Check out the Aston Martin site in the afternoon (after 10:00 AM) on Jan 10 - looks like AM is getting back into racing - ALMS and may be fielding a GT2 Vantage !!!

 

I am very excited about this...

 

Great news!

 

always been a fan, very excited


E

 

And for additional news ...
Barwell Motorsport has announced extremely exciting plans for the 2008 season, which include competing on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean in the GT2 classes of the American Le Mans Series and the (European) Le Mans Series. The Surrey-based outfit is currently evaluating the car options for its programme, and the most logical choice (as an existing Aston Martin team) would be the new Aston Martin V8 Vantage-based GT car (as seen in last week’s Autosport), which is currently being evaluated by Aston Martin Racing (Prodrive) as a potential new GT2 chassis.
Since Barwell switched to GT racing in 2006 it has been loyal to the Aston Martin fold, having run the GT3 DBRS9 as a front-runner in both the British and European GT3 Championships and the GT1 DBR9 in selected FIA GT rounds during the last two years. This relationship culminated in winning the 2006 British GT3 Driver’s Championship with Leo Machitski, as well as the ’07 British GT Teams title, and pioneering E85 Bio-Ethanol fuel in Paul Drayson’s British GT race-winning DBRS9.
Barwell and Paul Drayson will continue their ground-breaking Bio-Ethanol campaign, with both cars being built to run on ‘2nd Generation’ E85 (85%) Bio-Ethanol fuel. Paul will be moving up from the British GT Championship to drive one of the new GT2 cars, which will be entered in the American Le Mans Series using E85 Bio-Ethanol fuel (as allowed by ALMS from 2008). Alongside this, Barwell is seriously evaluating a plan to run another car in a selected (European) Le Mans Series programme, which would also be developed and tested as an E85 Bio-Ethanol car, although this may have to switch back to running on the 2008 LMS-Championship spec E10 fuel for the race events themselves. Barwell is also keen to evaluate other energy efficient technologies in the future.
Commenting on the announcement Paul Drayson said: “Barwell, Jonny and I have had a great season in 2007, achieving a historic first win for a green fuelled racecar. We have been delighted by the interest and support for our green racing project and we are keen to take it to the next level. For the first time next year the American Le Mans Series will allow bio-ethanol cars to compete and so this is a wonderful opportunity to showcase British motorsport technology for environmentally friendly racing. I’m going to give it 100% commitment and focus.”
The GT2 programme has been set up as a minimum two-year plan, with the aspiration of competing in the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2009. With regards to other drivers, Drayson and Barwell will continue their relationship with his British GT partner, Jonny Cocker, with the 21-year-old joining Paul in the ALMS attack. A third driver would then be added only for the 1000-mile Petit Le Mans race in October. No drivers have been finalised for the European series car, but discussions are ongoing with all of Barwell’s ’07 drivers and other interested parties regarding the seats available.
“The timing for this fantastic new project is perfect” says Barwell Motorsport MD, Mark Lemmer, “The team, Paul and Jonny have gelled superbly over the past two seasons and the GT2 project gives us the ideal global platform to showcase our ‘Green-thinking philosophy’. The programmes in both Le Mans Series will also hopefully give us the chance to continue working with some of our other up-and-coming existing Barwell drivers from our 2007 GT3 and GT1 squads.”
Barwell may still have an involvement in the British GT Championship, but this will be scaled down from its successful three-car 2007 team. It is currently considering providing engineering support to Aston Martin entrants in the GT3 and GT4 classes of either the British or the FIA (European) GT3 series.

 

From the factory web site -
Lord Drayson and his long-term racing partner, multiple GT and Touring Car title-winning outfit, Barwell Motorsport, have formed a joint venture operation, Drayson-Barwell (D-B), to enter the 2008 American Le Mans Series (“ALMS”). The team has now become an Official Partner Team of Aston Martin Racing.
As part of this relationship, Drayson-Barwell will compete with the first new Aston Martin Vantage GT2 chassis (001) to be built by Aston Martin Racing. The team will run in the distinctive Aston Martin Racing Green colour scheme made popular by the Works team, and will work exclusively with Aston Martin Racing on the development of the Bio-Ethanol GT2 car. In 2007 Barwell and Paul Drayson successfully pioneered the use of bio-ethanol fuel in the British GT series, and this environmental leadership in motorsport will continue as the Vantage GT2 car will run on the latest ‘2nd Generation’ cellulosic E85 Bio-Ethanol fuel in the ALMS.
Lord Drayson is a former Government Minister, who has taken a leave of absence to pursue his dream of competing in Le Mans series competition and ultimately the Le Mans 24 Hours in a ‘Green’ race car. Together with Barwell Motorsport, he has now formed an alliance that will pursue this common goal over the next three years. Having claimed two race wins and finished second overall in the 2007 British GT Championship, Paul is greatly looking forward to making the step to ALMS:
”The ALMS will be a serious challenge for both the team and me. 2008 will be a development year for us racing with a brand new GT2 car running bio-ethanol fuel” he said. “The two major concerns of our time are the environment and energy. But how can we be green without being boring? As we enter the 21st century, the car is at the heart of the debate around energy and climate change. We at Drayson-Barwell believe these circumstances present a timely opportunity for a new type of motor racing team. Endurance sportscar racing – with its emphasis on stamina, reliability and speed is the perfect platform to showcase new ideas in marketing and technology that aim to address the central dilemma of our time and to answer it. To make being ‘Green’ cool and exciting, not boring and dull, and to do this by being competitive and getting results”.
“ALMS is a world-class series and shares our vision for green racing,” continues Drayson, “allowing bio-ethanol fuelled cars for the first time in 2008. I’m really looking forward to driving this beautiful new Racing Green Aston Martin Vantage GT2 on some of the most challenging and iconic circuits in the world”.
Barwell Motorsport MD, Mark Lemmer, comments: “Paul and I share the same vision, to be successful at Le Mans and to be at the forefront of developing ‘Green’ technologies within motorsport. Over the last two seasons we have been laying the foundations for our new joint venture, and Drayson-Barwell’s newly formed partnership with Aston Martin Racing allows us to move closer to our combined goal. With the commitment and passion we share for the task ahead, I’m sure we are in for an exciting and fruitful three years.”
Drayson-Barwell has already established that Autosport magazine’s British GT Championship ‘No.1 Driver of the Year’, 21-year-old Jonny Cocker, will be Paul’s full-time team-mate in the ALMS. At present, D-B hope to be able to contest a full ALMS programme with the GT2 car, but may have to use Paul’s existing FIA GT3-specification Aston Martin DBRS9 for the first two events (at Sebring and St. Petersburg) whilst the new Vantage GT2 is still being built. The DBRS9 would be eligible to compete in the GT2S class of the ALMS.
Drayson concluded: “We are looking to establish further marketing and technology partnerships with organisations that share our vision and passion, and we would welcome conversations with any parties interested in learning more”.

 

So it looks like we will have some AM racing again at Sebring and St Pete - I'll keep you posted but I believe the AM dealer in Tampa will try and set some sort of "corral" up at these races. Something like what the PCA does for race spectating.

Hope to see everyone there ...

 

This car is gonna be sick. Hopefully it can stay competitve