the team’s 2017 GTE Am campaign.

Lamy said, “We were enjoying a very strong race until the safety car arrived, which completely destroyed the advantage we had. We lost everything and then of course the race starts again from zero. On the restart, the Ferrari was a little faster than us and we had to defend ourselves hard until the end to claim this position. That was a positive result though and we start the championship well, but we we’re now completely focused on the next race at Spa”.

Co-driver Lauda added, “My second stint, we were still in the lead the Ferrari but with a much smaller lead than before. I could hold the gap at around 5 to 6 seconds but it was getting tougher as Pedro jumped in for the final laps. We’re very pleased with the points, we didn’t make any mistakes ourselves and we’ll be working a bit harder to make sure we have a little more pace in Spa”.

In GTE Pro, the team’s #95 and #97 entries completed the season opener 6^th and 7^th respectively, adding to the team’s overall manufacturer points tally.

According to the team, Silverstone was a challenging first round to the championship. The race threw up many situations but the team reacted well to each of them.

Aston Martin Racing enjoyed further racing success across the weekend, as customer teams TF Sport and Beechdean AMR finished 1^st and 3^rd in Saturday’s European Le Mans Series opener; the 4 Hours of Silverstone.

With factory driver Nicki Thiim  racing with TF Sport and Darren Turner piloting the Beechdean AMR entry, the result demonstrates the strength of the V8 Vantage GTE beyond the FIA World Endurance Championship.

“The V8 Vantage GTE remains a force to be reckoned with on track as well as Aston Martin Racing drivers,” said Sonny Morgan, general manager of Late European. “Congratulations to all of the drivers on their successes this weekend”.

Aston Martin Racing returns to the WEC on Saturday 6 May for the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps.

ASTON MARTIN RACING UNVEIL 2017 CHALLENGER AND LE MANS LINE-UPS

Aston Martin Racing is back with a trio of V8 Vantage GTEs, fighting once again for honors in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), long considered theworld’s premiere endurance racing series;

While the team’s challenger may be familiar to motorsport aficionados, the team is proud to announce that Daniel Serra will join Aston Martin Racing for this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. While this year will see Serra take his debut in the WEC, the Brazilian has already completed countless laps in the team’s V8 Vantage GTE throughout an intensive testing and development program with tire supplier Dunlop. The Brazilian will race alongside both 2016 European Le Mans Series champion and AMR stalwart Darren Turner and 2016 British GT champion Jonny Adam.

Serra said, “What an amazing opportunity it is to be joining Aston Martin Racing in 2017. Having worked with the team last year in testing, it’s great to now step up and have the chance to help fight for strong results, in what is going to be a really competitive field in this year’s WEC. I’d like to thank the team for this opportunity and I cannot wait to start working with Darren and Jonny. Both are real professionals on and off the track and I hope we can bring the fight to our rivals this season”.

New Zealander Richie Stanaway also returns to the Aston Martin Racing fold for 2017, joining last year’s championship-winning pair Marco Sørensen and Nicki Thiim in the #95 ‘Danetrain’.

Stanaway said, “It’s great to be back at WEC this weekend and to be back with the team for this season. Obviously, it’s going to be a little different driving with the Danes this year, but having worked with these guys over the past few years, we already understand each other really well. Both Marco and Nicki are ultra-quick and I’m hoping we can be challenging for victories straight away at Silverstone, Spa and then for the big one at Le Mans”.

Both Serra and Stanaway will join the team’s #97 and #95 crews respectively for the 6 Hours of Silverstone and 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, prior to the 85th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Talking of both appointments, Aston Martin Racing Team Principal Paul Howarth said, “I’m hugely excited to have both Daniel and Richie on-board with the team this season. Both of them bring with them the speed and consistency that we look for in any driver here at Aston Martin Racing. While Richie has of course raced with us for many seasons, Daniel is also well known within our operation. We are a team with big ambitions following our championship successes last year and while the competition will undoubtedly be tough, it is our objective to be on the top step of the podium at Le Mans in June”.

Returning for the 2017 season, the V8 Vantage GTE continues to sport its striking Stirling Green and Lime livery. With motorsport firmly engrained in Aston Martin’s DNA, this iconic livery now remains the hallmark for the marque’s new performance brand, AMR.

Unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this month by Aston Martin CEO Dr Andy Palmer, all Aston Martin models will be treated to an AMR derivative, beginning with the Rapide AMR and Vantage AMR Pro models revealed by Aston Martin Racing drivers Thiim and Sørensen.

With the team committed to a further five seasons in FIA World Endurance Championship, Aston Martin is better placed than ever to provide excitement both on and off the track.

