Mike's Sports Car Racing Spot

Aston Martin DBR9/10

2008-07-22T01:30:00.000-07:00

2007

The phrase "They saved the best for last" is one that Aston Martin Racing must have taken to heart when building Aston Martin DBR9/10. It was the final "works" DBR9 built, and it only competed one time, but what a race it was! This chassis won its class (and finished 5th overall) at the 2007 24 Hours of Le Mans, Aston Martin's first win at the famed endurance race since 1959! The driving trio of David Brabham, Darren Turner, and Rickard Rydell held off a hard charging Corvette to take the win after a rain soaked night.

2007 Results:

Key: Track (Date) - Drivers - Position in class/Position overall

#009 – 24 Hours of Le Mans

Le Sarthe (06-17-07) – Brabham/Turner/Rydell – 1/5

Aston Martin DBR9/09

2008-07-22T00:54:00.000-07:00

2006

Aston Martin DBR9/09 became BMS Scuderia Italia's lead car in their fight for the FIA GT Championship. Driven by various combinations of Fabio Babini, Fabrizio Gollin, Christian Pescatori, and Mateo Mallucelli, as well as Tomas Enge and Peter Kox for the Spa 24 Hours, the #23 DBR9 acheived 3 podiums in 2006. The car was also contested in the 2006 24 Hours of Le Mans by Babini, Gollin, and Pescatori, but the car withdrawn after a crash just after the start of the race.

2006 Results:

Key: Track (Date) - Drivers - Position in class/Position overall

#23 – FIA GT Championship 2006

Silverstone (05-07-06) – Babini/Gollin – 3/3
Brno (05-28-06) – Babini/Gollin – 3/3
Oschersleben (07-02-06) – Babini/Gollin – 5/5
Spa 24 Hours (07-30-06) – Babini/Pescatori/Enge/Kox – 4/4
Paul Ricard (08-20-06) – Babini/Gollin – 5/5
Dijon (09-03-06) – Babini/Pescatori – 6/6
Mugello (09-17-06) – Babini/Pescatori – 5/5
Budapest (10-01-06) – Babini/Malucelli – 3/3
Adria (10-15-06) – Babini/Pescatori – 4/4
Dubai (11-18-06) – Babini/Mallucelli – 4/4

#69 – 24 Hours of Le Mans 2006

Le Mans (06-18-06) – Babini/Gollin/Pescatori – 14/50 (DNF)

2007

For 2007, BMS Scuderia Italia entered DBR9/09 in the FIA GT Championship yet again. Fabio Babini and Jamie Davies piloted the car to two podiums at Oschersleben and Adria. The pair were joined by Matteo Mallucelli for the 24 Hours of Le Mans where the team finished a respectable 6th in class.

2007 Results:

Key: Track (Date) - Drivers - Position in class/Position overall

#23 – FIA GT Championship 2007

Zhuhai (03-25-07) – Babini/Davies – 4/4
Silverstone (05-06-07) – Babini/Davies – 7/7
Bucharest (05-20-07) – Babini/Davies – 8/9
Monza (06-24-07) – Babini/Davies – 6/6
Oschersleben (07-08-07) – Babini/Davies – 3/3
Adria (09-08-07) – Babini/Davies – 3/3
Brno (09-23-07) – Babini/Davies – 11/11
Nogaro (09-30-07) – Babini/Davies – 4/4
Zolder (10-21-07) – Babini/Davies – 18/27 (DNF)

#100 – 24 Hours of Le Mans 2007

Le Mans (06-17-07) – Davies/Babini/Malucelli – 6/11

Aston Martin DBR9/08

2008-07-21T21:21:00.000-07:00

2007

BMS Scuderia Italia only entered this car in one race of the FIA GT Championship in 2007, the Spa 24 Hours. The car was driven by Fabio Babini, Jamie Davies, Ferdinando Monfardini, and Diego Alessi. Unfortunately the team wasn't able to finish the race and ended up 10th in class.

2007 Results:

Key: Track (Date) - Drivers - Position in class/Position overall

#23 – FIA GT Championship

Spa 24 Hours (07-28-07) – Babini/Davies/Monfardini/Alessi – 10/34 (DNF)

2008

The factory Aston Martin Racing team entered this car in the 2008 24 Hours of Le Mans as #009. It was driven by David Brabham, Darren Turner, and Antonio Garcia and they went on to win the GT1 class for the second straight year! The blue and orange Gulf Oil sponsored car had a flawless run beating the Corvettes who ran into small problems throughout the race.

