James Davison and Al Carter have been named as the full time driver combination for the first of TRG–AMR’s Aston Martin Vantage GT3 entries in the GTD class of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship.
Kevin Buckler’s team had previously confirmed two cars in the class of the new championship.
“I could not be more excited about our announcement today,” said Buckler. “It was nearly one year ago when we started this program and so much has happened. We are now ready to step into the big ring in the TUDOR Championship and we have assembled a winning team. The Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 will be a formidable competitor in this year’s championship and should be a fan and media darling alike.”
For Australian Davison – cousin of V8 Supercars driver Will and Alex Davison – joining the team marks a departure from an early career concentrating on single seater series, moving to the US to work his way towards the Indycar Series, racing in the Star Mazda Championship and Indy Lights Championship, He made two race starts for Dale Coyne Racing in the 2013 Indycar Series. Davison has previously raced in the Rolex Series, driving a Daytona Prototype for both Michael Shank Racing and Starworks Motorsport. He made his debut for TRG-AMR in a GT4 Vantage at Lime Rock Park after which he tested in both the GT4 and GT3 cars before joining the team for the 2014 campaign.
“We have worked very hard on deciding who to bring in as our new ‘house pro’,” explained Buckler. “And after months of considerations, dialogue and extensive testing, we are pleased to announce that we have signed open wheel stand-out, James Davison to our squad. James hails from Australia and has made one heck of an impression on all of us. He has been fast and clean and is a thinking driver and has carried that forward in all of his drives to date. We are happy to bring some new outside talent to our paddock; and this might surprise a few people, but everyone knows how well we know these programs and what the requirements are for these drivers at this level. James is a perfect fit for our team and will soon be a household name in the GT ranks.”
Carter had been a full season competitor in the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge series with Fall-Line Motorsports for several seasons. He has also made a handful of starts in the American Le Mans Series in TRG run Porsches winning the GTC class with the team at the 2012 race in Baltimore.
Joining Davison and Carter in the car for the four North American Endurance Championship (NEAC) events in the TUDOR Championship will be David Block
Midwest native Block will be making his GT class racing debut with the team when he starts the season at the Rolex 24 at Daytona in January. In selected races in various series in recent seasons he has concentrated on endurance events and having tested the Vantage GT3.
“As we near the beginning of an exciting new chapter of road racing in America, I feel like I could not be with a better team than with TRG,” he said. “Their long winning history in a variety of cars, coupled with Aston Martin’s amazing V12 Vantage, and our driver combination with professional drivers James and Al, will all go towards our effort to win the first USCS Championship, starting with Daytona. This is a life long dream and goal being realized, after a lot of hard work, diligent preparation and training, which could not have come together without the continuous efforts of Kevin.”
All three will begin the TUDOR Championship with the Roar Before the 24 test at Daytona International Speedway early in the new year.
