Aston Martin DBR9 GT Racecar

[NarendZORCE]

Castrol returns to world sportscar racing with Aston Martin



New sponsorship agreement with Aston Martin Racing
Castrol returns to world sportscar racing with the famous Aston Martin marque.
The genesis of Aston Martin Racing, a new division of Aston Martin, marks the return of one of the world�s most iconic sportscar manufacturers to international motorsport.

After a lengthy hiatus, Aston Martin is back on track and it is fitting that such an evocative marque should return to racing with Castrol coursing through its veins.

The ambitious new project will culminate in competing at the hallowed La Sarthe circuit this year in the world famous Le Mans 24 Hours race. Under the guidance of specialist motorsport company Prodrive, a fleet of all-new Aston Martin DBR9 racing machines, based on the road-going DB9, have taken to the track this year.

�We took four years to find the ideal partner in David Richards and Prodrive, and together we have created Aston Martin Racing,� said Aston Martin CEO Dr Ulrich Bez. �The DBR9 is the first step in our return to motorsport and I know that our customers and enthusiasts alike are looking forward to seeing Aston Martin racing again at an international level.�

Steeped in history

The return to competition is the latest chapter in Aston Martin�s storied 90-year history. The zenith of the marque�s racing achievements came in the late 1950s, when the works DBR1s swept all before them. The partnership of Briton Roy Salvadori and American Carroll Shelby won the Le Mans 24 Hours, sportscar racing�s jewel in the crown, and Aston Martin went on to win the World Sportscar Championship the same year.

The escalating costs of racing began to take their toll, however, and the company subsequently decided to concentrate on building production cars. It last competed at Le Mans with its AMR1 Group C prototype in 1989.

In recent years the company has undergone a period of brisk growth with the launch of a host of new production cars and the opening of new headquarters at Gaydon in Warwickshire. It sees a return to racing as a vital element in sustaining and building on that growth.

"Aston Martin is an exclusive brand"

�We need to create heightened awareness for Aston Martin around the world and motorsport will allow us to do this,� explained Dr Bez. �Aston Martin is an exclusive brand, but we cannot be exclusive without being visible, and motorsport is a way to raise our profile.�

Design and construction of the DBR9 took place at Prodrive�s factory at Banbury and the car was unveiled to the world on November 4, 2004. The team set modest initial goals, pointing out that it was beginning a multi-year development programme.

Reasonable expectations

�I think it�s important to have reasonable expectations for this year,� Aston Martin Racing�s commercial director Jonathan Ward counselled prior to the new season. �People like David Brown [the company�s owner from the 1947-1972 and the �DB� in DBR9] throughout the history of Aston Martin have always said that it takes three years to develop a car that can win Le Mans. We are hoping that we can do it more quickly than that but it would be unrealistic for us to say that we will win the GT1 class here at Sebring.�

As it turned out, the team pulled off precisely that fairy-tale result, with driver trio David Brabham, Stephane Ortelli and Darren Turner upstaging the fleet of Chevrolet Corvettes to win the GT1 class and finish fourth overall.

�The cars ran like trains,� said team principal George Howard-Chappell. �We knew we were well prepared. Whilst we still have much work to do ahead of Le Mans, we can clearly be pleased with a win in our debut race against such established competition.�

The victory provides the perfect platform for Aston Martin�s assault on Le Mans and shows that when one of the most famous car manufacturers in the world goes racing � it means business.

[NarendZORCE]

The stunning new Aston Martin DBR9 is based on the latest Aston Martin production sportscar, the DB9, but has been significantly modified for racing.

The name DBR9 is derived from the original Le Mans-winning DBR1, which was victorious not only in the famous 24-hour race in 1959 but also in the World Sportscar Championship.

The DBR9 shares the DB9�s bonded aluminium body architecture ensuring a lightweight, rigid chassis. The race engine uses the same aluminium cylinder block and heads as the DB9�s 6.0-litre normally aspirated V12. The motor is re-engineered for competition purposes and pumps out approximately 600 horsepower.