2007 Results:

Key: Track (Date) - Drivers - Position in class/Position overall

#009 – 24 Hours of Le Mans 2008

Le Sarthe (06-14-08) – Brabham/Turner/Garcia – 1/13

Aston Martin DBR9/07

2008-07-21T20:43:00.000-07:00

2006

Factory "works" team BMS Scuderia Italia entered this car in the 2006 FIA GT Championship. It was driven by a variety of pilots including Christian Pescatori, Miguel Ramos, Fabrizio Gollin, and more. The car achieved little success though with no wins or podiums in 2006.

2006 Results:

Key: Track (Date) - Drivers - Position in class/Position overall

#24 – FIA GT Championship 2006

Silverstone (05-07-06) – Pescatori/Ramos/Malucelli – 7/7
Brno (05-28-06) – Pescatori/Ramos – 5/5
Oschersleben (07-02-06) – Pescatori/Ramos – 6/6
Spa 24 Hours (07-30-06) – Gollin/Ramos/Lancieri/Malucelli – 9/35 (DNF)
Paul Ricard (08-20-06) – Pescatori/Ramos/Malucelli – 9/16
Dijon (09-03-06) – Gollin/Ramos – 7/7
Mugello (09-17-06) – Gollin/Ramos – 11/22 (DNF)
Budapest (10-01-06) – Gollin/Ramos – 6/6
Adria (10-15-06) – Gollin/Ramos – 5/5
Dubai (11-18-06) – Gollin/Ramos – 6/6

2007

Aston Martin Racing made this car one of it's factory entries in the 2007 24 Hours of Le Mans. The car was drivn by Peter Kox, Tomas Enge, and Johnny Herbert to a 4th place in class finish.

2007 Results:

Key: Track (Date) - Drivers - Position in class/Position overall

#007 – 24 Hours of Le Mans 2007

Le Sarthe (06-17-07) – Kox/Enge/Herbert – 4/9

2008

This chassis was also entered in the 2008 24 Hours of Le Mans by the factory Aston Martin Racing team. The #007 Gulf Oil sponsored car was driven by Andrea Piccini, Karl Wendlinger, and ex-F1 driver Heinz-Harold Frentzen.

2008 Results:

Key: Track (Date) - Drivers - Position in class/Position overall

#007 – 24 Hours of Le Mans 2008

Le Sarthe (06-14-08) – Piccini/Wendlinger/Frentzen – 4/16

Aston Martin DBR9/06

2008-07-21T20:11:00.000-07:00

2007

BMS Scuderia Italia was the 3rd team chosen to become a factory supported "works" team. They would be in charge of the Aston Martin effort in the FIA GT Championship. The team entered this chassis in all 10 races of the 2007 schedule. The car was driven by an assortment of Italian pilots as well Frenchmen Jean-Marc Gounon. The team in the #22 car achieved no victories or podiums in 2007.

2007 Results:

Key: Track (Date) - Drivers - Position in class/Position overall

#22 – FIA GT Championship 2007

Zhuhai (03-25-07) – Mondini/Monfardini – 10/11
Silverstone (05-06-07) – Monfardini/Toccacelo – 12/12
Bucharest (05-20-07) – Monfardini/Toccacelo – 15/23 (DNF)
Monza (06-24-07) – Monfardini/Toccacelo – 12/12
Oschersleben (07-08-07) – Monfardini/Toccacelo – 6/6
Spa 24 Hours (07-28-07) – Toccacelo/Frassinetti/Lancieri/Ragazzi –14/46 (DNF)
Adria (09-08-07) – Monfardini/Toccacelo – 7/7
Brno (09-23-07) – Monfardini/Toccacelo – 13/15
Nogaro (09-30-07) – Monfardini/Gounon – 10/10
Zolder (10-21-07) – Monfardini/Gounon – 7/7

Aston Martin DBR9/05

2008-07-21T19:54:00.000-07:00

2008

Entrepreneur and car collector Michael Fux has owned DBR9/05 since it was built in 2006, but the car did not turn a competitive wheel until 2008. The very capable team of Bell Motorsports has taken on the task of running this car in the American Le Mans Series. The team has put the program together with assistance from Team Modena who runs another DBR9 in the Le Mans Series in Europe. Terry Borcheller and Chapman Ducote are in charge of driving duties with Team Modena's Antonio Garcia joining them for the long distance events. Unfortunately, the team has suffered about as bad of luck as you could possibly imagine and has been forced to miss as many events as they've entered.

