As TRG-AMR North America prepares for its debut season in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship inaugural year, another important piece has been finalized. The team has announced it’s final driver lineup for its GTD class entries, the 007 and 009 Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3s. The 007 TRG-AMR vehicle will feature David Block, Al Carter, James Davison, and Brandon Davis. Max Riddle, Rob Nimkoff, Calum Lockie, Pete McIntosh II, and AMR Factory driver Jonny Adam will pilot the 009 GTD class vehicle in the 2014 twice-round-the-clock race.
Midwest native David Block is now less than one week from his Rolex 24 debut. Block raced as a teenager before turning his attention to business opportunities. He was able to return to motorsports over the past three years. Block has been driving in a variety of sports cars with the goal to compete in the major endurance races. He spent time evaluating the options before he found a partner in TRG-AMR to compete in 2014. Block has been a part of the TRG-AMR line-up since late in 2013 and has attended and tested with the team extensively. He looks forward to the first of his four Tequila Patron North America Endurance Cup races in 2014. The Rolex 24 holds a special place for Block, and he knows that he will be driving for a team in TRG-AMR that has an impressive record at this event.
Al Carter is a native of Delaware who currently resides in Greenville, DE. Carter has been racing in North America for the past five years in a number of sports car series. He has been building his racing toward a full time opportunity in a GT program. After driving for TRG and others last year with success, he looks forward to driving the 007 all season with TRG-AMR. Like Block, Carter has been a test driver at all of the off-season tests for the TRG-AMR organization. Carter has raced at Daytona in the Rolex 24 before and is focused on ensuring that the 007 is in a position to race for victory.
Australian James Davison moved to the United States to develop his skills in open wheel racing. After a number of wins in the open wheel latter system in North America, Davison drove in two races in IndyCar in 2013. His top ten pace in those events showed his outright pace and race craftsmanship. When the opportunity to drive with TRG-AMR in 2013, both team and driver found a great fit. For 2014 he has made the move to TRG-AMR North America in the 007. Davison has recently relocated to Petaluma and has been an important piece in the off-season testing for the GTD class V12 Vantage GT3. He has worked closely with Buckler and the team to maximize this initial opportunity.
The final driver for the 007 V12 Vantage GT3 is California-native, professional driver, Brandon Davis. This is Davis’ second year with TRG-AMR, having scored TRG-AMR’s inaugural victory for the team driving a Vantage GT4 in the Pirelli World Challenge race at Sonoma in 2013 and has been a front-runner in the series for years. Davis also drove for TRG-AMR at the Grand-Am event at Laguna Seca in both the GT and GS classes. He scored a pole in the Continental Tire GS class with the Vantage GT4 and drove the V12 Vantage GT3 to a top ten finish in the Grand-Am Rolex GT class. Like the rest of the 007 driver line-up, Davis has been a part of the entire off-season testing program for the V12 Vantage GT3. His experience with the the team and the Aston Martin program makes him a big asset to the 007 line up.
Vancouver, CA based Max Riddle came into the season with plans to contest the 2014 Continental Tire series with TRG-AMR North America in a Vantage GT4. Those plans continue; however, as a part of the “Roar Before the 24”, Riddle also tested with TRG-AMR in the V12 Vantage GT3. He was comfortable and quick to get up to speed in a class of race car he had never driven, a tribute to his extensive off-road rallying experience. CEO Kevin Buckler decided that Riddle’s pace in the car and maturity as a driver was enough to add him for the 009 lineup. Riddle is a burgeoning talent for the team in what will be a super competitive GTD class. The experience will undoubtedly benefit him in his quest in the GS class 07 Vantage GT4 at Daytona and beyond.
Rob Nimkoff from is a rookie to the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona. However, he is not a newcomer to Aston Martin racing cars, endurance racing and winning. Nimkoff has competed with Aston Martin in a number of events around the world. He was a competitor in the 2012 Le Mans Festival race in a Vantage GT4 and finished an admirable second place. He has also competed with Aston Martin in the 2013 Dubai 24H in the Vantage GT4. Domestically, Nimkoff is a frequent SCCA competitor with his own pair of Aston Martin Vantage GT4s and recently took victory in the grueling VIR 13 hour endurance race. As a part of both the TRG-AMR North America team and as an Aston Martin car owner, the chance to be a part of this historic event was more than alluring. He and Buckler waited patiently until the car had been developed properly and all other drivers announced before revealing Nimkoff’s place in the 009.
U.K. native Calum Lockie arrives in Daytona as a very experienced sports car professional in some of the biggest races in international sports car competition. In addition, Lockie has spent time recently competing with Aston Martin in the GT4 Challenge Series in the U.K. The British based driver worked with his associate David Mason and the MacConnal-Mason Gallery to put together a program to compete in this historic Rolex 24 with the V12 Vantage GT3. Lockie’s driving talent and experience in prior Rolex 24, Le Mans 24 and in the 24 Hours of Nurburgring will be a great benefit for the 009 driver line up.
Pete McIntosh II is a New Jersey born driver who will be another TRG-AMR driver making his Rolex 24 debut. He has extensive domestic sports car racing experience and is one of the hard chargers on the competitive GT scene. He drove in the Grand-Am Continental Tire series in 2013 with two top 10 finishes. McIntosh II also drove in the Pirelli World Challenge series with the three top ten finishes in three starts. Prior to that, McIntosh II also drove in NASA and NARRA with wins and championships throughout his time in those two series. Like the other drivers in the TRG-AMR Rolex 24 lineup, this unique opportunity to be a part of history with IMSA and Aston Martin was too much to pass up.
Aston Martin Racing Driver Jonny Adam will fill out the 009 V12 Vantage GT3 roster. Another U.K. native, Adam has been a key figure in the development of the GT3 program. He, like many pro drivers began in karts as a multi-time Scottish champion before moving to open wheel in his youth. He made the switch to sports cars and has been a very fast driver in everything he has driven. He has been a race winner in a variety of sports cars and touring cars. Recently Adam has been dedicated to the Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT3 and GTE race cars. He was a member of the 2013 championship winning British GT line up in the V12 Vantage GT3. Adam also competed in the WEC in 2013 and made the podium twice with Aston Martin Racing. He has also been another member of the TRG-AMR development driver team in this off-season. Adam’s addition in the 009 at Daytona for the Rolex 24 will be a great asset for the team.
With the announcement on the 007 and 009 driver line ups complete, the team now prepares to arrive in Daytona with its focus set on this historic inaugural event for the team and the series. TRG-AMR North America is diligently preparing for its next chapter in sports car racing’s history book.
TRG-AMR North America CEO Kevin Buckler:
“ We are headed to Daytona with a strong team, a competitive platform and a terrific group of drivers. Our entire organization from top to bottom have been working incredibly hard at the race shop for the last week and I have to say this is probably one of the best groups of people we have ever headed to Daytona with. Chemistry and confidence is so important at this race and will be competing here for our 19th year and hope to add some additional hardware to our very strong record at this most amazing race. Kudu’s to the Series for getting all of this put together with so many moving parts and now it is time for us to do our job. Once again… We will be relentless.”