What is Aston Martin up to?

[TRspitfirefan]

Originally Posted by TF110

I wouldn't mind seeing them back in the british racing green color!

That would be cool!

[JorritVD]

Interview with John Gaw: https://www.dailysportscar.com/?p=17972

Plans for 2014
- Fia WEC
--- 1st Pro-car: 99%
--- 2nd Pro-car: 80%
--- 1st Pro-Am car: 90%
--- 2nd Pro-Am car: 70%
--- 3rd Pro-Am car: 50:50 (probably the Dalla Lana entry)
--- Customer car: 50:50

- ELMS: No customer interest.

- TUSCC:
--- No customer cars in TUSCC
--- Likely to have one factory car at Sebring, hopefully one at Daytona

GT3:
- New GT3 cars ordered for 2014 season
- Bigger factory GT3 programm
--- Spa 24h: 2 factory cars + 2 customer cars run by AMR
--- Nurburgring 24h: 2 cars aswell
--- Dubai 24h: 1 Pro and 1 Pro-am by Craft Racing
- Possible two car effort in AsLMS by Craft Racing
--- And one in Super GT

[TF110]

Some really interesting info in that interview. They feel they found 2 seconds per lap on the 2013 car from last year before the performance breaks were cut back. Thats a huge jump. Also info about the future GT cars.

[Pandamasque]

Originally Posted by TF110

I wouldn't mind seeing them back in the british racing green color!

<- obviously neither would I.

[pederb]

Wonder where the TRG/AMR program fits into this? They are running GTD so maybe it falls under the GT3 category in his statement but no mention of just that no cars in TUSCC ?

[joeb]

Originally Posted by pederb

Wonder where the TRG/AMR program fits into this? They are running GTD so maybe it falls under the GT3 category in his statement but no mention of just that no cars in TUSCC ?

I was wondering the same thing. Maybe an Aston in GTD isn't a done deal after all?

[Mechanic Z]

John Gaw
"It’s difficult with GT Le Mans but in GT Daytona I think we’ll have two cars with TRG then we have cars in the Conti Series and we’ve just announced the one make challenge too, that’s all coming together nicely."

So TRG is going to be alright.

[TRspitfirefan]

Originally Posted by joeb

I was wondering the same thing. Maybe an Aston in GTD isn't a done deal after all?

I think we'll see at least one TRG GTD Aston.
(Maybe just wishful thinking.)

[JorritVD]

Some nice numbers from AMR about 2013, from the Prodrive facebook page.

Did you know that our Aston Martin racing cars have made exactly 500 race starts so far this year (there may be a couple more before the year is out). All the facts are here:

Aston Martin a year in numbers:

So far in 2013 Aston Martin racing cars made exactly 500 race starts in national and international sports car series across the world.

• 310 starts were in the Vantage GT4
• 130 starts were in the Vantage GT3
• 38 starts were in the Vantage GTE
• 21 were in the DBRS9
• 1 was in the Zagato

The works and customer teams won 79 races
• The Vantage GT4 won 38 races
• The Vantage GT3 won 31 races
• The Vantage GTE won 9 races
• The DBRS9 won 1 race

There were a further 108 podiums (56 seconds and 52 thirds)

Andrew Howard won the British GT Championship in the Beechdean Vantage GT3, the first title for the car.

World Endurance Championship:

• GTE Pro: won four of eight races and five further podiums
• GTE Am: won five of eight races and four further podiums
• We won the GTE Am drivers’ title
• We were second in the GT Manufacturers’ championship
• We were second in both the GTE Pro & Am Teams’ championships
• We were third in the GT drivers’ championship

By the end of 2013 we had built nearly 180 Aston Martin racing cars in ten years, since the first DBR9 in 2004.

[Tim the Grey]

The best Stat this year regarding Aston Martin? I'm now working there. NOT at AMR, but AML, in Gaydon.
This is a MOST significant fact for me, of course.
But that is some set of figures, even with the Aston Challenge series in teh UK.

[Mechanic Z]

Originally Posted by Tim the Grey

The best Stat this year regarding Aston Martin? I'm now working there. NOT at AMR, but AML, in Gaydon.
This is a MOST significant fact for me, of course.
But that is some set of figures, even with the Aston Challenge series in teh UK.

Congratulations!

[Mike_Wooshy]

Originally Posted by Tim the Grey

The best Stat this year regarding Aston Martin? I'm now working there. NOT at AMR, but AML, in Gaydon.
This is a MOST significant fact for me, of course.
But that is some set of figures, even with the Aston Challenge series in teh UK.