2008 Results:

Key: Track (Date) - Drivers - Position in class/Position overall

#008 – American Le Mans Series 2008

Sebring (03-15-08) – Borcheller/Ducote/Garcia – 3/16
St. Petersburg (04-05-08) – Borcheller/Ducote – 3/25 (DNF)
Lime Rock (07-12-08) – Borcheller/Ducote – 3/26 (DNF)
Road America (08-09-08) –
Mosport (08-24-08) –
Detroit (08-30-08) –
Petit Le Mans (10-04-08) –
Laguna Seca (10-18-08) –

Aston Martin DBR9/04

2008-07-21T18:17:00.000-07:00

2006

Aston Martin DBR9/04 was one of the first car to be sold to a privately run team. Cirtek Racing entered the car in a 1000 mile race at the Interlagos circuit in Brazil. Driven by an all star lineup of Christpophe Bouchut, Helio Castroneves, Nelson Piquet Sr. & Jr., the blue DBR9 took the win its first race! Cirtek also contested two rounds of the 2006 FIA GT Championship at Istanbul & Spa.

2006 Results:

Key: Track (Date) - Drivers - Position in class/Position overall

#1 – Individual Race 2006

Mil Milhas (01-22-06) – Bouchut/Castroneves/Piquet/Piquet Jr. – 1/1

#62 – Le Mans Series 2006

Istanbul (04-09-06) – Hardmann/Vann – 5/12
Spa (05-14-06) – Hardmann/Vann/Campbell-Walter – 4/11

2007

In 2007, this car was run in two races by Harry Leventis' EDM Motorsports team. They entered two 6 hour races in 2007, one at Brno and the other at Vallelunga. Peter Hardmann & Nick Leventis did the driving and finished 3rd at Brno and 2nd at Vallelunga.

2007 Results:

Key: Track (Date) - Drivers - Position in class/Position overall

#17 – Individual Race 2007

Brno 6 Hours (10-27-07) – Hardmann/Leventis – 3/3

#19 – Individual Race 2007

Vallelunga 6 Hours (11-18-07) – Hardmann/Leventis – 2/2

2008

For 2008, EDM Motorsports became known as Strakka Racing. Leventis and company planned to race it in select Le Mans Series races, and through a partnership with FIA GT Champions Vitaphone Racing, were able to contest the 2008 24 Hours of Le Mans!

2008 Results:

Key: Track (Date) - Drivers - Position in class/Position overall

#61 – Le Mans Series 2008

Spa (05-11-08) – Hardmann/Leventis – 4/26

#53 – 24 Hours of Le Mans 2008

Le Sarthe (06-14-08) – Hardmann/Leventis/Negrao – 10/50 (DNF)

Aston Martin DBR9/03

2008-07-21T17:24:00.000-07:00

2006

In 2006, the factory Aston Martin Racing team used this car in their all out onslaught of the American Le Mans Series. They battled week in and week out with the factory Corvette Racing team and took two GT1 victories. Darren Turner and Tomas Enge were chosen as pilots for the #007 DBR9. They were joined by Andrea Chiesa for the 12 Hours of Sebring and Peter Kox replaced Turner during the Mosport race. Turner and Enge managed to score wins at Miller Motorsports Park, and at the 10 hour Petit Le Mans. This car was also used in the 2006 24 Hours of Le Mans with Andrea Piccini joining Turner and Enge. The trio finished 2nd in class behind a yellow Corvette once again.

2006 Results:

Key: Track (Date) - Drivers - Position in class/Position overall

#007 – American Le Mans Series 2006

Sebring (03-18-06) – Turner/Enge/Kiesa – 3/6
Houston (05-12-06) – Turner/Enge – 3/4
Mid Ohio (05-21-06) – Turner/Enge – 3/8
Lime Rock (07-01-06) – Turner/Enge – 3/6
Salt Lake City (07-14-06) – Turner/Enge – 1/7
Portland (07-22-06) – Turner/Enge – 2/9
Road America (08-20-06) – Turner/Enge – 3/11
Mosport (09-03-06) – Enge/Kox – 3/9
Petit Le Mans (09-30-06) – Turner/Enge – 1/8
Laguna Seca – (10-21-06) – Turner/Enge – 4/11

#007 – 24 Hours of Le Mans 2006

Le mans (06-18-06) – Enge/Turner/Piccini – 2/6

2007

DBR9/03 ran just one race in 2007 and it was in the hands of Larbre Competition. They entered it in the 24 Hours of Le Mans as car #008. Driven by Christophe Buchout, Casper Elgaard, and Fabrizio Gollin, the car finished 3rd in class behind factory entered cars from Aston Martin and Corvette.

2007 Results:

Key: Track (Date) - Drivers - Position in class/Position overall

#008 – 24 Hours of Le Mans 2007

Le Mans (06-17-07) – Bouchut/Elgaard/Gollin – 3/7

Aston Martin DBR9/02

2008-07-21T16:10:00.000-07:00

2005

2005 marked Aston Martin's return to international sports car racing and they did so with a bang! This car made it's debut at the 2005 12 Hours of Sebring. Bathed in Chiltern green with red trim, it finished a lowly 8th in class in the hands of Pedro Lamy, Stephane Sarrazin, and Peter Kox.

