Aston Martin Vantage GT3 stars on Nurburgring debut

The new car ran faultlessly in the hands of three-times Le Mans winner Darren Turner and 2016 Spa-Francorchamps 24-Hours winner Maxime Martin throughout the four-hour event. Running in full GT3-specification, against like-for-like opposition for the first time, the Vantage GT3 also clinched victory in the SPX class, which caters for unhomologated vehicles.

According to VLN regulations, SPX cars have to start at the back of the Group 1 grid and add 20 seconds to each pitstop. Despite these regulated performance penalties, Turner brought the car home just over minute behind his third-placed rival in a late chase, after Martin had charged through the pack in the early stages.

Fellow Aston Martin Racing works driver Ross Gunn, teamed with Aston Martin Lagonda high-performance test driver Chris Goodwin in an AMR Performance Centre prepared V8 Vantage, completed his maiden race on the Nordschleife. Finishing fourth in the SP8 class, they earned vital points in their quest to earn a VLN license to compete in future Nurburgring 24 Hours races.