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American LeMans
ALMS: AMR Gears Up For Sebring P1 Debut
Aston Martin Racing looking to bounce back from Winter Test accident.
John Dagys  |  Posted March 09, 2010   Chicago, IL
Aston Martin Racing's Lola B09/60 Aston Martin. (John Dagys)
One of the most talked about additions to this year’s Twelve Hours of Sebring has been Aston Martin Racing. Three years since its last American Le Mans Series appearance, the British factory squad has returned Stateside for a limited season program with its Aston Martin-powered Lola LMP1 Coupe.
Aston Martin Racing is no stranger to Sebring, having taken GT1 class honors in 2005 in the Aston Martin DBR9's race debut. (John Dagys)

After taking top honors in the European-based Le Mans Series and recording a fourth-place finish in the 24 Hours of Le Mans last year, the Prodrive outfit has shifted its focus to running a selection of international races for 2010, including next weekend’s ALMS season-opener and the Grand Prix of Long Beach in April, prior to a two-car attack at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The move, which marks the North American debut of the Gulf-liveried prototype, came in part to the team’s newest recruit, reigning ALMS LMP2 co-champion Adrian Fernandez, who joins AMR’s stable of factory drivers. The veteran Mexican driver will share the wheel of the No. 009 Lola-Aston Martin with Harold Primat and Chris Buncombe in the 12-Hour classic.

“There are a number of reasons to go to Sebring,” AMR Team Principal George Howard-Chappell explained. “The first one is that it’s one of the big classic races. We haven’t been racing in the States since 2006, so it’s really nice to go back and run over here. Obviously having Adrian on board this year means it’s a nice thing to do and important thing to do for Adrian and for Lowe’s, who is one of our key sponsors this year. So it all fits in a number of ways.”

Fernandez, Primat and lead AMR driving ace Stefan Mucke all gained valuable mileage on the 3.7-mile airfield circuit last month at the Series’ annual Winter Test. Despite racking up more than 900 miles, not everything went according to plan.

On the second a final day of testing, Primat suffered a significant accident at the wheel of the V12-powered machine, losing control of the car over the treacherous Turn 1 bumps. The Swiss driver walked away unscathed, but it brought AMR’s test to an abrupt end.
George Howard-Chappell has been the mastermind behind AMR's efforts and Prodrive's previous Ferrari GTS program. (John Dagys)

“It looks like an unfortunate testing incident, really,” Howard-Chappell said. “We damaged the car, but it’s one of those things that happens. The chassis is okay and the driver is okay, which is the most important thing. The car isn’t completely fixed, but we did take it apart to the level that we needed to and we’ll be putting it back together when we get back out there on Thursday.”

Despite the obvious setback, the car still proved to be the star of the test, both with its impressive pace and gorgeous-sounding V12 tune. Mucke’s best lap time of 1:46.894 was over one second quicker than the closest competition, but its toughest Sebring competitor, Peugeot, did not take part in the test.

For AMR, the focus was getting the Lola-based prototype acclimated to the bumpy Sebring circuit, known to be one of the toughest tracks to master. Howard-Chappell and the engineering team took the lessons learned from its previous trips to Sebring with the GT1-spec Aston Martin DBR9 and used a similar approach in adapting the prototype to the circuit’s unique characteristics.

“To be honest, there was only one or two small things that we managed to find that were better than our ‘base’ soft setup,” he said. “That’s reassuring and shows us that we haven’t been miles out in the past. But it also made it a challenge in trying to improve the car in any significant way in what would normally run at Sebring.”

It’s no wonder why a number of teams, AMR included, use Sebring as preparation for Le Mans. While both circuits don’t share many of the same characteristics, Sebring has traditionally been known to be a car breaker and the ultimate test of durability. If your car can withstand 12 hours of constant pounding at Sebring, it’s likely to hold up just fine for 24 hours at Le Mans.
AMR will contest at least two ALMS races this year, with a possibility of returning Stateside for more after Le Mans. (John Dagys)

“This is basically the best test you can have for a race car,” said Fernandez, class winner at Sebring in 2009. “Sebring is the roughest, toughest track you’ll find. When I went to Le Mans in 2007, I noticed how smooth everything was. It’s not the case here. From here on, things will get better in terms of the feel [of the car]. This is a tough track, but it’s a good test for reliability for the 24 hours. It also gives me time to get used to the car and the guys so that come Le Mans, the big one, we’re more familiar with how things operate.”

Sebring has become such an integral part of many teams’ development programs that they’ll actually test at the circuit but not take part in the race. Audi, which has won nine time in 11 consecutive starts, has forgone its entry for this year’s race and will instead test its revised Audi R15 “Plus” on the days following the event.

However, AMR will face stiff opposition from the two diesel-powered Peugeot 908 HDi-FAPs, and that will likely still be more than enough to gauge its strengths - and weaknesses - for the twice-around-the-clock June classic. While it could be tough to repeat their result from 2009 considering Audi’s beefed up program, AMR won’t likely settle for anything less. Their road to Le Mans begins next weekend.

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