Up next came the fabled marque's home race at Silverstone as part of the FIA GT Championship. David Brabham and Darren Turner brought the car home in 2nd place overall, beaten only by its sister car, trimmed in yellow. Up next was the "big one", the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Lamy, Kox, and Czech Tomas Enge had a strong run, but weren't able to finish the race, ending up 6th in class. Following Le Mans, Aston Martin Racing jumped right into another endurance race, this time the Spa 24 Hours where Brabham, Turner, and Sarrazin cam in 6th place overall, once again, just behind the sister car.

A return to America in the fall saw DBR9/02 compete in the final 2 rounds of the 2005 American Le Mans series. Lamy, Kox, & Enge managed a 5th in class at the 10 hour Petit Le Mans and scored a podium finish in the season finale at Laguna Seca

2005 Results:

Key: Track (Date) - Drivers - Position in class/Position overall

#58 – American Le Mans Series 2005

Sebring (03-19-05) – Lamy/Kox/Sarrazin – 8/15
Petit Le Mans (10-01-05) – Lamy/Kox/Enge – 5/11
Laguna Seca (10-16-05) – Lamy/Kox – 3/9

#28 – FIA GT Championship 2005

Silverstone (05-15-05) – Brabham/Turner – 2/2
Spa 24 Hours (07-31-05) – Brabham/Turner/Sarrazin – 6/6

#58 - 24 Hours of Le Mans 2005

Le Sarthe (06-19-05) – Lamy/Kox/Enge – 6/27 (DNF)

2006

2006 saw the factory Aston Martin Racing team make a full season assault on the American Le Mans Series running the entire 10 race schedule. While still painted in a familiar shade of green, this car receive yellow trim for 2006 with its sister car using red. Pedro Lamy and Stephane Sarrazin took the reigns for the full season with Australian V8 Supercar star Jason Bright joining the pair for the 12 Hours of Sebring. Andrea Piccini also made an appearance at Miller Motorsports Park in the absence of Lamy. Lamy and Sarrazin went on to score victories at Lime Rock, Mosport, and Laguna Seca in 2006.

The factory also utilized this chassis for the 24 Hours of Le Mans in which Lamy and Sarrazin were joined by Stephane Ortelli. The factory took on some rather interesting sponsorship for the race, with a huge Sony Playstation Portable surrounding the car's number. The trio brought the #009 machine home 5th in class.

2006 Results:

Key: Track (Date) - Drivers - Position in class/Position overall
#009 – American Le Mans Series 2006

Sebring (03-18-06) – Lamy/Sarrazin/Bright – 2/4
Houston (05-12-06) – Lamy/Sarrazin – 4/5
Mid Ohio (05-21-06) – Lamy/Sarrazin – 4/9
Lime Rock (07-01-06) – Lamy/Sarrazin – 1/4
Salt Lake City (07-14-06) – Sarrazin/Piccini – 2/8
Portland (07-22-06) – Lamy/Sarrazin – 4/11
Road America (08-20-06) – Lamy/Sarrazin – 4/16
Mosport (09-03-06) – Lamy/Sarrazin – 1/7
Petit Le Mans (09-30-06) – Lamy/Sarrazin – 2/9
Laguna Seca (10-21-06) – Lamy/Sarrazin – 1/8

#009 – 24 Hours of Le Mans 2006

Le Sarthe (06-18-06) – Lamy/Ortelli/Sarrazin – 5/10

2007

For 2007, DBR9/02 found its way into the hands of Larbre Competition, one of the factory's chosen "Works" teams. The team entered it in the first five races of the 2007 Le Mans Series schedule and enlisted the trio of Christophe Buchout, Gabriel Gardell, and Fabrizio Gollin to drive it. They never reached the top step of the podium, but did enjoy three podium finishes that year.

2007 Results:

Key: Track (Date) - Drivers - Position in class/Position overall

#50 – Le Mans Series

Monza (04-15-07) – Bouchut/Gardel/Gollin – 2/10
Valencia (05-06-07) – Bouchut/Gardel/Gollin – 3/13
Nurburgring (07-01-07) – Bouchut/Gardel/Gollin – 4/20
Spa (08-19-07) – Bouchut/Gardel/Gollin – 2/8
Silverstone (09-16-07) – Bouchut/Gardel/Gollin – 7/3

Aston Martin DBR9/01

2008-07-21T14:44:00.000-07:00

2005

Aston Martin Racing announced its plans to race a DB9 based GT1 racer in late 2004 and the car made it's race debut at the 2005 12 Hours of Sebring. Similar to the Acura ARX-01A we looked at last week, the DBR9 put the world on notice by taking an upset victory in its very first race! Driven by David Brabham, Darren Turner, and Stephane Ortelli, the green and yellow DBR9 conquered the goliath that is Corvette Racing their very first time out.

