Photo : Arnaud CORNILLEAU / ACO

 

In 2013, Aston Martin has lived a lifetime during which the joys of victory had been mixed with defeat: nine cumulative successes in the LM GTE Pro and LM GTE Am classes, the LM GTE Am driver's trophy for Jamie Campbell-Walter and Stuart Hall, but also the disappearance of Allan Simonsen in the first few laps of the 2013 24 Hours. After having committed five Vantage GTE cars in 2013, the British brand will return this year in La Sarthe with no less than six factory cars. "And even seven, as we work closely with Craft Racing, who did a superb job in the Asian Le Mans Series in 2013, adds maliciously David Richards, the head of Aston Martin Racing. When Aston Martin first appeared with the Vantage car at the 24 Hours two years ago, they came to get their car from us in Britain, took it to Le Mans after tweaking it, they told me 'we need to come back to Le Mans, that is where we want to be!' It will be a great event for them this year."

According to David Richards, the presence of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the third round of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) schedule gives the season a particular rhythm: "For me, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the World Endurance Championship are two separate things. Obviously, the biggest race of the year is Le Mans. Early in the season, we focus on Le Mans, we prepare at Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps (where we still try to win!). Afterwards, we will take a little vacation because there is a nice break in the schedule during the summer (laughs). Then, at the remaining rounds, we will focus on winning the titles that eluded us in 2013. The FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) gets stronger year after year, with good competition. This year, I think it will be very tight between Porsche, Ferrari and us."

Jean-Philippe Doret / ACO

The 82nd edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans will take place June 14-15, 2014 (ticket information et entry list).

Photo : LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, 24 HOURS OF LE MANS, SUNDAY JUNE 23 2013, RACE. Driving the Vantage specially designed for the occasion, Darren Turner, Stefan Mücke and Peter Dumbreck achieved the best result for Aston Martin at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2013, with a third place finish in the LM GTE Pro class.