Aston Martin Racing returns to competition at the season opening 6 Hours of Silverstone over on April 14-16, with the official series’ test ‘The Prologue’ taking place this weekend (April 1-2) at Monza, Italy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mil9WjNIJ1Q&t=27s

ASTON MARTIN RACING SEALS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TITLES IN BAHRAIN

Aston Martin Racing drivers Nicki Thiim and Marco Sørensen have today been crowned world champions after taking victory in the FIA World Endurance Championship’s season finale in Bahrain.

Heading into the race, the pair led the GT Drivers title battle by 12 points, with the team controlling the GTE Pro championship with a 2-point advantage. While a third place finish would provide the necessary points to take the GT Drivers title, the Danes claimed victory in style by taking their second win of the season, securing the GTE Pro championship for Aston Martin Racing in the process.

After battling hard with the #51 Ferrari in the opening hours, the duo accrued a lead of over 20 seconds by the fifth hour. With their rivals pushing hard in the closing stages to close the gap, Thiim showed true class to maintain the advantage to the checkered flag, finishing 12.695 seconds over second place.

Thiim said, “As I said over and over again. I made a big change to my racing career at the beginning of this season. That was to come to a new team in Aston Martin Racing with a range of new partners in Total and Dunlop.

I told my teammate that it would be amazing to win the championship with this team and with a fellow Dane and I still can’t really believe that we now have our first WEC championship with Aston Martin. I’ve just driven two stints in the car so I need a moment to calm down but I am sure the emotions will come.

He added, “The consistency throughout the season has been amazing, the car has been great and the improvements we’ve made with our partners throughout the year have been incredible. To be up there in our first year with two new partners in Dunlop and Total and to compete against some big teams with their two new cars is really something special. Right now, I’m very happy with what I and the team have achieved”.

Thiim’s teammate Sørensen added, “It’s absolutely amazing to win the championship and I’m going to say it’s even more incredible to win it with a Danish brother like Nicki. When we were 10 years old, we raced against each other in karting but to be here winning a championship with him and Aston Martin Racing is fantastic.

Nobody would have thought we could be here together. I’m so proud of the whole team. We had a lot of new partners at the beginning of this year but it all just came together so well and today has been fantastic. I still can’t really believe it.”

Speaking of today’s success and reflecting on a successful season overall for Aston Martin Racing, Team Principal Paul Howarth said, “What a fantastic day to get to the end of the season and for Marco and Nicki to claim the GT Drivers and GTE Pro titles. Credit to them and the way they drove today and to all the team for helping them deliver these results.

2016 has been an incredible journey for this team and for us to consistently prove ourselves against other world-class outfits is testimony to the professionalism of this team. I’m proud to have led them throughout this season and the team can travel home thoroughly proud of their achievements”.

Aston Martin Racing leaves the Middle East with two world championships to its name, adding to its other recent championship victories in European Le Mans Series with customer team Beechdean AMR and British GT with TF Sport.

With this weekend’s result concluding a successful year for the British marque, the team remains hungrier than ever to return next season and achieve further success on the track.

Aston Martin Racing Achieves Clean Sweep in Bahrain Qualifying

Aston Martin Racing has achieved the perfect start to its race weekend, as the team take a 1-2 in GTE Pro and pole position in GTE Am for the FIA World Endurance Championship’s 6 Hours of Bahrain.

"With the sun set in the Bahraini desert, the #97 V8 Vantage GTE of Darren Turner  and Jonny Adam  set identical lap times to clinch pole position for tomorrow’s title deciding round and score a vital pole position championship point," said Sonny Morgan, General Manager of Late European. "The two were soon followed by GTE Pro and GT Drivers championship leaders Nicki Thiim  and Marco Sørensen, who brought their #95 entry home to lock out the front row of the GTE Pro grid."

With the team in contention for all five GT championships on offer - including the overall GT Manufacturers title - the result brings a major boost to the team’s hopes, with the deficit to the championship leaders reduced to nine points.

According to Turner, “We needed to get both cars on the front row of the grid. It was important that one of us took the pole to help the #95 crew for their championship bid and that obviously helps with the GT manufacturers title too. It’s going to be a very tough race tomorrow but we couldn’t have asked for a better qualifying session. Jonny’s jumped in and done a fantastic job and I’m really delighted for all of the #97 boys after working so hard to repair the car after Shanghai”.


“It’s nice to be back here in Bahrain especially after doing my testing work with Dunlop last year,” said Adam. “There were positive signs last year and its clear the tyre has improved drastically throughout 2016. The car’s been getting better and better throughout the weekend and it was ultimately perfect in that session. The car feels really strong, particularly on the longer runs and we’ll be looking to fight for victory tomorrow”.


