January 5, 2016 – TRG-Aston Martin Racing is excited to announce the addition of British racing driver, Lars Viljoen, to their stellar 24 Hours at Daytona lineup. Viljoen will race the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 alongside F1 star Sergio Perez’ handpicked group of Mexican drivers for the January 30-31 endurance race.
Since winning both his first ever karting and single-seater Formula Ford races, Viljoen has competed in the Formula BMW UK Championship, Formula 3, and from 2010 has been racing sports prototypes and GT cars in multiple European series. He is an endurance racing specialist and is sponsored by Angela Estate Winery and Gainesway Thoroughbred Stallion Farm.
Viljoen adds a dash of British heritage to the TRG-Aston Martin Racing family, which is running an international effort with three Mexican drivers recently announced. Ricardo Pérez de Lara, Antonio Pérez, and Santiago Creel will be joining the team for Daytona, in partnership with Sahara Force India Formula One driver, Sergio Perez. A truly world-class lineup is attracting sponsors of the same level of interest.
The team will compete in the GT Daytona (GTD) class in a full factory, collaborative program with Aston Martin Racing. More announcements regarding the IMSA WeatherTech season will be announced in due course.
Viljoen will also be joining the team at the new endurance series, the Intercontinental GT Challenge 6 Hours of the Americas. TRG’s entry is part of this first-ever global GT3 series, which in its inaugural season will only appear in Bathurst, Austin, Sepang, and Spa. The race will be held in conjunction with of the Pirelli World Challenge at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, March 3-6.
“It is a pleasure and a dream come true to have the chance to race with Kevin Buckler’s TRG-AMR team and at the biggest sports car event in North America,” said Viljoen. “I have to say a massive thank you to my sponsors Angela Estate and Gainesway for supporting me for the Daytona 24 and for the Intercontinental GT Challenge 6 Hours of the Americas race. With the amazing record TRG-AMR have at Daytona I am confident of a great result and I know I am learning from the best in the business. This is definitely a bucket list tick and I just want to enjoy every minute of this once in a lifetime experience.”
“We are pleased to welcome Lars to our Daytona team,” stated Kevin Buckler, CEO of TRG-AMR. “He brings a long history of top-level professional driving and with an emphasis on endurance racing. Daytona is our Super Bowl and we are specialists at this complex event. I’m looking forward to a terrific partnership with Lars, and delivering both an excellent experience and ROI for his sponsors here at Daytona and beyond. Our team is ready!”
Angela Estate is a small, family-owned craft winery in Oregon with an international pedigree. The owner, Antony Beck is a native South African wine producer who began Angela Estate in 2006 with a passion for family and Pinot Noir. Antony created the winery as a celebration of his wife, Angela and their five children. The couple reside in Lexington, KY on their thoroughbred farm, Gainesway. Antony continues his father’s legacy in South Africa with Graham Beck winery and began a new one in Oregon with his friend, winemaker Ken Wright.
Gainesway is a thoroughbred stallion farm in Lexington, KY. Antony and his father, Graham, bought the property from industry leader John R. Gaines and carried on Gainesway’s reputation as a major force in the international breeding and racing industry. The farm has produced numerous champion horses, including Afleet Alex who narrowly missed becoming the twelfth Triple Crown champion in the history of horse racing.
