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Aston Martin Tests Ten
12th February, 2007 | ||||
The full range of Aston Martin racing cars tested together for the first
time at the Paul Ricard High Tech Test Track in the South of France on the
9th and 10th February, 2007. Aston Martin Racing was joined by Aston Martin
Racing BMS, Barwell Motorsport, Hexis Racing and Aston Martin's own V8 Vantage
N24. The test made for spectacular viewing with three DBR9s, six DBRS9s and
the V8 all thundering around the 6km Le Castellet circuit. In stark contrast to the snow in
the UK, the teams were greeted with bright sunshine for the first day of the
test and enjoyed dry conditions all day. Damp conditions on the second day of
the test didn't deter the teams or dampen their spirits. Dr Bez, Chairman and Chief
Executive Officer of Aston Martin, attended for the first day and drove all
three cars. Bez said, "It was great to be present at the first ever Aston Martin
group test and to get together with some of the teams and drivers who represent
our company so well on the track. The opportunity to try the DBR9 and the DBRS9
was a great experience and gave me a real insight into the capabilities of those
cars." "It was also a pleasure to get back into the Vantage N24 and to see it on
the track with the GT1 and GT3 cars. Since announcing the specification and
price in January, the response to the Vantage N24 has been incredible and the
first customer cars are in build now for delivery in April." Aston Martin Racing led the test with two DBR9s and ran an intensive
development programme as well as testing several drivers in preparation for the
2007 season. Aston Martin Racing Team Principal, George Howard-Chappell said:
"It was great to see so many Aston Martins all out on the track at one time,
especially on the first day when there was a lot of on-track activity and the
weather was dry." Italian Works team Aston Martin Racing BMS took the opportunity to test
drivers in their DBR9 and DBRS9. Hexis Racing made the two-hour journey from their base at Ledenon in
France to test their two new DBRS9s. The team concentrated on driver comfort and
general set up during the two-day test. Clement Mateu, Communications Manager
said: "We are looking forward to competing in the French GT Championship and
several other European races this year. The wet weather on day two was good for
us as it is the first time we have tested the car in the wet." Barwell Motorsport attended the test with two DBRS9s, one of which was
running on bio-ethanol fuel. Barwell Managing Director Mark Lemmer commented:
"The test has been fantastic. We would have preferred sunshine on both days but
we got a huge amount of work done on the first day and it has been really
useful. Now we know how good the facility is, it would be great if Aston Martin
made this test an annual event." In recognition of their successes in 2006, Aston Martin GT3 drivers
Jonathan Cocker, Leo Machitski, Massimiliano Mugelli and Marcello Zani got the
opportunity to test one of the Aston Martin Racing DBR9 GT1 cars and all
acquitted themselves well in damp conditions. Aston Martin Racing driver, Darren Turner took a break from his DBR9
testing duties to try out the V8 Vantage N24. Turner said: "It was a treat to
have the opportunity to drive the N24. I was really surprised with the amount of
grip and how easy the car was to drive - great fun and really driver friendly." |
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