PETALUMA, Calif. (May 14, 2014)…The inaugural Aston Martin GT4 Challenge of North America series will take place at Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen, N.Y. this week, May 16-18 for Round One of seven, currently slated for 2014.Aston Martin GT4 Challenge Entry List Announced
The debut of North America’s newest single manufacturer race series kicks off this weekend with a slate of 11 drivers on the 3.4-mile legendary road course:
Car #02, Kenneth Greenberg, Hollywood, Fla.
Car #07, Eliseo Salazar, Santiago, Chile
Car #09, David Block, Cleveland, Ohio/Derek DeBoer, Central Point, Ore.
Car #7, Max Riddle, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Car #13, Joel Segal, Montreal, QB, Canada
Car #15, Robert Nimkoff, Danbury, Conn.
Car # 42, Simon Arscott, Plymouth, England/Bradley Ellis, London, England
Car #77, Dan Aweida, Boulder, Colo.
Car #88, Greg Milzcik, Littleton, Colo.
One Vantage GT4 still remains for the inaugural event. Anyone seeking the need for speed along with the thrill and excitement of Watkins Glen should contact Director of Business Development, Jason Myers at jason@trg-amr.com, 760-405-7293 or 707-935-3999. Cars are also available for the remainder of the season on a race-by-race or season basis.
“This is fantastic,” said TRG-AMR CEO Kevin Buckler. “Having a solid field of drivers from across North America for our inaugural race is exactly what we hoped for. We have had more and more inquiries over the last few weeks and will be continuing to add cars throughout the season. This first event is going to be tremendous and we are all very excited.”
Pirelli, Royal Purple Lead Partner Support for GT4 Challenge Series
Pirelli, the official tire partner of the Aston Martin GT4 Challenge of North America series, and Royal Purple, the official lubricant of TRG-AMR, including the GT4 series, headline corporate support for the launch of the series this weekend at Watkins Glen. The new Aston Martin series debuts at the legendary race track May 16-18 with a 11-driver field and several luxury lifestyle events. Both companies are premier brands, seeking a premier series with which to align and found it with the Aston Martin GT4 Challenge of North America series.
Pirelli produces high performance racing tires for both racing cars and motorcycles. Moreover, the company provides track tires for the World Challenge Championships and for the Motocross World Championship. The incredible grip offered by the Pirelli tires, which are developed specifically for racing, allows cars and motorcycles to maximize performance and acceleration. In addition, Pirelli tires are not only associated with performance, but also related to the values of sustainability and security. The GT4 Challenge Drivers will race on the Pirelli P-Zero Racing Slick tire.
Rafael Navarro, Vice President of Media Relations, Events, Sponsorships and Motorsports,
Pirelli North America
Founded in 1872, Pirelli is among the main tire makers globally. Present in over 160 countries, Pirelli has 22 manufacturing sites and employs approximately 38,000 people around the world. Pirelli is a leading producer of premium tires with a strong commitment to R&D. Successfully competing in motorsport since 1907; Pirelli is currently the exclusive tire supplier for the 2014-2016 Formula One championship seasons and the World Superbike Championship.
Pirelli Tire North America (PTNA) services NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) member countries through its Modular Integrated Robotized System (MIRS) facility and research and development center at its Rome, Georgia headquarters, its state-of-the-art manufacturing plant in Silao, Mexico and its New York City, Montreal and Mexico City sales and marketing offices. The company manufactures, distributes and markets original equipment and replacement tires for export and domestic car/motorcycle applications (US, CA, MX) and Agro/Heavy Truck platforms (MX).
“We are proud to be the official tire supplier of the new Aston Martin GT4 Challenge and to partner with TRG-AMR North America,” said Rafael Navarro, Vice President of Media Relations, Events, Sponsorships and Motorsports, Pirelli North America. “We have a great track record working with TRG-AMR and I look forward to the same success with this partnership.”
Purple Royal is TRG-AMR’s exclusive lubricants provider and team sponsor and used in all TRG-AMR V12 Vantage GT3’s and Vantage GT4’s competing in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, Pirelli World Challenge, Continental Tire Championship and Aston Martin GT4 Challenge of North America race series.
Royal Purple first partnered with TRG-AMR at the 52nd annual Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona, in Daytona Beach, Fla., January 25-26, 2014, with the No. 007 and No. 009 cars competing in the TUDOR USCC GTD class, and cars No. 07 and No. 09 in the GS class of the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge.
Today, Royal Purple is widely recognized as both a super-premium line of consumer automotive products and as a leading primary lubricants supplier to industrial end markets competing head-to-head with the largest oil companies. Industrial customers and retail consumers alike are extremely loyal because Royal Purple products outperform ordinary synthetic lubricants to make equipment last longer and less expensive to operate.
(L to R) TRG-AMR CEO Kevin Buckler and Randy Fisher, Director of Marketing,
Royal Purple at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
Royal Purple located in Porter, Texas, produces a wide range of HIGH PERFORMANCE LUBRICANTS for nearly every consumer and industrial application. Royal Purple’s founder John Williams was a pioneer in the development of high performance synthetic lubricants and collectively, Royal Purple’s formulators have more than 200 years of expertise in developing high performance lubricants. ROYAL PURPLE focuses exclusively on developing state-of-the-art lubricants. Unlike companies that primarily focus on fuel and other petroleum byproducts, Royal Purple’s sole mission is to develop products that significantly outperform other synthetic and mineral based oils.
Royal Purple is distributed in countries around the world including the United States, Canada, Mexico, Japan, China, United Kingdom, Australia and Italy.
“Royal Purple is extremely pleased to be involved with Aston Martin’s GT4 Challenge series,” said Randy Fisher, Director of Marketing, Royal Purple. “These are some of the highest-performing race cars around.”
In Association with NARRA Sports Car Series
Not only is the Aston Martin GT4 Challenge a unique experience within itself, it is also part of a bigger race weekend headlined by the North American Road Racing Association (NARRA). The GT4 Challenge debuts at Round Four of NARRA’s 12-race season. The Aston Martin GT4 Challenge Series season schedule runs in conjunction with three other NARRA events: VIR (June 6-8), Monticello (Sept. 19-20). Both series finales take place at Sebring International Raceway (Nov. 21 – 23).
The Aston Martin GT4 Challenge of North America series schedule at the 11-turn, 3.4-mile Watkins Glen International circuit on May 16-18 will include more than four hours of track time with two qualifying sessions and two 35-minute races.
The Creation of the Aston Martin GT4 Challenge of North America Trophy
The gorgeous first place trophy for the Aston Martin GT4 Challenge of North America is a 16 inch custom glass cutout in the shape of the series’ logo. The second place trophy is 14 inches tall and the third place trophy is 12 inches tall.
Additional trophies and awards to be presented throughout the season for numerous categories of competition.