Running in partnership with Aston Martin Racing TRG will field factory supported Aston Martin car in a number of American sportscar racing series in 2013 under the TRG–AMR North America banner.
“This program is massive and far-reaching,” said TRG owner Kevin Buckler, who will act as CEO for the new entity. “What we have crafted with Aston Martin Racing is the ability for TRG-AMR North America to compete in all the major race series with multiple teams, and to manage and support all customer programs, marketing, merchandising, transport, maintenance, a new Aston Martin GT4 race series, and even an Aston Martin-specific “Arrive and Drive” program for corporate clients and customers. I am honoured to have my Aston Martin friends and co-drivers Kenneth Greenberg and Robert Nimkoff as partners with us on this new endeavour, and we are all excited to get the programs rolling immediately.”
The team will bring GTE spec Aston Martins back to the American Le Mans Series (ALMS), the team’s new Vantage expected to be unveiled at the series’ official winter test in February in preparation for a race debut the 12 Hours of Sebring the following month.
The new partnership will also be represented in the Grand-Am series, a GT3 Vantage (currently in the final stages of homologation for the 2013 campaign) will join other recent debutants from Ferrari and Audi in the expanding GT class of the Rolex Series while a new GT4 variant will race in the Continental Tire Series, TRG-AMR also supporting the Multimatic squad who already run Aston Martin machinery in the championship.
Predictably organisers of the various champions are positive about the move, and the arrival of Aston Martin Racing as a major team in US racing.
“We enthusiastically welcome the return of Aston Martin and the expansion of effort by TRG-AMR North America,” said ALMS CEO Scott Atherton. “Over many seasons, TRG has been a benchmark competitor in both ALMS and Grand-Am, scoring many victories and championships. Today, we’re marking a point in North American motorsport that speaks to the confidence of the world’s premier automotive brands in our unified vision.”
IN recent years TRG has run an impressive fleet of Porsches in both the ALMS and Rolex Series. Though confined to a single car in the GTC class for much of the year in the ALMS the team started the season running a total of five Porsche in the Rolex Series’ GT ranks at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the best of the brood pushing for victory until the end, finishing second in class. They have won their class at the Rolex 24 a total of four times, including taking the overall win in the 2003 event.
“We are delighted to form this innovative new partnership with TRG which presents great potential across a variety of racing competitions,” said John Gaw, MD of Aston Martin Racing. “In TRG we have a proven race partner who clearly knows how to be competitive and win races, helping us achieve new levels of success in North American motorsport for Aston Martin.”
With the capacity of Buckler’s current operation apparent the remit new TRG-AMR runs far beyond simply racing the cars.
“We will be responsible for race car sales,” Buckler lists, “race parts, at-track engineering and technical support, rebuilds and repairs and will be there with the full support and backing of TRG-Aston Martin Racing North America for any of our customer teams,” he said. “We want to welcome and assist these teams at the highest level of support and professionalism in any of the sports car series in North America.”
