Aston Martin are all set for a tough season-long battle with Ferrari, Porsche and Ford, with the formidable Corvettes being added to the mix in Le Mans. The Warwickshire-based manufacturer has taken advantage of the revised technical regulations to redesign the aerodynamics and, most noticeably, the rear diffuser.

Aston Martin Racing will run two cars (#95 and #97) in the World Endurance Championship (WEC), including flagship race the 24 Hours of Le Mans, in the LM GTE Pro class. Danish pair Nicki Thiim, who has already featured for the British manufacturer in previous seasons, and Marco Sorensen will be sharing duties in the #95 with Aston Martin stalwart Darren Turner. The #97 sister car will be driven by Scot Jonny Adam, Kiwi Richie Stanaway and Brazilian Fernando Rees.

A third car (#98) will be entered in LM GTE Am with Paul Dalla Lana, Pedro Lamy and Mathias Lauda at the wheel. Aston Martin Racing, about to embark on their twelfth consecutive endurance season, are banking on the new V8 Vantage GTE to put the marque back on the road to success, especially at Le Mans. For the time being, their win counter shows 23 WEC victories – more than any other marque.

 

 

Ready to take on the 2016 @FIAWEC season, take a look at our new V8 Vantage GTE! #teamAMR pic.twitter.com/O15q0gXxcs

— Aston Martin Racing (@AMR_Official) February 19, 2016

 

 

“It’s fantastic to launch our 2016 race programme here at Aston Martin’s Gaydon headquarters,” commented David King, Head of Global Motorsports at Aston Martin. “It’s an important point in time for the brand with the upcoming launch of DB11 and the 2016 motorsport season is an equally exciting prospect. Motorsport is a key part of Aston Martin’s DNA and it’s vital that we’re represented by such a strong line-up. We’re very much looking forward to our home race at Silverstone and the first opportunity to see the 2016 V8 Vantage GTE in competitive action.”

To strengthen the new car’s chances, Aston Martin Racing is switching to Dunlop Sport Maxx GT tyres. The decision was made following a series of tests with the tyre manufacturer. For several seasons, Dunlop has been a popular choice in LM P2, and a successful one too as the winning car in each of the last five years has run on Dunlop tyres. The manufacturer also won the American Le Mans Series in 2010 and 2011, and the European Le Mans Series in 2012. Xavier Fraipont (Managing Director, Dunlop Motorsport Europe) revealed more about the partnership: “We have been intensively developing our Sport Maxx GTE and GT3 racing range in recent years. This led to us being appointed as Official Tyre Supplier to the European Le Mans Series GT class last year and winning the Nurburgring VLN Speed Trophy. The next step in our ambitious plans was to return to the forefront of open-tyre competition in the FIA World Endurance Championship. We share the same goals and objectives as Aston Martin Racing and we are looking forward to working extremely closely with the team to achieve success together.”

Geoffroy Barre
Translated from French by David Goward

Photo: The 2016 Aston Martin Vantage GTE sporting the minimalist “Stirling Green” livery.