TRG-Aston Martin Racing Bringing Six Strong Cars to the PWC Sonoma Weekend

 

SONOMA, CA, August 27, 2015 –TRG-Aston Martin Racing is rolling back into its home track at Sonoma Raceway with a massive undertaking for this weekend’s penultimate round of the Pirelli World Challenge Series.

The team will be fielding six Aston Martin Vantage race cars including IMSA GTD points leader Christina Nielsen driving the #7 Royal Purple V12 Vantage in the GTA class and five exceptional drivers in the GTS class -- including Kris Wilson who is going for his fifth and sixth PWC GTS class wins this season in the #07 LaSalle Solutions V8 Vantage. Joining Kris in GTS class will be Derek DeBoer (#09 Racing for Cancer / BRM), Jeff Huber (#06 Stand Up 2 Cancer / Exploratorium), Peter Ludwig (#13 World Technology Ingredients / OISI) and our newest member to the TRG-AMR team of drivers, Jason Alexandridis (#75 Rebounderz of Rohnert Park). TRG-AMR is excited to welcome Jason and his sponsor, Rebounderz.

The Sonoma Raceway event is always special for TRG-AMR as it is the team’s home track and it offers an incredible setting for companies to discover the benefits of sports car racing as part of an advertising and experiential marketing strategy with clients. The team activities are booked morning, noon and night with several private events being held at the TRG headquarters / Adobe Road Winery private tasting room. The team is also hosting a fun and festive annual Pirelli World Challenge Sonoma Beach Party at TRG-AMR headquarters. In addition, TRG-AMR will have a large paddock set up with all six cars and hospitality for guests, featuring a private chef as well as a spectacular second viewing location perched above turn three with its partners from LaSalle Solutions.

“I can’t wait to jump back in the #07 Vantage this weekend for an opportunity to follow-up my PWC Mid-Ohio win with two more at Sonoma Raceway in front of our home fans and corporate guests,” said Kris Wilson, TRG-AMR Driver. “The team continues to give me a fantastic car to drive and I am ready to show why the V8 Vantage is the car to have in GS class and TRG-AMR is the team to join if you want to win.”

Championship leading driver Christina Nielsen will take the wheel in the GTA class on Saturday. She continues to impress the motorsports media and her racing competitors with podium finishes and clean driving. She turned in another strong performance last week at VIR in the Tudor United SportsCar series finishing second with co-driver Kuno Wittmer. “I’m feeling really good about my performance at this point in the season and I want to deliver a solid performance in front of our home fans at Sonoma Raceway,” said Christina Nielsen, TRG-AMR driver. “Its hard to believe that my debut with TRG-AMR in the Aston Martin V12 Vantage was in this Pirelli World Challenge race at Sonoma just a year ago where we finished on the podium. I am definitely looking to repeat and hopefully move up a step or two.”

“For us, Sonoma Raceway is our home track as our racing headquarters and winery are located just 15 minutes from the track” said Kevin Buckler, Chief Executive Officer at TRG-AMR. We have had an incredible history here starting with our first big win back in 1995 and I always feel like we can claim this track as our own. It is one of the most challenging circuits in racing, especially when you are trying to squeeze out those last few tenths-- this place is crazy. I am looking forward to giving our drivers every possible advantage this weekend and confident that we’ll have strong finishes from the entire team. It is really cool to be having all six of these drivers running under the TRG-AMR banner, working hard on all of their racing initiatives and also having us all be friends off the track…it makes it even that much more special. This will be a big springboard weekend for us for 2016, as we will showcase what we are capable of both on and off the track. We have an incredible group of partners and guests attending and I’m looking forward to a fantastic weekend of racing for all of our folks. We could not be more proud to be representing and racing these amazing cars from Aston Martin.”

