Aston Martin Racing has confirmed that, from the 6 Hours of Sao Paulo in Brazil on 1st September, it will continue to run five Gulf-liveried Vantage GTEs in the 2013 FIA World Endurance Championship.
The UK-based team will field three LMGTE Pro and two LMGTE Am cars, and will be looking for flawless performances from its drivers to re-assert itself at the head of the classification in each class. Following its win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Porsche drivers currently hold the top spot in both Pro and Am.
In the Pro class, the No.97 Vantage GTE will once again be piloted by Aston Martin Racing’s long-standing works drivers Darren Turner (GB) and Stefan Mücke (DE), who finished third in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June after leading the race into the final hour.
In the No.98 Vantage GTE, Paul Dalla Lana (CN) will be joined once again by Portuguese ace Pedro Lamy. The pair will be teamed with young New Zealander Richie Stanaway who drove with the team in the WEC 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps in May.
Ex-Formula One driver Bruno Senna will take the No.99 Vantage GTE to his home race in Sao Paulo alongside his Le Mans team-mate Rob Bell (GB). Together the pair finished second at Spa and led at Le Mans for several hours.
In the Pro-Am class, British drivers Jamie Campbell-Walter and Stuart Hall will continue their championship campaign, while Roald Goethe (DE) will take a break from the No.96 entry at Sao Paulo due to business commitments.
The all-Danish No.95 car will return to the WEC following the tragic events of Le Mans which saw its driver Allan Simonsen lose his life. Christoffer Nygaard and Kristian Poulsen will continue the team’s championship-winning bid in a brand new Vantage GTE, and fellow Dane Nicki Thiim will join them following a successful test session with the team at Snetterton, UK, last month.
The Six Hours of Sao Paulo takes place at the historic Interlagos circuit, otherwise known as the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace.
“Last year, our car was very strong at Sao Paulo,” explains Team Principal John Gaw. “We travel back there this year with five strong driver line-ups, a more experienced crew and an improved Vantage GTE.
“The second half of last year was particularly memorable in the World Endurance Championship with truly outstanding racing in the GTE class and I am sure this year will be no different. After a long summer break the second half of the WEC is intense, with five races in three months that all present a real challenge for the teams, the drivers and the crews."
From Aston Martin Racing press release
Photo: PLACE DE LA REPUBLIQUE (LE MANS, SARTHE, FRANCE), SCRUTINEERING, MONDAY 17TH JUNE 2013. Aston Martin Racing will field five cars for the remainder of the FIA WEC season and will surely greatly miss Allan Simonsen, the Danish driver who was part of their Le Mans line up before tragically losing his life at that same race.
