Aston Martin Racing has began testing of its new V12 Vantage GT3 at Brands Hatch this week, covering almost 1000 kilometres in just two days. After two days behind the wheel, Turner said: “The car ran like clockwork throughout and we’ve managed really good mileage already. The feeling of the V12 Vantage GT3 is a massive step forward from the DBRS9. Being based on the smaller Vantage it is more responsive and feels more nimble, giving the driver plenty of confidence to extract all the performance from the V12 engine while also being light on its tyres. It isn’t too physical to drive and I didn’t even break into a sweat during the test!
The design and engineering of the new V12 GT3 endurance racer has been led by Aston Martin Racing’s Chief Engineer for GT, Dan Sayers. The team is now embarking upon a rigorous development and sign off programme, which involves extended testing of the car at competition speeds to ensure the longevity of all critical components.
The V12 Vantage GT3 is a direct replacement for the Aston Martin DBRS9, which first competed in 2006 and went on to score many race and championship wins including the 2007 British GT Championship and the 2009 FIA GT3 Teams’ Championship. Sharing Aston Martin’s renowned bonded aluminium VH body structure and 6.0-litre V12 engine with the road-going V12 Vantage, the new racer is the culmination of six years’ experience competing at the forefront of all major international GT series.
Aston Martin returned to GT racing as a factory team in 2005 with the DBR9 GT1, which went on to record back-to-back victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2007 and 2008, as well as winning this year’s FIA GT1 World Championship.
