Gaydon, 27 January 2009. On the 50th
anniversary of its outright win at Le Mans, Aston Martin will return to La
Sarthe with two Works LMP1 cars bearing the iconic blue and orange livery of
Gulf Oil. In an ambitious attempt to emulate the legendary achievements of the
1959 DBR1 driven by Carroll Shelby and Roy Salvadori, Aston Martin will
endeavour to bring the Le Mans title back to Britain.
"2009 is a hugely significant year for Aston Martin at Le Mans and the
challenge of reclaiming victory in this famous race for Aston Martin and Great
Britain was simply too great to ignore," said Aston Martin Chairman, David
Richards. "However, we do not underestimate the task. While we have won the
GT1 class for the last two years, competing against the proven speed and
endurance of the diesel-powered cars with all their years of winning the
prototype class, will be a massive undertaking. Nonetheless, I see this as a
great opportunity to showcase the ingenuity of British engineering talent." Dr
Ulrich Bez, Aston Martin Chief Executive Officer commented: "Racing has been,
and still is at the heart of Aston Martin. Our cars today are subtle, elegant
and handcrafted but they still have the genes for competition. I am happy that
we have found partners who, with their support, will enable us to compete at the
highest level of endurance racing. We will put all our heart and skill behind
this project to demonstrate the essence of Aston Martin: Power Beauty and Soul."
The new car which is based on the 2008 Charouz Racing System Lola will be
powered by the same production-based Aston Martin V12 engine which, last year,
helped Aston Martin secure its second successive Le Mans GT1 title with the
DBR9. It also powered the Charouz car to a new La Sarthe lap record for a
petrol car. Aston Martin Racing is developing the car in conjunction with Lola,
Michelin, Koni and BBS and continues its relationship with major partner Gulf
Oil and official clothing partner Hackett.
In 2009, the ACO is introducing new regulations aimed at balancing the
performance of petrol and diesel engined prototypes making the LMP1 category
more appealing and relevant to Aston Martin. Signalling ongoing commitment to
motorsport, in addition to the Le Mans 24 hour race, the team will also compete
throughout the year in the Le Mans Series (LMS), which opens with the 1000 km de
Catalunya on the 5th of April.
Aston Martin Racing Works drivers, Jan Charouz (CZ), Tomas Enge (CZ), and Stefan
Mücke (DE), who raced the Charouz car last year will renew their relationship
with the team along with Darren Turner (GB) who was part of the winning DBR9 GT1
crew in 2007 and 2008. Harold Primat (CH) joins the team for the first time in
2009 with the remaining driver to be announced imminently.
To focus maximum energy on the LMP1 programme, the Works team will not defend
its GT1 title at Le Mans. However, Aston Martin Racing will support any of its
official partner teams and customers competing at the race.
Aston Martin Racing partner, Drayson Racing, has expressed its desire to compete
at Le Mans with the new Vantage GT2. This follows confirmation of the team's
LMS entry and American Le Mans Series programme with a bio-ethanol powered
Vantage GT2. Further announcements are expected in the weeks ahead as other
Aston Martin Racing partner teams and customers confirm their plans for racing
in the GT1, GT2, GT3 and GT4 classes of national and international racing
series. |