From road to race

The DBR9 also has the road car�s double wishbone suspension configuration, revised and upgraded for racing, as well as large diameter (330mm) carbon brakes front and rear. A six-speed sequential gearbox longitudinally mounted at the rear axle is also key to optimising the car�s weight distribution. The wheels have been specially designed for the car by OZ Racing and are made from forged magnesium.

Inside the cockpit, a carbon composite dashboard, lightweight racing seat and the driver�s instrument panels have replaced all the original car�s trim.

The DBR9 was styled by Aston Martin�s own design team, making extensive use of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to optimise the aerodynamics before producing the final body surface.

Hand-crafted panels

All the panels have been specifically hand crafted to fit the DBR9 and, to save weight, all are manufactured in carbon fibre composite (except the roof). The large rear wing is also made from carbon fibre, while to complete the aero package the underside of the car is flat from the front to the rear diffuser.

The ultra-light materials help the car to meet its 1,100kg minimum weight and achieve a power-to-weight ratio of 550bhp per tonne, more than double that of the road car.

In recognition of its storied background at Le Mans, the DBR9 carries the same two-tone colour scheme as the cars that dominated sports car racing in the late 1950s � Aston Martin green with yellow nose cone and roof rails.




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yes yes, we likes
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Nice...i think noone can doubt the amount of money castrol puts back into mospo!
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Eating meh Zauce doubles...

[NarendZORCE]

The Astons were faster than the new C6-R Corvettes on the straights but both cars suffered failures in the 23rd hour of the 2005 LeMans 24 hour race.

http://www.astonmartinracing.com:

23hr Update : GT1 class battle at Le Mans took dramatic turn

LE MANS: Time remaining to close of race: 1 hour

The GT1 class battle at the Le Mans 24-hour race between Aston Martin Racing and Team Corvette took a dramatic turn with less than ninety minutes to go.

Aston Martin DBR9 number 58 driven by Tomas Enge stopped on the track due to a fuel related problem allowing the number 63 Corvette to move up to second place in class.

The number 59 DBR9 with Darren Turner at the wheel, which had been chasing the lead Corvette, was forced to return to the garage to allow the team to rectify a problem with the car�s radiator.

The team is working hard to get the car back out on track in the final hour to finish the race.




24hr Update : Aston Martin Racing Achieves Le Mans GT1 Class Podium

Le Mans: June 19, 2005:

Aston Martin Racing today finished third in the GT1 class in a dramatic return to the world-famous Le Mans 24 Hour endurance race.

The number 59 Aston Martin DBR9 took the chequered flag at 4pm with Stephane Sarrazin at the wheel in front of his home crowd. Stephane, along with co-drivers David Brabham and Darren Turner completed 333 laps in extreme temperatures at the La Sarthe circuit.

The car had experienced a problem with its radiator with less than ninety minutes to go, but this was repaired in time to allow Stephane to complete the final stint up to the chequered flag and so take third in the GT1 class and ninth overall.

Sister car number 58, driven by Tomas Enge, Peter Kox and Pedro Lamy had been leading the GT1 class, but dropped down to fourth due to a damaged splitter and later succumbed to a fuel related problem in the final ninety minutes of the race.

Team Director, David Richards said: �One must accept these things in motorsport. We gave it everything, but it wasn�t to be this time.

�We need a bit more testing and a few more races under our belts but we will be back. We were determined that number 59 would finish as a thank you for the tremendous support Aston Martin Racing has received over this weekend.

�We thought it fitting that Stephane should finish the race on his home circuit.�

Dr Ulrich Bez, Chairman and Chief Executive of Aston Martin said: �We arrived with tremendous enthusiasm but with the recognition that this was a development year for us. We came here to learn, and despite some setbacks we gave them a run for their money and finished the race with a credible podium finish in our class. We�ll be back!�

The GT1 class was won by Chevrolet Corvette number 64, with sister car number 63 second.