The Drivers

Christina Nielsen hails from Denmark and started her racing career in 2007 with karting followed by various European formula car series including the ADAC Formula Masters championship. After that it was on to Porsche Carrera Cup Germany and then onto ADAC GT Masters followed by Porsche GT3 Cup Middle East and Europe. Nielsen raced a partial season in 2014 with NGT/MOMO Racing in the North American Endurance Cup, as well as racing in Pirelli World Challenge and Petit Le Mans with TRG-AMR in the V12 Vantage GT3. The 2015 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona kicks off a full season effort for Christina in both the IMSA TUDOR and Pirelli World Challenge Championships. Easily one of the most experienced female racers in the world, Christina brings a wealth of endurance racing experience to to the team.

Derek DeBoer grew up in a family where racing and the love of cars was very much at the forefront of everyday life. His grandfather raced in the local dirt car circuit and his father followed suit, but in the form of Top Alcohol dragster racing. DeBoer’s family owns an auto group in the Pacific Northwest, with Derek playing a large role in the day-to-day operations. Not a stranger to competition, Derek also spent 12 years as a professional wakeboarder riding for the Liquid Force factory team. His driver development began behind the wheel of a Formula Dodge at what is still his favorite track; Laguna Seca in Monterey, CA. He is a native of Southern Oregon and has traveled extensively for the past fifteen years racing in Formula Renault, multiple efforts at the 25 hour of Thunderhill, and in the GRAND-AM ST and GS Classes. DeBoer first tested in the V8 Vantage GT4 and raced at Sebring in 2013, before moving into multiple Pirelli World Challenge and Continental Tire Sportscar Challenge races in 2014, helping cement his place as part of the TRG-AMR team. DeBoer is running the full Pirelli World Challenge season in 2014 behind the wheel of an Aston Martin V8 Vantage GT4.

Jason Alexandridis began his racing career in early 2011 racing with NASA in the NorCal Spec E30 class. After a few seasons and some top 10 finishes in SpecE30, Jason moved up to a BMW E46 M3 and began competing in the Unites States Touring Car Championship Series. By the end of the 2014 season in USTCC Jason secured 4 podium finishes in 7 races, 2 for 1st place. That same year he also placed 2nd in the NASA Western States Championships in the GTS-3 class. Jason first tested the V8 Vantage GT4 with TRG-AMR at Sonoma Raceway in 2015. He will have his professional debut in the Pirelli World Challenge series at Sonoma Raceway in late August 2015. Jason has a competitive spirit. In his early years he put himself through college by entering the US Navy. While there he was trained as a hospital corpsman, worked in the cardiology clinic, and played on the All-Navy Volleyball team. He went on to college at San Diego State where he continued to play indoor and beach volleyball. These experiences helped shape the determined and broad-skilled person he would become.

Jeff Huber - Jeff’s racing career began growing up on a farm in Illinois, sliding and racing anything with a motor — 125/250cc motocross, 3-wheelers, 4-wheelers, snowmobiles, and farm trucks and tractors. In addition to his day-job as a technology executive and entrepreneur (follow @jhuber on Twitter), his 15 year sportscar racing career has seen him contending for championships and on the podium in most races. Jeff dedicates his racing career to his incredibly amazing wife and love-of-his-life, Laura, and teenage aspiring-racer kids, Max & Grace.

Peter Ludwig returns to TRG for his Pirelli World Challenge debut after several successful seasons of running in both the TUDOR Sports Car Series as well as Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge. Always a contender in both GT and GS categories, Peter has had tremendous success in sportscars, including 3 combined class wins as well as five more podiums. Fast in anything he drives, Peter has driven everything from Porsches and Ferrari’s to Mazdas, including open wheel cars and prototypes. He is actually coming off a F3 victory just last week here at Sonoma. TRG is happy to see Peter back and look forward to a strong run together.

