Aston Martin Racing starts testing its new V12 Vantage GT3 at Brands Hatch
By Andrew, 23 Nov, 2011. 0 Comments
Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3
Aston Martin Racing has started tests for its latest V12 Vantage GT3 this week at Brands Hatch in Kent. It covered nearly 1,000 kilometers in only two days. A great part of the mileage was carried out by factory driver Darren Turner, who said that the vehicle "ran like clockwork" throughout the two-day test and "really good mileage" has been managed already. He added that the feeling of the V12 Vantage GT3 is "a massive step forward" over the DBRS9. He explained that being based on the smaller Vantage, it is "more responsive and feels more nimble," raising the driver’s confidence to extract all the performance from the V12 engine while also being light on its tires. He further commented that the vehicle "isn’t too physical to drive" and that he didn't even "break into a sweat during the test!"
Turner added that with the clean styling and the "amazing sounding" V12, the unit is "closer to the core values" of Aston Martin’s road vehicles compared to any of the racing cars that the company have ever built. He is positive that the unit will be "a favourite among motorsport fans in no time at all.” Aston Martin Racing’s Chief Engineer for GT, Dan Sayers, led the engineering and design of the new V12 GT3 endurance racer. The team is now embarking on a stringent development and sign off program, which includes extended testing of the vehicle at competition speeds to make sure that all critical components last long.
The V12 Vantage GT3 is a direct replacement for the Aston Martin DBRS9, which started competing in 2006 and garnered many race and championship wins such as the 2007 British GT Championship and the 2009 FIA GT3 Teams’ Championship. The new racer shares the company's famous bonded aluminum VH body structure and 6.0-litre V12 engine with the road-going V12 Vantage. It is the zenith of six years’ experience competing at the head of all major international GT series. In 2005, the company returned to GT racing as a factory team with the DBR9 GT1, This model went on to record back-to-back victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2007 and 2008. It also won the FIA GT1 World Championship this year.
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