Busy schedule for Aston Martin Racing
Published on 18 June 2009 by Niels Hendrix
The Aston Martin LMP1 car, which finished a remarkable fourth overall as the fastest petrol-powered car at the Le Mans 24 Hours on the 14 June, will be on display at the British Grand Prix this weekend.
The car will be displayed outside the British Racing Drivers Club building at Silverstone from June 19-21, as a prominent tribute to Aston Martin's achievement on the 50th anniversary of the company's 1959 Le Mans win. The evocative blue and orange Gulf-liveried prototype will make an eye-catching addition to the Formula 1 paddock.
The 007 car, which did not encounter a single mechanical problem in what is widely acknowledged as the toughest race in the world, will also be present at the Goodwood Festival of Speed from July 3-5. Aston Martin Racing's, Darren Turner, will drive the car up the famous hill climb course at Goodwood, which has become one of Britain's most popular motorsport events.
Following Aston Martin's successful Le Mans campaign – in which the new LMP1 challenger ran as high as third overall, despite the notable performance advantage of its diesel-powered rivals – there is no rest for the team. After their guest appearance at the British Grand Prix, Aston Martin Racing will head to the Nürburgring next week to test for one day in preparation for the German round of the Le Mans Series on the 22-23 August.
Aston Martin's three Le Mans cars – numbered 007, 008 and 009 – have now returned to their Banbury base following the 77th running of the 24 Hours. The 009 car, which was the subject of an accident in the 18th hour of the race with Swiss driver Harold Primat at the wheel, has only sustained superficial damage and will be repaired shortly. Examination of the data from the car has revealed that it experienced a mechanical problem on the entry to the Porsche Curves while making its way back up the leaderboard. Primat emerged uninjured and is looking forward to his next outing with Aston Martin Racing at round three of the Le Mans Series.
The third round of the Le Mans Series, the Algarve 1000 kilometres, is a night race that takes place on the Portimao circuit in Portugal over the weekend of August 1-2. Following a victory in round one at Barcelona, followed by a podium finish in round two at Spa, Aston Martin Racing is aiming for another strong Le Mans Series result in Portugal.
