Gaydon, Warwickshire 6 April 2010. Aston Martin will return to the starting grid
of the legendary Nordschleife circuit for the fifth consecutive year at the 38th
ADACNürburgring 24-hour race on 15/16 May 2010 with the marque’s new four-door
sports car; the Rapide.
Further underlining the sporting credentials of Aston Martin’s latest model, the
Rapide will compete in the demanding 24-hour race – as has been the case with
other recent Aston Martin road cars, the V8 Vantage and V12 Vantage. The Rapide
will compete in near-standard specification apart from mandatory changes
required to compete in this most demanding of endurance races and will be driven
by a team of engineers from the company’s Gaydon headquarters in Warwickshire,
England.
Aston Martin Chief Executive, Dr Ulrich Bez who will lead the Rapide driver
team, explained: “This race represents the ultimate final engineering durability
test for any sports car – it subjects the car to the toughest possible
assessment under public scrutiny.
“The Rapide has the capability to carry four people in comfort but first and
foremost it is a sports car and we will subject it to the same tests we would
our other sports cars. We already have a proven track record at the Nürburgring
racing our road cars with limited modification and in recent years we have
enjoyed success in winning the SP8 class both in 2008 and 2009.”
The Rapide race car will be close to production standard with only essential
race safety modifications, interior trim removed to reduce weight, re-tuned
suspension and will run on slick tyres designed for track use.
The Aston Martin Rapide encapsulates the values of Aston Martin in pure
four-door sports car form with an unrivalled combination of performance,
comfort, craftsmanship and exceptionally elegant design. Since the Rapide’s
original premiere at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2009 the car has gone on to win
the widespread approval of customers and media commentators alike, prompting
strong global demand for the car. Deliveries of the Rapide commence later this
month through Aston Martin’s 125-strong global dealership network.
The Rapide race car will be joined by a V12 Vantage – again modified only
slightly for racing – which in 2009 swept to a class win on its competitive race
debut. The near production standard V12 Vantage – which finished in 21st place
overall last year – saw off competition from a field of largely specialist race
cars in the SP8 class to claim an impressive debut win.
Further details on the V12 Vantage and the full driver line-ups for both Aston
Martin entries plus details on a number of customer teams competing in the race
will follow in the coming weeks.
The 38th ADAC Nürburgring 24 hour race will take place on 15/16 May 2010.
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