Le
Mans 24 Hours, 16/17 June 2007
Race
Aston
Martin win class; Johnny's car is 4th
Aston
Martin Racing, 14th June 2007: For
the first time since 1959, Aston Martin has triumphed at Le
Mans.
The
winning Aston Martin Racing with InterContinental Hotels & Resorts
DBR9 – numbered 009 – was driven to GT1 class victory and a
remarkable fifth overall by David Brabham, Rickard Rydell and
Darren Turner after 24 hours of non-stop competition, characterised
by changeable conditions and several safety car periods.
The
bad weather was in evidence right from the start of the first
qualifying session, where the AMR Larbre Competition 008 DBR9
claimed pole position – before going on to finish third in the
actual race. Aston Martin’s double podium underlined the impressive
performance and reliability of the DBR9, which is closely based
on the DB9 road car.
The
winning 009 car started from fourth on the grid at 1500 on Saturday,
and was locked in a fierce battle for the lead with its sister
007 car for the majority of the race. As night fell, the two
Aston Martin Racing cars were separated by less than 10 seconds,
and they were in visual contact with each other right up until
dawn on Sunday morning.
Tomas
Enge in the 007 closed to within seconds of the third-placed
DBR9 of Christophe Bouchut on Sunday morning, but while the
duo were fighting for position Tomas had a high-speed spin into
a gravel trap. The sharp flint stones cut his tyre, and he was
forced to pit for a rubber change. The off-road excursion also
damaged the front splitter and necessitated an eight-minute
repair.
Just
one lap later, Enge was back in again as another stone had become
wedged in a brake calliper. The problem was fixed, but then
unbelievably Tomas reported an alternator failure. This again
was traced to yet another stray stone that had jammed the alternator
pulley.
While
this was being sorted out, Johnny Herbert took the wheel and
after five minutes of work he was off. Two laps later 007 was
back in the pits – this time to fix a broken boot pin, needed
to hold the boot in place. Enge commented:
“What
a disaster…but it was just one of those things. I’m quite
confident that we could have had third, but in every battle
there is a winner and a loser and on this occasion I was the
loser. That’s about all I can say. ”
After
a number of pit stops, the 007 car was forced to settle for
fourth place in class.
The
winning crew of Brabham, Rydell and Turner experienced no major
problems during the race, apart from the changeable weather
that made tyre choice a permanent lottery. After a wet opening
afternoon and a largely dry night, the rain returned with a
vengeance at the very end of the race.
David
Brabham, who drove the final stint in a torrential downpour,
said:
“I
think that last lap this year was the longest of my entire
life. The quantity of standing water made judging the amount
of grip available a complete gamble. I just took a lot of
care to bring the car home safely, and I think this result
is a fantastic culmination of all the hard work not just from
myself, Darren and Rickard, but also from the entire team.”
Rickard
Rydell – who was instrumental in making sure that the car got
through the tricky early hours of the morning, with fog and
mist in evidence – commented:
“It’s
been very nice to be here with such a good and professional
team. To win like this is very special.”
Darren
Turner’s efforts included a monumental triple stint on Saturday
evening that lasted just under three hours. The Englishman commented:
“It’s
been a fantastic 24 hours. Having been involved in the Aston
Martin Racing programme from the very start in 2005, Le Mans
was always a bit of unfinished business for me. Now we’ve finally
done it, which makes it a very special day for everybody at
Aston Martin.”
As
the drivers sprayed champagne from the famous Le Mans podium
in the pouring rain on Sunday, the accolades also flowed from
Aston Martin’s management. David Richards, Aston Martin’s Chairman,
said:
“To
see Aston Martin winning at Le Mans again, nearly 50 years
after our last famous victory, is a truly magnificent achievement
for everybody associated with Aston Martin across the world.”
Dr
Ulrich Bez, Aston Martin’s Chief Executive, commented:
“Since
our last victory here in 1959, Le Mans has been dominated
by several other great marques. But this year we had more
cars than any other manufacturer and they all finished: six
out of six, including the GT1 winner. It’s been as truly historic
day for Aston Martin and I am absolutely delighted.”
The
1959 Le Mans-winning DBR1 appeared at the Legends race in Le
Mans on Saturday morning before the start of the main event,
driven by Sir Stirling Moss and Dr Bez.
Now,
48 years later, the victorious Aston Martin DBR9 will next appear
at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in Britain from June 23-24.
