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High octane racing action arrives at Aston Martin Works

21st August 2012 Print
Aston Martin Racing GTE

Aston Martin Racing brought the high octane action of the race track pitlane to Aston Martin Works as owners and enthusiasts enjoyed an evening of motorsport.
 
The evening included a live pitstop demonstration by endurance driver Darren Turner and the Aston Martin Racing GTE pit crew, using the Vantage GTE race car which sped to a class podium place at Le Mans this year.
 
Darren and the team joined the event direct from testing the Vantage GTE at Donington Park – part of their preparation for the Six Hours of Silverstone WEC race on 26 August.
 
The Aston Martin Racing team brought the sights and sounds of the race track to the former home of Aston Martin in Newport Pagnell. Aston Martin Works is the official service and heritage division for the luxury British marque and the only dealership in the world offering both current and classic models for sale.
 
Following a welcome from Aston Martin Works Managing Director Kingsley Riding-Felce, David King, Director of Events for Aston Martin explained the importance of ‘going racing’ in demonstrating the pedigree of the cars, which is underlined by the fact that the GTE car completed 332 laps at Le Mans – almost 3,000 miles – without any technical problems.
 
Guests then took pole position for a rare opportunity to get up close to the pitlane action, as the GTE pit crew demonstrated the skill and precision required to perform the perfect pitstop. There was live commentary as Darren drove the Vantage GTE into position and the team demonstrated a full wheel-change including use of the high speed pneumatic jack system, recording a best time of 9.8 seconds for the evening.
 
Next the guests got a thrilling chance to get their hands dirty and experience the intense pressure of pit crew membership, racing against each other and the clock to complete the fastest wheel change.
 
Paul Spires, General Manager Sales, Aston Martin Works said: “The event provided a unique opportunity for our customers to meet the Aston Martin Racing team in person and have an insider’s view of how the crew performs pitstops under intense pressure.”
 
The evening concluded with a Q&A session with Darren, who competed at this year’s Nürburgring 24 Hours and Le Mans 24-Hour events.
 
The event was supported by Hackett, supplier of AMR clothing, premier watchmaker Jaeger-LeCoultre and luxury audio brand Bang & Olufsen. Profits from the event will go to support the work of the Aston Martin Owners’ Club and the Aston Martin Heritage Trust.

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Aston Martin Racing GTE