After the victory at Sebring, the cars returned to England where the competed in the Silverstone round of the FIA GT Championship, this time taking an overall victory at the hands of Pedro Lamy and Peter Kox! It was now clear that this car was for real and it's win at Sebring was no fluke. The real test would come the following month at the 24 Hours of le Mans in which would pit the factory Astons and Corvettes againste each other for the second time. This time the boys in yellow would take the victory when the DBR9 of Brabham, Turner, and Stephane Sarrazin ran into trouble. Still, a podium finish their first time at Le Mans is something to be proud of. Their next challenge was another endurance race, this time, the Spa 24 Hours where the car, driven by Lamy, Kox, and Marc Goossens finished a respectable 5th.

Later in the year, the two factory DBR9s returned to America to compete in the final 2 rounds of the American Le Mans Series. First up was the 10 hour Petit Le Mans which saw the DBR9 of Brabham, Turner, and Johnny Kane finish 2nd in class, bested again by the might of Corvette Racing. Two weeks later was the season finale at Laguna Seca in which Brabham and Turner brought their DBR9 home 4th in class.

Overall, it was 2005 was an incredible start for the Aston Martin DBR9. To be as competitive right out of the box, especially against the tough Corvette Racing team was a great accomplishment, and it was just the first of many chapters in this story!

2005 Results:

Key: Track (Date) - Drivers - Position in class/Position overall

#57 – American Le Mans Series 2005

Sebring (03-19-05) – Brabham/Turner/Ortelli – 1/4
Petit Le Mans (10-01-05) – Brabham/Turner/Kane – 2/4
Laguna Seca (10-16-05) – Brabham/Turner – 4/10

#29 – FIA GT Championship 2005

Silverstone (05-15-05) – Lamy/Kox – 1/1
Spa 24 Hours (07-31-05) – Lamy/Kox/Goosens – 5/5

#59 – 24 Hours of Le Mans 2005

Le Sarthe (06-19-05) – Brabham/Turner/Sarazzin – 3/9

2006

In its second year of competition, this DBR9 found itelf in the hands of the talented French outfit Larbre Competition. They'd been chose by the factory to be the Works supported team that would contest the Le Mans Series in Europe. The five race calendar would see the DBR9 raced by Pedro Lamy, Gabriel Gardel, and Vincent Vosse. The team took two victories in 2006 at Istanbul and the Nurburgring and took both the GT1 team and driver's championships!

2006 Results:

Key: Track (Date) - Drivers - Position in class/Position overall

#50 – Le Mans Series 2006

Istanbul (04-09-06) – Lamy/Gardel/Vosse – 1/6
Spa (05-14-06) – Lamy/Gardel/Vosse – 7/31 (DNF)
Nurburgring (07-16-06) – Lamy/Gardel/Vosse – 1/10
Donington (08-27-06) – Lamy/Gardel/Vosse – 5/20
Jarama (09-24-06) – Lamy/Gardel/Vosse –2/7

2007

In 2007, Aston Martin DBR9/01 was again run by Larbre Competition. This year they expanded their program running the Le Mans Series, French GT Championship (FFSA GT), and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This car's entry in the 2007 Le Mans Series saw it piloted by Gregor Fisken, Steve Zacchia, and Gregory Franchia. Roland Berville and Fernando Rees joined Fisken and Zacchia in the season finale at Interlagos circuit in Brazil where the car took its only LMS win of the year.

In the FFSA GT, this car was driven by Patrick Bornhauser and Frederic Mackoweiki to two victories in 2007 (Nogaro and Magny-Cours). Larbre also entered this car in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the hands of Berville, Bornhauser, and Fisken where they finished a dismal 13th in class.

2007 Results:

Key: Track (Date) - Drivers - Position in class/Position overall

#51 – Le Mans Series 2007

Monza (04-15-07) – Fisken/Zacchia/Franchi – 7/45 (DNF)
Valencia (05-06-07) – Fisken/Zacchia/Franchi – 6/28
Nurburgring (07-01-07) – Fisken/Zacchia/Franchi – 7/24
Spa (08-19-07) – Fisken/Zacchia/Franchi – 6/21
Silverstone (09-16-07) – Fisken/Zacchia/Franchi – 4/17
Mil Milhas (11-10-07) – Fisken/Zacchia/Berville/Rees – 1/6

