Aston Martin Racing will celebrate its 10th anniversary at the season-opening FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) race, the 6 Hours of Silverstone (18-20 April), and will field four Vantage GTEs - two in each of the LMGTE classes.
Ten years ago Aston Martin Racing was born and a new era of the manufacturer’s motorsport began. Since then it has experienced success in both GT and prototype racing at the highest competitive level.
Its most recent exploits are based on the brand’s most focused sports car, the Vantage. For the third consecutive year, Aston Martin Racing will field its Vantage GTEs and, at the 2014 season-opener, this weekend’s 6 Hours of Silverstone, five new faces join the team of 11 works drivers.
In the #97 Gulf-liveried Vantage LMGTE Pro, long-standing Aston Martin Racing duo Darren Turner (GB) – who has been with Aston Martin Racing since its inception in 2004 – and Stefan Mücke (DE) will join forces once again.
“I’m excited to be back for another year in the World Endurance Championship,” comments Darren. “I think we’re set for another incredibly competitive season, especially in GTE Pro. It’s good to team up with Stefan again too. We can’t wait to get stuck into the championship and we haven’t got long to wait now.”
The second Pro car, the #99 Craft-Bamboo Vantage GTE, which will run in its Valero livery for this race, will be driven by three newcomers to the team; Darryl O’Young (HK), Fernando Rees (BR) and Alex MacDowall (GB).
In the LMGTE Am class, the #95 Young Driver Vantage GTE returns for a second year, once again with an all-Danish line-up. Kristian Poulsen, who raced the whole of last season with the team, will return alongside Nicki Thiim, who raced in the second half of the year, and David Heinemeier-Hansson who is the latest addition to the team.
Christoffer Nygaard, who competed in the Young Driver car last year, will return to Aston Martin Racing, this time behind the wheel of the #98 NorthWest Vantage GTE with 2013 returnees Paul Dalla Lana (CA) and Pedro Lamy (PT).
“Last year was the most successful year, in terms of race wins, in the history of the Aston Martin Racing works programme,” comments Team Principal John Gaw. “There are four very strong cars in our line-up again this year, with a mix of experience of GTs and the WEC. Darren and Stefan, as our long-standing team members, will head up the team and offer support and advice to our upcoming talent.”
“Silverstone is our home race and it’s our tenth anniversary, so it would be great to come away with some silverware. However, as it’s the opening round of the year, we are yet to see the race performance of our competitors.”
From Aston Martin Racing press release
Photo: CIRCUIT PAUL RICARD (LE CASTELLET, FRANCE), THE PROLOGUE,