Qualifying
Aston
Martin to start Le Mans from pole
Aston
Martin Racing, 14th June 2007: The
AMR Larbre Competition team will start the 75th Le Mans 24 Hour
race from pole position in the GT1 class, thanks to a time set
yesterday by Le Mans veteran Christophe Bouchut. Bouchut, a
Le Mans winner in 1993, said:
"It’s
been a long time since I won Le Mans, and since then I’ve
driven most types of sports car. The Aston Martin is a very
quick and easy car to drive, which I am sure contributed to
our pole position."
With
heavy rain characterising this evening’s final two qualifying
sessions, held once more from 1900-2100 and 2200-0000, none
of the DBR9 crews were able to improve upon the times they set
yesterday – in conditions which were damp rather than wet.
The
two Aston Martin Racing cars – numbered 007 and 009 – concentrated
on finding a decent wet-weather set-up for what is increasingly
likely to be a race of mixed conditions. The 009 car will line
up fourth on the grid, thanks to a time set by David Brabham
yesterday, while the 007 car is 10th with a time set by Johnny
Herbert.
Brabham
commented: "The conditions were very difficult today
but we expected that, which is why it was so important to
set a good base time yesterday. With the heavy rain today,
there was no point in pushing hard to try and improve. Instead,
we used the time to try to work out a good wet set-up."
Team
Principal George Howard-Chappell said: "Despite these
tricky conditions, we’re confident of having a good race pace.
But Le Mans is an unpredictable event at the best of times,
and on this occasion the weather looks set to add another
element of surprise."
The
teams will now concentrate on preparing the DBR9s for the world-famous
race, which gets underway at 1500 on Saturday. In the meantime,
the drivers will all take part in the famous drivers' parade
in Le Mans town centre tomorrow.
Wednesday
qualifying session
Aston
Martin Racing, 13th June 2007: All
the competing crews at Le Mans faced a tough time during the
first qualifying sessions on Wednesday night, battling with
a greasy track and intermittent rain.
At
the end of it all, the AMR Larbre Competition DBR9 of Le Mans
veteran Christophe Bouchut emerged in a provisional pole position
in GT1, after four hours of running. The
leading Aston Martin Racing DBR9 was David Brabham in a provisional
fourth place in class with car 009, while Tomas Enge qualified
car 007 in a provisional 10th.
All
the drivers agreed that there was still plenty more to come
in the two qualifying sessions that are scheduled on Thursday,
from 1900-2100 and 2200-0000. In theory, the times should get
quicker – but that all depends on the weather. Intermittent
rain during last night’s second session meant that the drivers
were not able to take advantage of a track that should have
been in better condition than it was for the first session.
Johnny
Herbert, part of the 007 crew, explained: "First qualifying
really wasn’t easy. During the first session we expected the
track to be really 'green' and slippery: it always is when
you use it for the first time, simply because there’s no rubber
down there yet. Theoretically, it should have been quicker
for the second session, but the intermittent rain and a few
red flags made life quite difficult and we didn’t get through
the programme we wanted."
The
red flags – a signal to abort the session – came out due to
the number of accidents on the circuit, as people were caught
out by the changing levels of grip.
Darren
Turner, in the 009 car, commented: "At first, it was
even more slippery than I thought it was going to be. The
only thing to do under those circumstances is just to play
it safe and do only what is necessary. It’s a tough one to
call though, because if the second day’s qualifying is a complete
wash-out, you have to try and set a time while you can. So
it’s a compromise."
Few
people were more keenly aware of this than Aston Martin Racing
Team Principal George Howard-Chappell:
"It
was far from an easy evening," he said. "We didn’t
really get a chance to maximise our opportunities, but we
did the best possible job under the circumstances. And of
course, we’re delighted to see a DBR9 on provisional pole
position so far."
As
the team returned to its pit garage today, rain was falling
steadily – and these uncertain conditions look set to remain
for the rest of the day. Unpredictable weather like this has
not been a feature of Le Mans for some years, and it produced
an equally unpredictable qualifying session yesterday.
Test
Aston
Martin completes successful test day
Aston
Martin Racing, 3rd June 2007: All
six Aston Martin DBR9s have completed a successful test day
prior to this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours, which gets underway in
just under a fortnight’s time.
As
well as the Aston Martin Racing and InterContinental Hotels
& Resorts factory cars, numbered 007 and 009, two DBR9s from
the French-based AMR Larbre team and single-car entries from
AMR BMS and Team Modena tested at the La Sarthe circuit.
The
test day, held this year in front of 20,000 spectators, is an
opportunity for teams to re-acquaint themselves with the 14-kilometre
track and evaluate tyres and set-ups that will be used in the
race.
For
some of the drivers – including Johnny Herbert and Rickard Rydell
from the factory squad – this was their first opportunity to
sample the DBR9 at Le Mans. For others, it was a chance to consolidate
their pace and assess some of the development work that has
taken place on the DBR9 since last year.
