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Le Mans / ALMS
LE MANS: TRG Set For LM24 Return
Kevin Buckler-led squad lays out plans to field GTE-Am class Aston Martin Vantage in French endurance classic...
TRG is set to return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans with a GTE-Am class Aston Martin Vantage V8. (Photo: John Dagys)
With plans already to field Aston Martins in the American Le Mans Series and GRAND-AM, TRG is also set to take its newly formed partnership with the British manufacturer to the world’s stage in 2013.
TRG-Aston Martin Racing North America CEO Kevin Buckler confirmed to SPEED.com he plans to mount a return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans this year, utilizing an Aston Martin Vantage V8 for the GTE-Am category.
"We're talking to several people right now and are planning to go to Le Mans,” Buckler said. "We [were] looking at a WEC program as well. We've got to have the right partner but it's a really neat format. I have some friends that are interested in potentially doing a program over there, so again, all in talks right now.”
The California-based team are no strangers to Le Mans, having taken the GT2 class victory in 2002, with Buckler sharing driving duties with then-Porsche factory driver Lucas Luhr and Timo Bernhard.
While TRG’s last at Le Mans came in 2004, Buckler returned to Circuit de la Sarthe in 2012, driving a Vantage GT4 in the Aston Martin Le Mans Festival with friend and fellow wine connoisseur, Fred Schrader. It ultimately led to him inking a deal with Aston Martin to become the North American distributor and factory backed team for its line of GT cars.
Buckler says a program in the full eight-round WEC is unlikely at this stage. But if a last-minute deal is struck, it would presumably be under the existing Aston Martin Racing umbrella. AMR Team Principal John Gaw has expressed interest in fielding as many as four Vantage V8s next year, with up to two GTE-Am entries in conjunction with Aston Martin customer teams.
"I might do something in combination with Aston Martin Racing, since they're already there,” Buckler said. “It would be much easier for us to an association with them and let them run it, rather than try and put people on the ground for all those races when we're busy running our [North American] program.
"Whatever we do, we want to do a good job, so I don't want to get too spread out. We'll know in two weeks, or a little less than that."
The entry deadline for full-season WEC entries, as well as requests to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, is Jan. 16.
John Dagys is SPEED.com’s Sportscar Racing Reporter, focusing on all major domestic and international championships. You can follow him on Twitter @johndagys or email him at
TRG-Aston Martin Racing North America CEO Kevin Buckler confirmed to SPEED.com he plans to mount a return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans this year, utilizing an Aston Martin Vantage V8 for the GTE-Am category.
"We're talking to several people right now and are planning to go to Le Mans,” Buckler said. "We [were] looking at a WEC program as well. We've got to have the right partner but it's a really neat format. I have some friends that are interested in potentially doing a program over there, so again, all in talks right now.”
The California-based team are no strangers to Le Mans, having taken the GT2 class victory in 2002, with Buckler sharing driving duties with then-Porsche factory driver Lucas Luhr and Timo Bernhard.
While TRG’s last at Le Mans came in 2004, Buckler returned to Circuit de la Sarthe in 2012, driving a Vantage GT4 in the Aston Martin Le Mans Festival with friend and fellow wine connoisseur, Fred Schrader. It ultimately led to him inking a deal with Aston Martin to become the North American distributor and factory backed team for its line of GT cars.
Buckler says a program in the full eight-round WEC is unlikely at this stage. But if a last-minute deal is struck, it would presumably be under the existing Aston Martin Racing umbrella. AMR Team Principal John Gaw has expressed interest in fielding as many as four Vantage V8s next year, with up to two GTE-Am entries in conjunction with Aston Martin customer teams.
"I might do something in combination with Aston Martin Racing, since they're already there,” Buckler said. “It would be much easier for us to an association with them and let them run it, rather than try and put people on the ground for all those races when we're busy running our [North American] program.
"Whatever we do, we want to do a good job, so I don't want to get too spread out. We'll know in two weeks, or a little less than that."
The entry deadline for full-season WEC entries, as well as requests to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, is Jan. 16.
John Dagys is SPEED.com’s Sportscar Racing Reporter, focusing on all major domestic and international championships. You can follow him on Twitter @johndagys or email him at
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