This result for Aston Martin now adds another class podium to the two class wins and second place already achieved since Aston Martin returned to international sportscar racing in March 2005.
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--- Specifications ----

Price --
Production --
Engine 6 liter V12
Weight 2425 lbs
Aspiration natural
Torque --
HP 600 hp
HP/Weight 4 lbs per hp
HP/Liter 100 hp per liter
1/4 mile --
0-62 mph --
Top Speed --
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[NarendZORCE]

At Le Mans


At Sebring
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[NarendZORCE]

Aston Martin DBRS9



Aston Martin Racing has unveiled the DBRS9, a competition car for club and national racing series, and a bridge for teams and drivers looking towards international GT racing.

The DBRS9 is based on the DB9 road car, but shares many design features from the full GT1 specification DBR9. It uses the road car�s aluminium bonded chassis with a DBR9-based roll cage. Aston Martin Racing�s engineers have tuned the standard 12 cylinder, six litre engine to produce approximately 550bhp (an increase of 20%) and reduced the overall weight by 480kg, to increase the power to weight ratio to nearly 430 bhp/tonne. Much of this is down to the extensive use of carbon composite materials for all the body panels (except the roof) and on the interior trim, as well as polycarbonate side and rear windows.

The DBRS9 has a six-speed H-pattern gearbox with new, shorter ratios for competition use, which can be upgraded to a full sequential racing box. The car�s ride has been lowered and the double wishbone suspension has been rose jointed and fitted with two-way adjustable Koni dampers and stiffened competition springs.

While Aston Martin Racing�s focus has been to optimise the DBRS9�s performance, it has also been designed with practicality in mind. Both the seat and steering wheel are easily adjustable, and there is the option of a passenger seat, for demonstration drives. Removable body panels, a modular chassis and a package of spares simplify service and maintenance.

�There are many people who want to race Aston Martins competitively in everything from the occasional track day to weekend club or national series races.� said David Richards of Aston Martin Racing. �The DBRS9 opens GT racing up to more enthusiasts and with its levels of performance will offer aspiring racing drivers the experience of a GT racing car without the complexity associated with running a full GT1 car.�

The DBRS9 will start at �175,000 plus options and taxes. The cars will be built to order at Aston Martin Racing�s headquarters in Banbury, UK with first deliveries expected later in 2005.

Dr Ulrich Bez, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Aston Martin, said: �Positioned between the road going DB9 and the 2005 Tourist Trophy winning DBR9, this car will make a racing experience more accessible to Aston Martin race enthusiasts. It reinforces the DB9�s performance potential and inherent racing qualities.�

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http://www.racecar-engineering.com

Corvette's main rival for the GT1 class victory, Aston Martin Racing, sprung a surprise on the motorsport community at Le Mans with the announcement of the DBRS9. Based around the same road car as the DBR9, it is aimed at national and club racing, as well as track-driving enthusiasts. Although built around no particular set of rules, the car is expected to find customers within Porsche's GT3 market, both for competition and recreation. It shares the same 6.0-litre V12 engine as the DBR9, the same aluminium chassis and many of the same carbon fibre body panels.

However, the car is otherwise much slimmed down to keep the purchase and running costs down. The Xtrac sequential transmission is replaced with an H-pattern six-speed unit and the carbon/carbon brakes are replaced with steel. The car is also heavier and, despite shedding 480kg, still weighs in at 1280kg, 180kg more than the GT1-spec DBR9. Much of the body shape is shared with the GT1 car but with fewer louvres and less aggressive aerodynamic devices, including a shorter splitter and smaller rear wing.

Power is up 20 per cent on the standard road car at 550bhp - 50bhp short of the DBR9. Currently the car is not homologated but, should customers have aspirations to run in GT2 classes, Aston Martin racing would be happy to work with them on homologating the DBRS9.

Unveiled at Le Mans during the run up to the 24 Hours, the DBRS9 was the product of fevered activity at Banbury, being assembled for the launch in just six weeks. Examples will sell for �175,000 ($320,000) and deliveries are expected later this year.
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Drags, Circuit, Solodex, Rally, Karting, the Shows, the Girls, the Car you drive...
ZORCERs done know... the speed lifestyle magazine in the Islands, ZORCE
Click to hear it >> http://www.zorce.com/fortheforums/Zorce15NEW.mp3
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...........................................................
Oh Yeah! Feel the Rush, it's like... WOW!
May the (Mass x Acceleration)-F+Z be with you...