Kris Wilson has seen and done nearly everything in the realm of sports car racing, from driving and coaching to wrenching on cars. His vast experience and driving talent make him an ideal co-driver for Max Riddle. After pairing with Dave Riddle for four years the partnership has been transferred to Max. Wilson, who calls Littleton, Colorado home, started as a mechanic for BFGoodrich/Jim Busby Racing’s Porsche 962. Not content to stay in the pits, Wilson drove his first race in 1987. During the next six years, he took rookie of the year titles in Formula Mazda, US FF2000 and Firestone Firehawk (the precursor to KONI Challenge). Wilson also had the opportunity to compete in the Rolex Series, World Challenge, World Sports Car and the American Le Mans Series. Teaching others to race may be even more difficult than driving, but Wilson has been an instructor and coach nearly as long as he has been competing himself. He first joined the Skip Barber Racing School in 1989 and has been passing on his knowledge since then. After competing in the Vantage GT4 with Automatic Having raced the entire 2014 Continental Tire Sportscar Challenge with teammate Max Riddle, Kris is looking to fill the role of reserve driver and senior instructor in the TRG-AMR stable.

TRG-Aston Martin Racing extends Championship Points Lead at VIR Heading into the Final 2 Rounds

                       

Alton, VA (August 25, 2015) -In what might be described as one of the best “feel good” racing stories of 2015, a strong independent GT team partnered with one of the the last remaining independent luxury brands in the world, now sits squarely on top of the GT championship dominating over its enormous automotive rivals and brands. TRG and Aston Martin sit solidly in the lead of the GT Drivers and Team Championship and after a solid 2nd place finish at Virginia International Raceway on Sunday have now extended their lead even further over their 2nd place Ferrari rival. And leading that charge is the Danish sensation and professional driver, Christina Nielsen along with her co-driver, the current reigning GTLM Champion Kuno Wittmer in the #007 Aston Martin GT3.

The TRG team came into the weekend leading the GTD class points championship by a slim margin over the #48 Audi and the #63 Ferrari. The paddock was buzzing with interest to find out how Christina and co-driver Kuno Wittmer would handle the pressure of leading the points championship and also deal with this ultra-competitive class at this incredibly challenging and world class facility, Virginia International Raceway.

During Saturday qualifying, Christina set a blistering lap time early in the session settling in at P2 but while pushing for the pole, had a slight off-track and was forced to park the car for the rest of qualifying. As competitor lap times improved, the 007 Orion/Royal Purple/LaSalle Solutions/Passtime USA/Mellow Mushroom V12 Vantage slid down the qualifying order to start fifth in Sunday’s Oak Tree Grand Prix.

Sunday’s race proved to be drama-filled as the #48 Audi R8 jumped out to an early lead but Christina drove her 007 Vantage into third place in a battle with the #73 Porsche. It was the #63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari that would play spoiler for the #48 Audi R8 by chasing them down and ultimately passing them for the GTD class lead. After the #73 Porsche retired from the race and the Audi was forced into a mistake, Kuno Wittmer held onto a solid 2nd place finish in the 007 V12 Vantage.

The result was that TRG-Aston Martin Racing did exactly what Christina and team owner Kevin Buckler stated as their missions: drive clean, drive smart, and extend the GTD class points lead. For the #48 Audi R8 team they not only lost a chance to retake the GTD points lead, but their fifth place finish has seen them slip to third in class while the #63 Ferrari is now within 6 points of TRG-Aston Martin Racing with only two races left in the season. This sets up the September 17-19 race weekend at the Circuit of the Americas and season finale Petit Le Mans endurance race as a shootout for the GTD class championship.

“While it was my first time to race VIR, I showed pace very early in qualifying and we pushed hard during the race. I gained two positions by time I had given the car to Kuno so I feel that I did a good job of rebounding from Saturday’s qualifying error” said Christina Nielsen, TRG-AMR driver. “This is the third consecutive podium for Kuno and I, and consistency is really important in a tight points race.” ”Having raced a lot of laps at VIR, I felt confident that I could preserve our P3 position when Christina handed me the car” said Kuno Wittmer, TRG-AMR driver. “While the Ferrari showed incredible pace today, our primary goal after the driver change was to chase down the #48 Audi and secure P2 and that is exactly what we were able to do. I’m very happy for Christina, the team and of course my performance.”

