Aston Martin DBR9
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| Aston Martin DBR9 | |
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| Manufacturer | Aston Martin |
| Production | 2005-current |
| Class | GT1 racing car |
| Body style(s) | 2-door coupe |
| Platform | Modified VH |
| Engine(s) | 6.0 L V12 |
The Aston Martin DBR9 is a racing car by Aston Martin, first built in 2005. The name DBR9 is derived from the original 24 Hours of Le Mans-winning DBR1 car, named for then-owner David Brown, which not only won the 24 Hour race in 1959 but also the World Sportscar title.
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[edit] Development
Based on the Aston Martin DB9 road car, the DBR9 retains the chassis, and the cylinder block and heads of the road car's V12 engine. The rest of the car is re-engineered for high performance competition use. The DBR9's bodywork is a blend of optimum aerodynamic performance and the styling of the DB9 road car. All the body panels are constructed from carbon fibre composite (except the roof) to minimize the weight of the car. To complete the aerodynamic body, the bottom of the car is flat all the way from the front to the rear diffuser. To optimise rear downforce a carbon fibre wing has been added. The car goes from 0-60 mph in 3.4 seconds.
For the 2007 24 Hours of Le Mans, Prodrive made modifications to the DBR9 design in order to not only improve performance, but also to increase driver comfort in the cockpit. Due to new regulations put into place by Le Mans organizers, the DBR9 required the installation of an air conditioning unit in order to prevent overstressing drivers. Prodrive went further by putting a heat-resistant white roof on all new cars to assist in keeping cockpit temperatures down. Performance modifications included the removal of two cooling vents from the bonnet of the car due to no longer being necessary.
[edit] Racing history
The DBR9 won the Sebring 12 Hours for its LMGT1 category in 2005, but came third in Le Mans 24 Hour behind arch-rivals Corvette Racing due to fuel problems. In 2006, the DBR9 was unable to repeat its success at Sebring, finishing second behind a Corvette. A similar situation occurred at Le Mans as well. Despite not winning Sebring and Le Mans, Aston Martin Racing regularly challenged Corvette Racing for victory in the rest of the American Le Mans Series schedule, with victories at Lime Rock Park, Miller Motorsports Park, Mosport, Petit Le Mans, and Laguna Seca. Aston Martin capped their 2006 ALMS season by finishing second in the GT1 Manufacturer's Championship, earning the factory team an automatic entry to the 2007 24 Hours of Le Mans.
In the Le Mans Endurance Series, the Larbre Compétition took the Team's Championship, with victories at the 1000 Kilometres of Istanbul and 1000 Kilometres of the Nurburgring, a second place finish at the 1000 Kilometres of Jarama, and a fifth place finish at the 1000 Kilometres of Donington.
The DBR9 came into the 2006 FIA GT Championship being title contender favourites, but the season was somewhat lacklustre with only two victories at Mugello and Dubai. The Phoenix Racing Aston Martin DBR9 narrowly missed out on victory at the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. BMS Scuderia Italia cited a problem with finding the right tyre compound with their Pirellis as the factor for their lack of success.
For 2007, Aston Martin was finally able to overcome their woes at Le Mans, securing the GT1 class victory for the #009 Aston Martin Racing DBR9. Larbre's DBR9 would also manage third place in class. The teams running DBR9s managed to finish every car entered.
Later in 2007, Aston Martin will launch the limited edition (300 units expected) DBS road car which has many styling cues taken from the DBR9 in conjunction with the James Bond film Casino Royale. Aston Martin Racing's DBR9s raced 2006 and 2007 under the numbers 007 and 009, in honor of James Bond.
For 2008, while Larbre and Scuderia Italia have moved on from Aston Martin, Prodrive will continue to field a factory team at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The two-car team will gain a new paint scheme, using the blue and orange colors of Gulf.[1]
[edit] Teams
The Aston Martin DBR9 is currently run by three factory teams and has been sold to customers for private use in various racing series, such as the American Le Mans Series, Le Mans Series, FIA GT Championship, and FFSA GT Championship.
It was announced prior to the 2008 season that Larbre Competition will replace their DBR9's with Saleen S7Rs, while Scuderia Italia will move onto Ferrari F430s. This leaves Prodrive as the only factory team. Customer teams will continue to race as well.
[edit] Factory teams
Aston Martin Racing, run by Prodrive (2005 - )
Aston Martin Racing Larbre, run by Larbre Compétition (2005 - 2007)
Aston Martin Racing BMS, run by BMS Scuderia Italia (2005 - 2007)
[edit] Customer teams
- Team Modena, formerly Cirtek Racing (2005 - )
JetAlliance Racing, formerly RaceAlliance (2006 - )
Phoenix Racing (2006 - )- Barwell Motorsports (2007)
- Gigawave Motorsport (2007 - )
Bell Motorsports (2008 - )
[edit] References
- ^ Aston Martin to defend GT1 title with Gulf !. Endurance-Info (10 January 2008). Retrieved on 2008-01-10.
[edit] External links
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