#006 – 24 Hours of Le Mans 2007

Le Mans (06-17-07) – Fisken/Berville/Bornhauser – 13/29

#3 - French GT Championship (FFSA GT) 2007

Nogaro - Race 1 (04-08-07) – Bornhauser/Mackowiecki – 13/30 (DNF)
Nogaro - Race 2 (04-08-07) – Bornhauser/Mackowiecki – 5/5
Ledenon - Race 1 (04-28-07) – Bornhauser/Mackowiecki – 12/26 (DNF)
Ledenon - Race 2 (04-29-07) – Bornhauser/Mackowiecki – 4/4
Dijon - Race 1 (05-12-07) – Bornhauser/Mackowiecki – 6/6
Dijon - Race 2 (05-13-07) – Bornhauser/Mackowiecki – 3/3
Val de Vienne - Race 1 (07-07-07) – Bornhauser/Mackowiecki – 2/2
Val de Vienne - Race 2 (07-08-07) – Bornhauser/Mackowiecki – 3/3
Albi - Race 1 (09-08-07) – Bornhauser/Mackowiecki – 9/23 (DNF)
Albi - Race 2 (09-09-07) – Bornhauser/Mackowiecki – 11/24 (DNF)
Nogaro - Race 1 (09-29-07) – Bornhauser/Mackowiecki – 1/1
Nogaro - Race 2 (09-30-07) – Bornhauser/Mackowiecki – 6/10
Magny-Cours - Race 1 (10-13-07) – Bornhauser/Mackowiecki – 11/30 (DNF)
Magny-Cours - Race 2 (10-14-07) – Bornhauser/Mackowiecki – 1/1

Chassis Overview: Aston Martin DBR9

2008-07-20T22:57:00.000-07:00

Prodrive the outfit most known for their championship winning World Rally Subarus announced in late 2004 that it would return to international sports car racing with an Aston Martin GT race car. Based on Aston Martin's DB9 road car, the DBR9 would be a purpose built racing machine designed to be raced in the world's top sports car racing series, namely the American Le Mans Series, Le Mans Series in Europe, the FIA GT Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This image was released with the initial announcement of the program to give a clue as to what to expect from the endurance racer.

Much to the applause of the automotive world, the car was unveiled in early 2005, and it's easily one of the most beautiful GT racing cars of all time. Draped in Aston's traditional Chiltern Green with yellow "lipstick", the new GT1 machine pays homage to Aston Martin racers of the past, and also carries the #59, which was the last year that the fabled marque won the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Intial plans were to build a total oe 32 cars, 12 "works" factory backed cars and another 20 sold to private teams and collectors. Only 16 cars ended up being produced though. Aston Martin Racing planned to make their race debut at the 2005 12 Hours of Sebring in America, taking on the formidable factory Corvette team.

The DBR9's 6.0 liter V12 produces upwards of 625hp and with a six speed sequential gearbox, the 2800 pound car is an absolute rocket that makes all the right sounds! In the last 4 years the car has become one of the most successful modern sports racing cars with victories at the 12 Hours of Sebring, Petit Le Mans, and twice at the 24 Hours of Le Mans! Aston Martin assigned 3 teams to run "Works" factory supported cars, the factory's own Aston Martin Racing (Prodrive), BMS Scuderia Italia and Larbre Competition. It's also been run by a handful of successful privateer teams like Team Modena, Jetalliance Racing, and Phoenix Racing to name a few.

Acura ARX-01B #04

2008-07-20T22:10:00.000-07:00

2008

The newest member of the LMP2 Acura program comes from de Ferran Motorsports. They announced their program at the 2008 12 Hours of Sebring and it would consist of the 4th Acura ARX-01B to be driven by team owner Gil de Ferran and Frenchman Simon Pagenaud. The Panasonic ELS sponsored team made their race debut at the 4th round of the 2008 ALMS season at Miller Motorsports Park and may be the outfit chosen to spearhead Acura's upcoming LMP1 effort. Regardless, they're a welcome addition to the American Le Mans Series!

2008 Results:

Key: Track (Date) - Drivers - Position in class/Position overall

#66 - American Le Mans Series

Salt Lake City (05-18-08) – de Ferran/Pagenaud – 3/3
Lime Rock (07-12-08) – de Ferran/Pagenaud – 7/14
Mid Ohio (07-19-07) – de Ferran/Pagenaud – 9/26 (DNF)
Road America (08-09-08) – de Ferran/Pagenaud –
Mosport (08-24-08) – de Ferran/Pagenaud –
Detroit (08-30-08) – de Ferran/Pagenaud –
Petit Le Mans (10-04-08) – de Ferran/Pagenaud –
Laguna Seca (10-18-08) – de Ferran/Pagenaud –

Acura ARX-01B #03

2008-07-18T00:34:00.000-07:00

2007

Lowe's Fernandez Racing joined the American Le Mans series in 2007 and have been a member of the Acura LMP2 program since its inception. They however did not run the Acura chassis as Andretti-Green and Highcroft Racing did. Fernandez was in charge of engine development for the program, and to create parity between the other teams, ran an LMP2 Lola chassis.