TRG-AMR CEO Kevin Buckler: “We all came into this weekend knowing how important it was to drive smart and clean and take advantages of even the smallest of missteps of our competitors, both on the track or with strategy and that is exactly what we did. The pressure was really on and while other teams made mistakes or suffered mechanical issues, we remained focused and we executed. We had a ton of energy here this weekend and I am honestly a bit humbled by the awesome response we have gotten from fans and the media. Everyone likes the team, the IMSA series, Christina and Kuno and of course the #007 Aston Martin. We were also hosting corporate executives this weekend who are evaluating marketing opportunities to partner with our team and the brand. The motorsports “space” for corporate America and for possible partnerships is as strong as I’ve ever seen it in the 25 years I’ve been racing and we definitely feel like we are leading the charge. Now we look forward to COTA, another big fast track where our V12 Vantage should perform well. We know the #63 Ferrari team must be feeling good about themselves and the competition continues to give us their best."

“We had a great talk with the guys after the race on Sunday and basically said… This is it guys---this is what we came for and now we have a real chance to win a significant championship in this highly competitive class and with an awesome partner in Aston Martin. We need to be completely focused on the task at hand and not let anything get in the way of our proper planning and strategy for every lap of every session for these 2 super important upcoming races. We will all be racing a little differently as we are chasing down a significant championship and we are in the lead heading into the last two races. We will definitely need to adjust our style and strategy. Proper planning, preparation, execution, fitness, backups, etc. and really focusing on the mission at hand and we absolutely must stick to our plan and execute… Everybody needs to think three steps ahead and everybody needs to have everybody else’s back at every turn. Our team is good but one of our strategic advantages is that we are even better together in the tough situations like the big races and when we work together as one solid team, we shine and we win. We respect the position we are in as well as those of our competitors and of course our responsibility to our brand. We are completely focused on winning this championship for us and for Aston Martin.”;

TRG-Aston Martin Racing Seeks to Extend its Championship Points Lead at VIR

TRG-Aston Martin Racing Seeks to Extend its Championship Points Lead at VIR

Danville, VA (August 19, 2015) - As the Tudor United SportsCar Championship season is winding down, the intensity is heating up. With another podium finish for the #007 Aston Martin GT3 at Road America last week, TRG-AMR driver Christina Nielsen leads the GTD class points by a slim margin. The GTD championship is very close as four drivers are within just ten points of Christina’s lead.

Christina and her Orion/Royal Purple/LaSalle Solutions/Passtime USA/Mellow Mushroom number 007 Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 will be the center of attention this Sunday at the Oak Tree Grand Prix at VIR. Both the media and competitor race teams will be watching as Christina and TRG-Aston Martin Racing turn their attention from chasing the points lead to protecting the points lead. TRG-Aston Martin Racing is also pleased to welcome Mellow Mushroom as a sponsor for the Oak Tree Grand Prix weekend.

After another outstanding performance last week at the Continental Tire Road Race Showcase at Road America that saw Christina and co-driver Kuno Wittmer finish in second place, both drivers are eager to show that their string of podium finishes is just the beginning of something special for this driver combination moving into the final stretch of the season.

“This will be my first time racing at VIR in the GT3, but I’m feeling good coming into the weekend having done some testing there last month,” said Christina Nielsen, TRG-AMR driver. “Kuno and I are driving very well together and the car setup is really working for us. We have delivered consecutive podium finishes and led many laps in recent weeks, but we really want to win going into the final three races of the season.”

“VIR is big fast track and it will allow our V12 Vantage to shine, so I’m excited to deliver another podium result for the team,” said Kuno Wittmer, TRG-AMR driver. “Now, with Christina in the GTD class points lead, there is an added motivation to deliver a strong driving performance to extend that points lead as the #48 Audi team is only two points behind us.”

“We really enjoy racing at VIR and admire the work that Connie and her staff have done to maintain it as a premier road racing course in North America. We have a strong history here over the years and plan on adding to that history this weekend. At TRG-AMR, we continue to deliver results for our sponsors both on and off the track so it is critical that we finish strong in the final three races of the season to win the championship,” said Kevin Buckler, CEO at TRG-AMR. “It all starts with VIR and we are completely focused on going for the race win this weekend for our team, sponsors, and Aston Martin.”