Aston Martin’s racing division has revealed their new FIA World Endurance Championship challenger poised to replace the team’s most successful competition car of all-time, the multiple Le Mans-winning V8 Vantage GTE.
The new Vantage GTE takes the road car’s core design and dynamic capabilities to a whole new level through extensive optimization of the powertrain, chassis and aerodynamics, said the team. Designed and engineered in-house at Aston Martin Racing’s headquarters in Banbury, the project is led by Technical Director Dan Sayers, who also guided the design and development of the current V8 Vantage GTE – the car credited with 37 of the team’s 51 international race victories, including two Le Mans 24 Hour class wins.
The team said that the development car has completed 13,000 km of testing, including a successful 30-hour run at the Spanish circuit of Navarra. The car has also been through a rigorous durability programme at the notoriously rough Sebring circuit in Florida. All of Aston Martin Racing’s current drivers have contributed to the test programme.
Also, the drivers have reported that the car is easier to control on the limit than its predecessor. Together with Aston Martin Racing’s engineers, the factory drivers have worked hard to optimize the drivability and performance of the Mercedes-AMG 4.0-litre biturbo V8 as well.
Aston Martin Racing is working with new technical partners: Alcon for the braking system, Öhlins for the suspension and Michelin for a bespoke tyre programme to maximize the performance of the Vantage GTE.
The racing division has kept its highly experienced and successful driver line-up. This year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans GTE Pro class winners Darren Turner and Jonny Adam have been retained, as have the Danish duo and 2016 FIA WEC GTE Pro world champions, Nicki Thiim and Marco Sørensen. In addition, AMR has recruited ex-GP2 race winner and now Formula E racer Alex Lynn. Further driver announcements will be forthcoming.
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