Well done Tim. Congratulations.

[TRspitfirefan]

Originally Posted by Tim the Grey

The best Stat this year regarding Aston Martin? I'm now working there. NOT at AMR, but AML, in Gaydon.
This is a MOST significant fact for me, of course.
But that is some set of figures, even with the Aston Challenge series in the UK.

Sounds like a cool job!

[Tim the Grey]

From my seat in the office, I have a DB2/4 ( OXO13) through to Bond's Vanquish. 50 feet away they make DB9/Vantage/Vanquish.
I can only say I've had worse jobs!
Spent today checking out the inner wings, to determine how to service the thing. It's a bit of a different mindset to Transit vans, which were the last Parts Catalogues I wrote!

[otisdog]

Today as I was heading up to northern California on Highway 99 between Fresno and Bakersfield I saw 3 matte black "Aston Martin Racing Team" semis heading south. All had the DB9 (?) logo on the side. Where would these things be coming from and/or going to? If they were testing (and I have no idea what they would be testing...) at Sears Point or Laguna, they'd be coming down 101, or maybe 5, but 99? Any ideas?

[Ginaro Zukovsky]

The Racer's Group is based in Petaluma?

[pederb]

Originally Posted by Ginaro Zukovsky

The Racer's Group is based in Petaluma?

Yes

[Rodger Davies]

Hmm, so unless entries get pulled, Aston are needing to find 9 Pro drivers for the GTEP class at Least Mans. Any suggestions?

Stanaway is listed in the 'am' car, Rob Bell is at SRT, Mako will likely be at Porsche.

So they have Senna, Turner and Mucke listed in different cars. Guys they could be likely to use would be Jonny Adam and Peter Dumbreck, maybe Pedro Lamy, but that still leaves them needing to find several drivers just for the Pro cars and that's without a couple being added to the Dalla Lana entry (assuming the Danish car is Thiim or Nygaard).

So could be quite a recruitment drive needed, but which experienced GT drivers will be available? I'm guessing someone will be on the phone to BMW asking if they'd mind sparing a couple of guys, could be a good chance for a Priaulx or Auberlain? Maybe Guy Smith or one of Bentley's lot? I'd guess Mercedes and Audi will be less willing to let their contracted drivers out. Maybe Lucas Luhr is a free agent again, but I can't imagine he will be for long.

Just rambling......

[Simmi]

Rambling is good.

Aston are going to have to get creative at every WEC round and I think we'll see a lot of switching - as we did last year.

I think if you add David Heinemeier Hansson to the #95 then that fills the Danish car (Poulsen/Nygaard).

I'm wondering whether Nicki Thiim steps into a pro car? Not sure what Jonny Adam's pace is relative to the top guys? Maybe he does too?

A bit of a speculative guess is that Stanaway is a place-holder for the #96 - which could essentially become a Gulf Racing UK car with Goethe/Hall/??

Stanaway would move up into one of the pro cars for the WEC/LM because he was lightning last year.

It looks like they've just spread their known drivers across the entries and it's all subject to change. They just need to put a name against a car. I wouldn't rule out Turner and Mucke driving together this year.

[carabus]

Tomas Enge already allowed to racing :-)

[Ginaro Zukovsky]

Jonny Adam is interesting piece of the jigsaw as he is ranked Silver last time I checked.

[Simmi]

Originally Posted by Ginaro Zukovsky

Jonny Adam is interesting piece of the jigsaw as he is ranked Silver last time I checked.

Yep he's rated silver for 2014. It's a really good point as a guy like that who's slipped through the cracks categorisation-wise is massively useful for Aston in the Am class.

Maybe he's a guy for the #98 then season-long? Unless Dalla Lana wants to bring in his own guys.

[Rodger Davies]

I thought silver was a rubbish rating for GT Am? Or does it require 1 bronze, 1 bronze/silver and 1 anything? In which case agreed.

Stanaway as a named driver in an Am car surprised me too, I expected him to either be in the Dalla Lana car or a pro machine and, same as you, I had that car down as a Roald Goethe car for him, Hall and JCW or Mike Wainwright.

[Simmi]

Originally Posted by Rodger Davies

Or does it require 1 bronze, 1 bronze/silver and 1 anything? In which case agreed.

Yep that's how understand it.

So a rapid silver driver is still the holy grail for GT-Am.

[rich07]

Originally Posted by carabus

Tomas Enge already allowed to racing :-)

Would be good to see him back in an Aston. He hasn't raced for a while so would be interesting to see how sharp he is