Nicki Thiim, driver of #95 added, “That was brilliant for Aston Martin. It’s been quite difficult in the past couple of races but the car is working really well here, particularly the tire, and I think that’s where our advantage is. Tomorrow, it’s a long race but I want to win and make sure that we get the team, drivers and GTE Pro championships. I will be taking the start for tomorrow, I want to stay out of trouble and then we’ll see what the race brings”.


In GTE Am, the #98 V8 Vantage GTE of Pedro Lamy, Paul Dalla Lana and Mathias Lauda claimed pole on the final flying lap of the session. After Lamy and Dalla Lana placed the car in second following their initial timed runs, Lamy was sent back out for one final attempt.


After crossing the start/finish in the final minute of the session, a sensational lap brought the pair’s average to 0.02 seconds ahead of their nearest rival, providing them with an essential pole position championship point to keep their title hopes alive.


Paul Dalla Lana said, “That was as much drama as you can have from any qualifying session. We knew Ferrari would throw everything they had at it, including using an additional set of tires to push us off the top step in the final moments of the session. Unfortunately, we had to use three sets of tires too to make sure Pedro could keep us at the top by, but it means we keep fighting. You never know what can happen tomorrow. Stranger things have happened and we may find ourselves fighting for the title at the end”.


Team Principal Paul Howarth added, “That was an absolutely sublime performance right across the team. I was particularly impressed with Jonny’s faultless lap. We rewarded him with a drive here in Bahrain and he’s rewarded us with a pole alongside Darren. The #95 again delivered a highly credible performance to lockout the front row in GTE Pro and we were kept waiting right until the last lap of Am qualifying to deliver their fourth consecutive pole position.


As with previous races, the whole team turns its focus to delivering at the highest level and go into tomorrow’s race with the confidence that they can claim the championships on offer”.


The FIA WEC 6 Hours of Bahrain begins at 16:00 local time on Saturday, November 19. The team is in the running for the GT Manufacturers, GT Drivers, GTE Pro team, GTE Am team and GT Am Driver’s championships.

TRG-AMR To Defend SprintX Lead with Four-Car Lineup in Final PWC Race of the Season

With four Aston Martin V8 Vantages and eight drivers, TRG-AMR is set to finish the Pirelli World Challenge season in full force this weekend. The SprintX GTS class points leader will defend its title status at one of the country’s most beautiful tracks Laguna Seca Mazda Raceway.

“What an absolutely fantastic final race of the year in so many categories,” said Kevin Buckler, CEO. “We have four strong cars and eight solid drivers and we’re chasing the inaugural SprintX Championship along with a shot at victory in the sprint race. We’ve had a tremendous year with multiple wins and podiums and of course have a really strong history here at Laguna Seca, one of my favorite tracks in North America.”

TRG-AMR’s familiar lineup of PWC drivers will be bolstered by additional talent for this final race. Max Riddle, who currently leads the SprintX GTS championship with 440 points, will be teamed with Kris Wilson (400 points) in their No. 07 RingCentral/Adobe Road Winery Aston Martin V8 Vantage. Riddle will race both in the GTS and SprintX races. As runner-up in the GTS championship with 416 points, Derek DeBoer will partner with Jason Alexandridis, fourth in SprintX with 392 points. The duo will reveal an all-new LaSalle-themed livery for their No. 09 LaSalle Solutions/BRM Chronographes/Rebounderz Rohnert Park/Racing for Cancer/Pirata Della Strada/Simon Ward car at Laguna Seca.

George Kurtz returns in his No. 04 Crowdstrike car for his third race with TRG-AMR, and will race in both the GTS and SprintX races. This cybersecurity executive splits his time between racing the Aston Martin and leading Crowdstrike’s defense of federal institutions against foreign hackers. Kurtz is paired with Kenton Koch, who took second overall in the 2016 IMSA WeatherTech Prototype Challenge at last weekend’s Petit Le Mans race.

The final driver pair has raced with TRG-AMR in select races this year: Brandon Davis and Greg Milzcik. The latter most recently drove the No. 77 Wolfwood Refuge/That Newfoundland Place V8 Vantage at Sonoma, and has already competed at Laguna Seca this season with TRG Porsche in the Pirelli GT3 Cup. He will race both in the GTS and SprintX races. Davis has been a consistent part of the TRG-AMR squad this year, primarily as a driver’s coach for many of the team’s events. He, along with James Davison, brought success to TRG earlier this year with a podium finish at the IMSA WeatherTech race at Laguna Seca.

"The PWC series has done a great job of making this a true and viable alternative to other forms of corporate spends, and motorsports is hot right now. The paddock area has become the magic place for B2B deals to get done and we are proud to be leading the charge,” said Buckler. “We are moving forward with our 2017 plans and have some big announcements in the next few weeks.  We are looking towards the future with all of our current friends and partners as well as some new ones. It’s going to be busy!"

