Aston Martin fields strong line-up for Nürburgring 24 Hours in May as it prepares for Vantage swansong

Aston Martin Racing will field all six World Endurance Championship GTE drivers for the Nürburgring 24 Hours as it bids farewell to the V12 Vantage GT3.

A V12 Vantage GT3 will be entered in the SP9 category with Maxime Martin, Marco Sørensen and 2017 SP8 class winners Darren Turner and Nicki Thiim. The factory will enter a GT4-spec Aston Martin V8 Vantage with Alex Lynn, Jonny Adam, Peter Cate and Jamie Chadwick. Chadwick, 19, will become the first woman to race a factory Aston Martin in a 24-hour race.

“The Nürburgring 24 Hours is a unique event in the world of endurance racing and is rightly considered an important target for us,” said team principal Paul Howarth.

“It is an immensely challenging race for the drivers and team, and it is the perfect test of performance and durability for our car. We are bringing a very strong driver line-up with considerable experience of the N24 in a proven car. Our clear objective is to get the best result possible and to build our drivers experience for the future.”

Aston Martin Racing president David King added that he is eager for the manufacturer to win the race outright for the first time.

“We think it is most important to bring the charismatic the V12 Vantage GT3 back for its factory swansong in a major 24-hour event and it’s a mark of the car’s pedigree that seven years after it first raced it remains a competitive proposition,” said King. 

“Deploying all of our current FIA WEC Pro line-up means we are also ensuring that we keep them both well-prepared for other notable 24-hour events coming up on the calendar and familiar with the N24 with a view to whatever approach we may take to the event in 2019 and beyond. It’s a tribute to their adaptability and commitment that two of them are happy to make the switch to a GT4 car for the weekend,” he added.