2008

For 2008 though, the team has acquired the third Acura ARX-01B chassis and has plans to run it for the full season in the ALMS. As per 2007, Adrian Fernandez and Luis Diaz are tasked with driving the car for the entire season, with Michel Jourdain Jr. joining the pair for Petit Le Mans and Laguna Seca.

2008 Results:

Key: Track (Date) - Drivers - Position in class/Position overall

#15 - American Le Mans Series

Sebring (03-15-08) – Fernandez/Diaz – 2/2 (Excluded)
St. Petersburg (04-05-08) – Fernandez/Diaz – 7/10
Long Beach (04-19-08) – Fernandez/Diaz – 6/8
Salt Lake City (05-18-08) – Fernandez/Diaz – 5/5
Lime Rock (07-12-08) – Fernandez/Diaz – 4/5
Mid Ohio (07-19-07) – Fernandez/Diaz – 3/5
Road America (08-09-08) – Fernandez/Diaz –
Mosport (08-24-08) – Fernandez/Diaz –
Detroit (08-30-08) – Fernandez/Diaz –
Petit Le Mans (10-04-08) – Fernandez/Diaz –
Laguna Seca (10-18-08) – Fernandez/Diaz –

Acura ARX-01A/B #02

2008-07-17T00:32:00.000-07:00

2007

Beginning life as Courage LC70 chassis #8, this LMP2 Acura ARX-01A is run in the American Le Mans Series by Andretti-Green Racing. The 2007 12 Hours of Sebring marked their first race in the ALMS and the XM Satelite Radio sponsored machine couldn't have done much better. The driving trio of Bryan Herta, Dario Franchitti, and Tony Kanaan won the LMP2 class and came in 2nd place overall! But from there, the reality of running a top flite ALMS LMP program sunk in as the team struggled for the rest of the year. With Herta running the full season, Dario's brother, Marino Franchitti joined Herta for the following nine races while Dario and Tony Kanaan rejoined the team at the end of the year.

2007 Results:

Key: Track (Date) - Drivers - Position in class/Position overall

#26 - American Le Mans Series

Sebring (03-17-07) – Herta/Kanaan/D. Franchitti – 1/2
St. Petersburg (03-31-07) – Herta/M. Franchitti – 3/5
Long Beach (04-14-07) – Herta/M. Franchitti – 4/4
Houston (04-21-07) – Herta/M. Franchitti – 2/2
Salt Lake City (05-19-07) – Herta/M. Franchitti –8/25 (DNF)
Lime Rock (07-07-07) – Herta/M. Franchitti – 6/7
Mid Ohio (07-21-07) – Herta/M. Franchitti – 7/10
Road America (08-11-07) – Herta/M. Franchitti – 7/9
Mosport (08-26-07) – Herta/M. Franchitti – 3/5
Detroit (09-01-07) – Herta/M. Franchitti – 8/19
Petit Le Mans (10-06-07) – Herta/Kanaan/D. Franchitti – 9/28 (DNF)
Laguna Seca (10-20-07) – Herta/Kanaan – 4/6

2008

For 2008 a host of upgrades and developments to the Acura also brought forth a name change. Now called the ARX-01B, Andretti-Green Racing bestowed its driving duties to Bryan Herta and Christian Fittipaldi with Marco Andretti joining the team for the 12 Hours of Sebring. All was not well in the AGR camp though. After several mediocre outings early in the year, Herta and Fittipaldi were replaced by ex-F1 driver Franck Montagny and a variety of other drivers from the AGR family.

2008 Results:

Key: Track (Date) - Drivers - Position in class/Position overall

#26 - American Le Mans Series

Sebring (03-15-08) – Herta/Fittipaldi/Andretti – 6/18 (DNF)
St. Petersburg (04-05-08) – Herta/Fittipaldi – 5/6
Long Beach (04-19-08) – Herta/Fittipaldi – 4/6
Salt Lake City (05-18-08) – Herta/Fittipaldi – 7/8
Lime Rock (07-12-08) – Montagny/Andretti – 5/6
Mid Ohio (07-19-07) – Montagny/Matos – 7/14
Road America (08-09-08) – Montagny/–
Mosport (08-24-08) – Montagny/ –
Detroit (08-30-08) – Montagny/ –
Petit Le Mans (10-04-08) – Montagny/ –
Laguna Seca (10-18-08) – Montagny/ –

Acura ARX-01A/B #01

2008-07-16T01:11:00.001-07:00

2007

Acura ARX-01A #01 began life as Courage LC70 #07. It made it's racing debut at the 2007 12 Hours of Sebring run by Highcroft Racing. The car was driven for the full season by David Brabham and Stephan Johansson with Duncan Dayton joining them for the 12 Hours of Sebring and Robbie Kerr coming in for the final two races of the year.

