Six Aston Martins to tackle Nurburgring 24-hour race

Aston Martin will return to the starting grid of Germany’s Nordschleife for its fourth consecutive year of the Nurburgring 24-hour endurance challenge, which kicks off on May 23rd. The carmaker will be using its latest super-sports car, the all-new V12 Vantage coupe, which will be kept in near-standard specification for the event.

Behind the wheel will once again be Aston Martin CEO Dr. Ulrich Bez and representatives from the carmaker’s engineering team. Bez, who will be driving in his fourth consecutive 24-hour race, said: “This is the final engineering durability test for the V12 Vantage program. We will be subjecting the car to the toughest assessment yet under public scrutiny as we successfully did with the Vantage N24 program.

Unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show last month, the V12 Vantage runs Aston Martin’s familiar 6.0L V12 engine producing 510hp (380kW) and 420lb-ft (570Nm) of torque. The only differences between the production model and the new race car are essential safety modifications, reduced weight and re-tuned suspension with no additional aerodynamic enhancements. The race car has also been fitted with Pirelli P Zero Circuit Racing slick tires to enhance performance.

Alongside the V12 Vantage will be the original yellow V8 Vantage that ran in 2006 and inspired the design direction for the Vantage N24 model and GT4 race car. This particular car has clocked up four 24-hour race finishes and more than 20,000 endurance miles.

Furthermore, four other Vantage N24 race cars will be competing with one of them piloted by the company’s Austrian dealer Richard Karner.