The TRG-AMR team expects to welcome nearly 75 guests to their hospitality paddock at Laguna Seca. LaSalle Solutions maintains their consistent presence and support of the cars and drivers, and are being joined once again by executives and guests of Crowdstrike and RingCentral. These three major partners create a fun, dynamic environment in the paddock – a place where C-level executives can meet each other, account managers can entertain prospects, and an absolutely unique environment that’s a proven deal-closer for millions of dollars worth of sales. The team is also welcoming Marchese Investments to the race paddock this weekend. Partnering with TRG to gain access to unique benefits has trumped companies’ decisions to buy into traditional venues like country clubs or stadium box suites. The team is looking forward to extending partnerships with these elite corporate partners throughout the next season.

Aston Martin Racing Secures Top 10 Finish at the Lone Star Le Mans weekend

TRG-AMR defied the odds with a top 10 finish at the Lone Star Le Mans weekend, hosted by the legendary Circuit of The Americas (COTA). Thanks to an all-new driver lineup, the Aston Martin squad executed flawlessly in the hot Austin weather. With only minimal practice time and never having driven the 007, the team worked hard, adapted quickly and put in a solid driving performance to finish in 6th.

The No. 007 Godstone Ranch Motorsport/Hands Only CPR/Johnson Controls/Whilo/LaSalle Solutions Aston Martin V12 Vantage is certainly a fan favorite, but the car has not been present at every WeatherTech SportsCar Championship event in the 2016 season. It's a testament to the TRG-AMR team's audacity that top-10 results are natural even when racing against teams who have been competitive throughout the year. In Austin, Australian driver David Calvert-Jones and Porsche specialist Ben Barke dealt with the Texas summertime heat while familiarizing themselves with the car during practice and qualifying sessions. With the drivers' feedback, the skilled TRG-AMR crew was able to execute the ideal race setup to deliver maximum results for a 6th place finish.

"Testing was tricky, and we qualified in the back," said Barker after the race. "CJ's been improving all weekend so he's done a great job. He got quicker and gave the car to me in a competitive position. The TRG car was really good and competitive, we were just losing straight-line speed. Overall, it was a fantastic job by the team and CJ, and hopefully we'll be back."

Overall, the weekend was positive for all drivers, crew, and guests. In addition to racing, this event was key for both business and charity. Godstone Ranch MotorSports, founded by Texan driver John McCutchen, was an important part of TRG-AMR's race. The charity uses motorsports to help draw attention and donations to the American Heart Association's "Hands Only CPR" program, spearheaded by McCutchen and his group of volunteers.  Ally Babineaux, a young survivor of two heart transplants, was at McCutchen's side to evangelize the charity and embodied the direct impact made by the support of donors. Wearing a custom Godstone Ranch fire suit, she joined the TRG-AMR team during pit stops by holding a fire bottle at the ready.

"It was a great race for us," said Calvert-Jones. "As we had just a few sessions of practice and I had never driven this car before, I think we came a long way. The team did an amazing job, Kevin and all of TRG-AMR group are just a real solid team and can't thank them enough for what they put together this weekend. The car was quite slow earlier on in the week, but as we dialed it in, it got quicker and quicker. Ben Barker just did an amazing job to get it up to 6th place from last, so I'm pretty happy!”

RingCentral, a cloud enterprise communications and collaboration application provider, joined TRG-AMR with a large group of guests in Austin. They were welcomed in the team's paddock area, plus additional hospitality and race viewing locations around the beautiful Circuit of the Americas racetrack. This spectacular venue, along with three private evening events and a private Adobe Road wine dinner, provided an exciting, unique experience for both RingCentral and a private wealth management firm's guests.

"We had so many obstacles coming here in the beginning, but that’s just another cool part of TRG story," said Kevin Buckler, CEO. "We were up against experienced and storied teams, we are only running a partial season, we had a crazy schedule with split races in two states and had brand new drivers in the car – and the team executed just flawlessly! It's great that the RingCentral guys and all of the other groups of guests were able to be with us this weekend. It's just such an amazing environment for building relationships and networking. We had some great events: the Late European Aston Martin dealership, plus dinner here at the track with our guests and the big Adobe Road wine dinner downtown at the Capital Grill.”

Technology partner LaSalle Solutions has found the motorsports partnership and platform extremely effective and has increased their efforts in supporting the team through the balance of the season.

"We did everything strategy-wise that we could possibly do," said McCutchen. "To get out of here at the end of the season and be absolutely competitive is an unbelievable testament to TRG-AMR. The whole Godstone Ranch team was incredibly enthused to be out here with the team. When the car was leading the race for those laps, I don't even know how many people texted me from all over the world - they were so psyched to see this car in the lead!"