2007 Results:

Key: Track (Date) - Drivers - Position in class/Position overall

#9 - American Le Mans Series

Sebring (03-17-07) – Brabham/Johansson/Dayton – 4/6
St. Petersburg (03-31-07) – Brabham/Johansson – 7/21 (DNF)
Long Beach (04-14-07) – Brabham/Johansson – 6/6
Houston (04-21-07) – Brabham/Johansson – 4/5
Salt Lake City (05-19-07) – Brabham/Johansson – 6/21
Lime Rock (07-07-07) – Brabham/Johansson – 3/3
Mid Ohio (07-21-07) – Brabham/Johansson – 6/8
Road America (08-11-07) – Brabham/Johansson – 3/5
Mosport (08-26-07) – Brabham/Johansson – 8/24 (DNF)
Detroit (09-01-07) – Brabham/Johansson – 3/5
Petit Le Mans (10-06-07) – Brabham/Johansson/Kerr – 6/8
Laguna Seca (10-20-07) – Brabham/Johansson/Kerr – 9/28 (DNF)

2008

For 2008, Highcroft racing recruited veteran open wheel star Scott Sharp and with him came a lucrative sponsorship deal with Patron Tequila (as well as a striking new livery). Sharp would be joined by David Brabham for the season with Stephan Johansson taking the 3rd seat in longer endurance races. 2008 has already been one of much success for Patron Highcroft Racing with the team scoring their first class win at Long Beach and they achieved Acura's first overall victory at Lime Rock.

2008 Results:

Key: Track (Date) - Drivers - Position in class/Position overall

#9 - American Le Mans Series

Sebring (03-15-08) – Brabham/Sharp/Johansson – 4/5
St. Petersburg (04-05-08) – Brabham/Sharp – 2/3
Long Beach (04-19-08) – Brabham/Sharp – 1/3
Salt Lake City (05-18-08) – Brabham/Sharp – 9/24
Lime Rock (07-12-08) – Brabham/Sharp – 1/1
Mid Ohio (07-19-07) – Brabham/Sharp – 2/4
Road America (08-09-08) – Brabham/Sharp –
Mosport (08-24-08) – Brabham/Sharp –
Detroit (08-30-08) – Brabham/Sharp –
Petit Le Mans (10-04-08) – Brabham/Sharp/Johansson –
Laguna Seca (10-18-08) – Brabham/Sharp –

Chassis Overview: Acura ARX-01A/B

2008-07-15T14:28:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, here we go with the very first chassis registry of my new blog. First up will be Acura's LMP2 challenger, the ARX-01A/B. Acura announced their intentions to join the American Le Mans Series with an LMP2 car at the end of 2006. From there, it was an intense development program to enable them to make their race debut at the 2007 12 Hours of Sebring.

The ARX-01A started life as a French Courage LC70, but was extensively re-engineered by Honda Performance Division (HPD), and as such now shares very little with its French doner car. The engine is a 3.4 liter, normally aspirated V8 producing something in the neighborhood of 500hp and it's connected to a 6 speed sequential gearbox.

In 2007, Acura ran with 3 teams, each focusing on a different element of the ARX-01A. Lowe's Fernandez Racing was in charge of engine development (using a Lola chassis), Highcroft Racing handled the chassis development, and Andretti-Green Racing took everything and put it all together.

The 2007 season started out on a high note with Andretti-Green Racing taking Acura's maiden win in their very first race, winning the LMP2 class at the 12 Hours of Sebring! They failed to reach the top step of the podium again in 2007 though dealing with many teething issues with the cars throughout the season.

In the off season, HPD did a great deal more development on the car, and the car was now to be designated ARX-01B. It was also announced that all Acura teams would be running the Acura chassis this year, and a 4th car would be joining the fray near mid season run by ex-CART star Gil De Ferran.

2008 has so far shown a noticeable improvement in performance by the Acura teams, and they've already taken 2 wins (out of 5 races), with 1 of them being an overall win!

Let's get the wheels turning!

2008-07-15T14:19:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, my name's Mike, you may also know me via the web by rabbitl1 or WMUCarGuy. I'm setting up this blog to be my spot to rant and rave about modern sports car racing, specifically the ALMS, LMS, FIA GT, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

I'll also use this blog to share with you my extensive sports racing car chassis registries that I've put together over the last couple of years. I'm thinking I'll detail one car per week with an overview of the car and a detailed look at the car's chassis history. First up will be LMP2 Acura ARX-01A/B!

Thanks to Supercars.net and Ultimatecarpage.com for providing the fantastic photography throughout this blog!

Feel free to hit me up on AIM @ WMUCarGuy or email me @ mjlaney@gmail.com.

Hope you enjoy!