While the main focus for the week rests with the entrants and activities of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, there are two support races which are worthy of attention and one of them features the iconic Aston Martin marque – a long-time favourite of fans.

A field of 30 Aston Martin competition cars will take to the Circuit de la Sarthe to contest the inaugural Aston Martin Racing Festival of Le Mans on the morning of the legendary 24-hour race (16 June). Six types of Aston Martin GT racing car will participate in the event across five different classes, including the V12 Zagato that achieved a fine podium result at the ADAC Zurich Nürburgring 24 Hours last month.

The Aston Martin Racing Festival of Le Mans is an exclusive 45-minute race on the famous 8.5-mile circuit, which will see Aston Martin customer teams from around the world race side-by-side in the largest display of the prestigious marque’s competition cars ever seen. The 30 entrants comprises three DBR9s in the GT1 class, three Vantage GT2s, two V12 Vantage GT3s and four DBRS9s in the GT3 category, 17 Vantage GT4s and the Nürburgring 24 Hour podium-finishing V12 Zagato.

The V12 Zagato will participate in the Festival as an official Aston Martin invitational entry and will once again be piloted by the company’s CEO Dr Ulrich Bez and Chief Engineer Chris Porritt, fresh from their success at the Nürburgring. Having tamed the fearsome Nordschleife the V12 Zagato will now compete on the world’s most famous endurance racing circuit confident of a competitive showing.

The double Le Mans-winning Aston Martin DBR9 – which triumphed in the GT1 category in both 2007 and 2008 with the factory team – will return to the Circuit de la Sarthe in the hands of three customer outfits. The V12-powered racer, which is based on Aston Martin’s now iconic DB9 road car, will be campaigned by Young Driver AMR, Gulf Racing and Deboeuf Racing.

Aston Martin’s Chairman David Richards will be racing in a Vantage GT4, as will television and movie personality Rowan Atkinson.  On the back of its success at the Nürburgring, the V12 Vantage GT3 will be represented by Craft Eurasia Racing and Beechdean Motorsport, the latter car run in partnership with Aston Martin Racing as Beechdean team owner Andrew Howard – who co-drove the V12 Vantage GT3 to victory last month – forms a driving partnership with Aston Martin Racing team principal John Gaw.

An experienced racer in his own right, Gaw said: “This will truly be a celebration of Aston Martin motorsport. There will be a real mix of cars and drivers and all will be there to have fun and enjoy driving an Aston Martin on the iconic Le Mans track."

David King, Head of Motorsport at Aston Martin, said: “I think every race fan will be thrilled at the entry list for this exciting and unique new event.

“The concept of a multi-class race creates such a depth of interest. We will witness not only the evocative sight and sound of the DBR9 GT1 cars returning to the place of their greatest triumphs but also the DBRS9, and its successor the V12 Vantage GT3, adding their twelve cylinder howl to the atmosphere.

The full Festival entry list can be viewed by following the link here.

Photo:  CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES (LE MANS, SARTHE), TEST DAY, 3RD JUNE 2012.  The GT1 class-winning 009 Aston Martin DBR9 will form part of the Aston Martin Racing Festival.