Aston Martin Racing: 'The first challenge is simply to complete the full 12 hours'

Entered in LM GTE Pro and adorned with the legendary blue and orange colors of Gulf, the factory entered Aston Martin Vantage will race at Sebring for the first round of the new FIA World Endurance Championship, after three days of testing at Road Atlanta (Georgia), in the hands of the three drivers Darren Turner, Stefan Mücke and Adrian Fernandez.

Aston Martin Racing enjoyed its first taste of victory on the demanding Sebring circuit as its V12-powered DBR9 stormed to class victory on its competitive debut in 2005, narrowly missing out on an overall podium. That day, Darren Turner was part of the winning crew.

Darren Turner: “We’ve just completed a very positive three-day test at Road Atlanta with the new Vantage GTE. I think everyone has been pleasantly surprised with initial performance and reliability, which bodes well for Sebring and the season ahead. It's always great to race in the USA as I love the circuits; they are always very challenging and usually don't leave any room for error. Sebring in particular is one of my favourite circuits as it’s very old school and bumpy!”

Stefan Mücke: “It will only be my second time at the circuit, but in 2010 I scored an overall podium with Aston Martin Racing. The track is probably the most demanding for the car and driver of the whole season, so the first challenge is simply to complete the full 12 hours.”

Adrian Fernandez: "I have driven many cars but never a GT so this was a totally new experience for me. I was able to do a lot of miles and I went from being nine-tenths of a second off my team-mates' times to one-tenth on the third day. Obviously, I had tremendous help from Stefan and Darren. They have a lot experience in these cars and finished second in the FIA GT1 World Championship last year. It may be a little bit early to say, but our feeling is that we will be strong and, hopefully, challenging for wins in the #97 Lowe's Vantage GTE."

John Gaw (Aston Martin Racing Managing Director and Team Principal): “We are realistic about our chances on our debut, but we always compete to win and from pre-season testing we know we have a competitive car. For us a top five finish this weekend would be a terrific result.”

(Source: Aston Martin Racing press information)

Photo : LONDON (UNITED KINGDOM) ROYAL GARDEN HOTEL. Darren Turner, Adrian Fernandez and Stefan Mücke (from left to right) during the presentation of the 2012 programme of Aston Martin Racing in the FIA World Endurance Championship.