Tag Archives: Enge

“LMS Series Winner” – Lola Aston Martin DBR 1-2

With the announcement of the discontinuation of Group C, from 1991 on, at the end of 1989 Aston Martin decided to withdraw it’s AMR1 V8 Prototype from the top line Sports Car series with immediate effect as they had no engine to with which to compete under the proposed new rules mandating 3.5 litre / 213 cui motors.

Lola Aston Martin  DBR 1-2, Goodwood Festival Of Speed

In 2008 the Aston Martin name appeared in the top Le Mans Prototype category with a pair of Lola B08/60’s powered by the 6 litre / 366 cui Aston Martin V12 that had been used in Aston Martin’s class winning DBR9 GT programme. The Lola Aston Martins were run in a collaboration between Prodrive and the Czech Charouz Racing System with Jan Charouz, Tomas Enge and Stefan Mücke sharing the driving of a single entry per race.

Lola Aston Martin  DBR 1-2, Goodwood Festival Of Speed

Charouz and Mücke finished season high 2nd in the Silverstone 1000kms. The following year one car chassis HU01 was sold to Speedy Racing who continue to race the car now under the Rebellion banner having used a motors from Aston Martin, Rebelion V10 and most recently Toyota.

Lola Aston Martin  DBR 1-2, Goodwood Festival Of Speed

For 2009 Aston Martin increased their involvement in the Le Mans Prototype (LMP) class using Lola chassis again both the second Charouz Racing B08/60 HU02 and newer B09/60 types all fitted with updated body work. Gulf Oil sponsored, two cars entered by Aston Martin Racing, and an occasional single AMR Eastern Europe entry. All three cars are known as Lola Aston Martin DBR1-2’s and are again powered by DBR9 V12 variants producing around 650hp.

Lola Aston Martin DBR 1-2, Goodwood Festival Of Speed

Jan Charouz, Tomáš Enge and Stefan Mücke driving the #007 got the 2009 Le Mans Series off to a fine start with a win in the Catalunya 1000 kms, though the #009 of Harold Primat, Miguel Ramos and Darren Turner retired. At Spa the team finished 3rd and 5th in numerical order, while at Le Mans the team were out classed by the works diesel powered Peugeots and Audi’s, which did not take part in the rest of the Le Mans series races.

Lola Aston Martin  DBR 1-2, Silverstone 1000kms

The #007 salvaged a 4th place while the #008 driven by Turner, Anthony Davidson and Jos Verstappen finished 13th and the #009 driven by Primat, Stuart Hall and Peter Kox crashed out while lying 3rd. For some reason the Le Mans 24 Hours was not however part of the Series to which it lent it’s name.

Lola Aston Martin DBR 1-2, Goodwood Festival Of Speed

#007 and #009 next competed at Algarve where the original driver line ups finished 3rd and 5th in numerical order, at the Nurburgring #007 won a 1-2-3 finish followed by the #009 and #008 driven by Stuart Hall, Chris Buncombe and Miguel Ramos the latter had been scheduled to drive the #009.

Lola Aston Martin  DBR 1-2, Silverstone 1000kms

Three cars were again entered at Silverstone, where today’s on track photo’s were taken, and third place for the #007 was enough to clinch the LMS drivers championship for Jan Charouz, Tomáš Enge and Stefan Mücke, the #009 in 4th helped seal the Teams championship for Aston Martin Racing and the Manufacturers Championship for Aston Martin.

Lola Aston Martin  DBR 1-2, Goodwood Festival Of Speed

Over the following two years Aston Martin Racing sent cars to events on an apparently as hoc basis to events in Asia and Europe often joined by a chassis that had been acquired by Signature Racing. No more wins were recorded in 2010, but in 2011 the Aston Martin Racing team now sponsored by Muscle Milk driven by Klaus Graf and Lucas Luhr won at Mosport while a Gulf sponsored AMR 1-2 won at Laguna Seca driven by Harold Primat, Stefan Mücke and Adrian Fernandez.

Lola Aston Martin DBR 1-2, Silverstone 1000kms

At the end of the 2011 seasons the DBR 1-2’s were retired and scheduled to be replaced by the ill feted AMR-One.

Thanks for joining me on the “LMS winner” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Ferrari by David Bailey – Ferrari 550 Maranello GTS

Some of you who read my Rowdy blogs may remember a blog about the 2002 celebrity Prodrive Ferrari 550 Marranello GTS (03).

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That chassis took part in at least 42 Races in the GT/GTS class for at least four different teams from 2002 to 2006 and had a host of celebrity drivers including,

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Colin McRae World Rally Champion, British Touring Car Champions Rickard Rydell & Alain Menu, British, Luc Alphand former World Cup Skiing Champion and Dakar winner, David Brabham Japanese GT Champion and Le Mans winner 2009, Jan Magnussen Danish Touring Car Champion, Danica Patrick queen of IRL, Darren Manning IRL driver, Christophe Bouchut 1993 Le Mans Winner, and one of my former racing instructors Tim Sugden former British and Asia Pacific GT Champion.

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Prodrive prepared a batch of 20 550 Maranello GTS’s for racing in Europe and the States where they were regular winners in the GT/GTS class in 2001.

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In 2003 today’s #88 550 Maranello GTS Chassis ZFFZR49B000108462, the 6th of the 20 Prodrive built, was driven by Thomas Enge, Jamie Davies and Peter Kox,

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with around 750hp coming from it’s V12 engine,

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beat the Corvettes by 10 laps at the Le Mans 24 hour race winning the GTS class coming home 10th overall.

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This vehicle entered exclusively by the Prodrive team is known to have run in at least 9 races in 2003 in all bar one carrying the #88, this chassis carried the #08 in it’s last known final at Petite Le Mans.

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When the effervescent Jackie Irwin, who has petrol running through her veins, told us on my recent visit to the Prodrive factory we were allowed to sit in some of the vehicles parked in the display area like a 12 year old I headed straight for the 550 Maranello,

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the experience of sitting in this fabulous car was an odd mixture of agony and ecstasy, the seat was made for someone with hips the size of a 12 year old, yet at the same time the purposefulness of every last detail inside the vehicle sent my mind straight to Le Mans, by some strange fate I also found my self posing for this photograph taken by David Bailey , I am sure Twiggy would have felt far more comfortable in the seat, but then I doubt she would ever find herself posing for David Bailey of the Bristol Pegasus Motor Club.

My thanks to David Bailey, everyone at the Bristol Pegasus MC and Prodrive who made my visit such an interesting day out.

Hope you have enjoyed today’s David Bailey edition of ‘Gettin’ a lil’ psycho on tyres’ and that you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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