The
Aston Martin Racing engineers also used the test day to run
though the latest evolution tyres and to test the air conditioning
system that has been fitted to the factory cars for the first
time this year. Conditions were dry and hot throughout the test
day, giving the first indication of the relative pace of all
the cars in normal conditions.
However,
with a variety of set-ups, fuel loads and tyres being assessed,
it is hard to draw any definitive conclusion apart from the
fact that it should be a very closely-fought race.
Quotes:
George
Howard-Chappell – Team Principal, Aston Martin Racing: “The
test day went well for us. We’ve looked at all the tyres we’ll
be using this year and we’re very happy with the car. It seems
to be extremely well balanced, which is of the utmost importance
at Le Mans. We’re running air conditioning for the first time
this year and we’re beginning to understand a bit about how
that works and its effect on the cars. We worked through the
test programme we had planned and we’re confident we’ve got
a good package now. Of course it’s hard to tell what the actual
conditions will be like at race weekend: that’s always one of
the many unknown factors about Le Mans.”
David
Richards – Chairman, Aston Martin: “The test day has been
a good experience for all of us, and I think it’s clear that
we have a three-way fight on our hands. There’s competition
from within our own ranks, and the Saleens seem strong now as
well as the Corvettes. From what I can see, this race has got
all the hallmarks of being a classic Le Mans.”
Johnny Herbert (GB) – Driver, car 007: “It was important
to try out the tyres and know what everything feels like rather
than go all-out for times, but the time that Peter set shows
we’re right up there. From a team point of view, everything’s
really beginning to knit together. The last time I competed
at Le Mans was in 2004, when I finished second for the third
consecutive time. That’s a habit I really want to break this
year…”
Tomas
Enge (CZ) – Driver, car 007: “The car actually feels even
better than it has done in the past, although the evolutions
at this level are always very small. I did about 13 laps and
I got a good idea of the conditions but of course in two weeks
time they might be completely different. Luckily, I’m very familiar
with the DBR9 now so I feel confident with it in all conditions.”
Peter
Kox (NL) – Driver, car 007 “I
was the first driver out on the track in the morning and the
surface was very slippery. It’s hard for me to draw many serious
conclusions but the car feels good and very similar to how it
has been in previous years. I think we’ve got the pace, but
you can never predict too much from the test day.”
David
Brabham (AUS) – Driver, car 009: “We’re certainly in the
ball park in terms of performance, although there’s always more
you can do to improve the car – which is what the test day was
all about. We’ve had a very good tyre evaluation and that’s
given us a clear direction of where we’re going. I’d say we’re
in good shape.”
Darren
Turner (GB) – Driver, car 009:
“I wasn’t able to make the test day because of touring car commitments
in the UK, but I kept track of everything that was happening
and I’m confident we are well-prepared. It’s what happens over
the race weekend that really counts, so I’m just keen to get
started now.”
Announcement
Herbert
joins Aston Martin line up for Le Mans
Autosport,
20 March 2007: Johnny Herbert will return to the Le Mans
24 Hours this season with the factory Aston Martin team. The
former Grand Prix racer - and winner of the 1991 Le Mans - was
announced as part of the Prodrive-run squad's 2007 driver line-up
yesterday.
Herbert joins Aston regulars Darren Turner, Tomas Enge, Peter
Kox and David Brabham, plus Prodrive returnee Rickard Rydell,
who raced for the team's touring car operations and Ferrari
GT project in the early 2000s.
Herbert
switched to sportscars after the end of his Formula One career,
driving for customer Audi teams and the works Maserati squad,
but sat out most of 2005 and 2006 to work with the Midland F1
team.
He
was keen to return to racing after his role as sporting relations
manager ended following the Spyker takeover, and will compete
at Le Mans in addition to a Grand Prix Masters programme and
a possible drive in the new Speedcar Series.
"Although
Johnny is new to our team, he is a Le Mans veteran, no-one
can question his speed, he just needs to adapt to the DBR9,"
said team principal George Howard-Chappell.
Herbert
will partner Enge - who has taken class poles at each of the
past five Le Mans - and Kox.
"This
is a great opportunity for me to drive for Aston Martin, a
manufacturer with such a name and history behind it," said
Herbert. "We want to go to Le Mans to win it; we are not going
there to do anything else. It is really exciting to finally
be part of it, even more so for me, being British.
"We
know that Tomas is dynamite in qualifying at Le Mans, and
I think that with myself and Peter on board with him, we will
give each other the support we all need to get into a position
where we can actually win the 24 hours of Le Mans for Aston
Martin."
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