Austin, TX. (September 18, 2014) -TRG-Aston Martin Racing is heading to the Lone Star state to tackle the IMSA TUDOR and Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge competition at the famed Tilke-built Circuit of the Americas. The scenic sweepers and high-speed esses throughout this track will look even more impressive with a trio of Aston Martin racecars all gunning for the win in two of America’s most competitive sportscar racing series during this weekend’s Lone Star Le Mans event.
Season-long IMSA TUDOR GT Daytona class team drivers Al Carter and James Davison will be piloting the No. 007 JetSet Magazine/CarryOn.com/BePositive.org/PassTime USA Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 machine this weekend, aiming to build on two previous consecutive pole positions. In the Continental Tire series, team drivers Max Riddle and Kris Wilson will be riding the No. 07 DriverWebsites.com/Black Rider Racing Group V8 Vantage GT4 steed into battle whilst IMSA veteran Tom Papadopoulos and TRG-AMR team driver Derek DeBoer assume driving duties in the 09 Autosport Designs/DriverWebsites.com/Black Rider Racing Group/Petrol Lounge/B.R.M. Chronographes Aston Martin. All three cars have solid driver pairings, with both the GTD and GS class cars having secured multiple pole positions and fastest laps throughout 2014, with the 07 GS car having also claimed victory twice for the team and marque.
Al Carter, TRG-AMR GTD Team Driver: “It feels great to be getting back into the GT3 at COTA – what a place. This is going to be a fun weekend as I will be driving in both the Conti and TUDOR series and getting a ton of track time around this amazing circuit. Looking forward to the high speed sections of the track to really see what the GT3 is capable of. James and I have shown that the car is more than capable of winning – now we need to get to the top step of the podium!”
Max Riddle, TRG-AMR GS Team Driver: “This has been a great year running with TRG-AMR and the Aston Martin V8 Vantage. We’ve proven that the car is capable and strong with multiple poles and victories this season, and I’m hoping to get back up on the top step of the podium this weekend. Big thanks goes to my team – those guys have put their heart and soul into our car this year, and it’s really shown. I’m looking forward to the fast sweepers at COTA and having a fun race weekend!”
Derek DeBoer, TRG-AMR GS Team Driver: “It’s great to be back running with TRG-Aston Martin Racing in the IMSA Continental Tire series again – the last time was at Laguna Seca with James Davison and we had a good shot at the win. I’ve done some World Challenge and other racing since then, staying sharp, now looking forward to driving at COTA. I’ve never raced at this track before – amazing facility, but it takes on a whole new level when you’re heading uphill into a high-speed and blind turn one! My teammate Tom (Papadopoulos) is running the TUDOR race in
LMPC – that should give him some extra track time and an advantage over most of the other drivers – myself included! A big thanks to my sponsors B.R.M. Chronographes, Pirata Della Strada, as well as Shane Sterling and the Black Rider team that helped bring DriverWebsites.com and Petrol Lounge on board for this weekend. I’m happy to be helping support local Austin-based endeavors like Black Rider Racing Group. I’m going to do my best to get our car up to the front!”
Tom Papadopoulos, TRG-AMR GS Team Driver: “I’m delighted to be back racing again.” said Tom. “The timing is right and it will be good to dust the helmet off and get back out on the track competitively. The COTA circuit is fantastic, a true driver track, so I’m excited to be racing here. I’m also in the TUDOR race running an LMPC car – I’m looking forward to a great weekend running two series with tons of track time. Be sure to tune in when both races air on FOX Sports 1.”
Kevin Buckler, CEO, TRG-AMR North America: “It’s great to have a stable full of three Aston Martins this weekend at COTA. Our season-long contenders Al (Carter) and James (Davison) in GTD, Max (Riddle) and Kris (Wilson) in GS, along with Tom Papadopoulos and Derek DeBoer in the GS class. We’ve got such a talented group of drivers right now, I couldn’t be more optimistic as we head into the second-to-last round of the season. I love coming to Austin -The town is alive and it loves motorsports. Our friend Sonny Morgan from the local Aston Martin dealership always gives us a warm welcome and the people we meet here are fantastic. We’ve got some great sponsors on board with us this weekend, we’ve got some great people in attendance from Aston Martin Austin, Royal Purple, PassTime USA, DriverWebsites.com, Black Rider Racing Group, and a few others that are testing the waters for 2015. We’ve also got a great hospitality setup shared with Aston Martin Racing UK – they’re over here campaigning with their impressive GTE program in WEC. All in all I am looking forward to a great weekend and seeing all three of our cars do really well. Big hats off to the guys as we’ve had an incredibly busy past month with World Challenge at Sonoma, our Aston Martin Motorsports Festival at Laguna Seca, then just this last weekend we had the World Challenge Finale at Miller and our GT4 Challenge race weekend out at Monticello – wow. We have a great team from the office to the track and I am really proud of them. I think we are all really positive and looking for strong results this weekend. I know what I want!“