Aston Martin Racing has concluded its pre-season test for both the factory team and private outfits at Paul Ricard, following in the footsteps of the first such event that took place last year.
As well as the two-car Gulf factory team of DBR9s that will compete at Le Mans, there were several customer DBR9s on track while the brand new Charouz Racing Systems LMP1 car powered by Aston Martin also took to the circuit for the two-day test.
Aston Martin's other racing cars at Paul Ricard included the new Vantage GT2, along with the DBRS9 GT3 car and several examples of the V8 Vantage N24, which will run in GT4 this season. The V12 Vantage RS concept road car also took to the circuit as well to join its racing stablemates.
Aston Martin Racing fielded two DBR9s in Gulf livery, with Antonio Garcia, Andrea Piccini, Darren Turner and Karl Wendlinger amongst the drivers with past experience of the car to hit the track. Amongst a raft of newcomers to hit the track were Ryan Dalziel, Robbie Kerr, and former
F1 race winner Heinz-Harald Frentzen.
"I've not driven any sort of racing car for one and a half years, so this was a great opportunity for me to get back into action," the German said. "I really enjoyed the experience of driving the DBR9, and I actually found it very easy to drive. It was really good fun to get behind the wheel of a proper GT car, and I've definitely got a taste for it now."
The Gigawave Motorsport, Jetalliance and Strakka Racing teams also tested their DBR9s at Paul Ricard while Hexis Racing tested its DBRS9s in preparation for the forthcoming season.
"Just three years ago we didn't have a single Aston Martin racing car, so if you look at how far we have come in that short space of time it's quite incredible," Aston Martin chairman David Richards said. "Now we have cars in every category, from GT1 to GT4.
"To see all those cars out here together makes me very proud, and it's a valuable opportunity for the whole Aston Martin family to share the circuit and their experiences with the factory Gulf team."
