Intense Street Racing Complimented by Private Dalí Museum VIP Hospitality and Exclusive Events
Petaluma, CA (April 3rd, 2015) … TRG-Aston Martin Racing North America has again demonstrated what strong potential the team possesses in all arenas, not only on the track, but also through its engagement of B2B and relationship marketing, VIP and corporate guest hospitality, and special dealership events. On the track, it was a weekend of ups and downs, lessons learned, and many forward strides. The team is already loaded up and heading toward the upcoming rounds of Pirelli World Challenge competition at Long Beach (GTA) and Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama (GTA, GTS) in the coming weeks.
Away from the track, TRG-AMR was running at full-throttle throughout the entire week, starting at the Dimmitt Automotive Group Aston Martin of St. Petersburg dealership. That event featured fantastic food and Adobe Road wines and displayed Carlos Yepes’ beautiful V8 Vantage GT4, fresh off the track from a team testing event at Sebring only the day before. The St. Petersburg Yacht Club and 75 of its members played Thursday night host to Kevin Buckler and business partner Kenneth Greenberg at a private wine tasting.
The weekend events kicked into high gear with a Friday night cocktail party hosted at the beautiful penthouse of Yepes and his wife Beverly. The Yepes’ are close friends with the team and local philanthropists in the St. Pete area. The event location was stunning with a 360° view of the beautiful city and the racetrack below. Saturday brought about the private use of the Dalí Museum, along with an exclusive viewing grandstand, top-notch hospitality, concluding with a fabulous Adobe Road Winery dinner inside the museum.
Racing through the scenic coastal city’s manicured landscaping and colorful facades provides one of the most vibrant backdrops of any stop on the 11-event Pirelli World Challenge calendar. These city streets saw Christina Nielsen and her No. 7 Royal Purple/Orion Energy Systems/LaSalle Solutions/PassTime USA Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 earn a strong result in a rainy qualifying session, get caught up in an unfortunate Race 1 standing start/multi-car wreck, and finally bringing it home in P8 during the yellow flag-marred second GTA race of the weekend. TRG-AMR team drivers Derek DeBoer and Kris Wilson ran strong GTS races in their Aston Martin V8 Vantage GT4s, with Kris winning the Optima Battery Standing Start Award, passing seven cars on the start alone, ultimately ending up P5 after fighting his way through the entire field.
Christina Nielsen, Team Driver, TRG-AMR North America:
“I can’t say that I am incredibly happy with the results of the weekend, but I’m not disappointed, either. We had a great weekend in terms of learning and driving on a very tight street course – preparation for Long Beach in a few weeks time. We also had some great experience setting the car up for wet qualifying – that kind of data is priceless! The crew were great, and we made some fun appearances at the team events throughout the weekend, really helping and learning the marketing side of things. I am looking forward to Long Beach as another opportunity to show what myself, the V12 Vantage GT3, and the team are capable of!”
Derek DeBoer, Team Driver, TRG-AMR North America:
“This was my first street race, and I have to say that it really lived up to the reputation of thoroughly testing your patience and skills! There is zero room for error here! I had no idea what to expect, but I’m a fan. St Pete is a wonderful town and the events, both on and off the track were amazing. The entire TRG team delivered a wonderful car for the weekend and after I learned the track and the different surfaces, I was able to do well for myself and run in the top-half of the field all weekend. We ran fast but didn’t walk away with the results we were after. We learned a lot and will be applying this data and taking the fight to Barber in a few weeks time! We’ll be showing up hungry!”
Kris Wilson, Team Driver, TRG-AMR North America:
“What an incredible start we had in Race 1 – I can’t believe I was able to launch off the line like I did – I knew I had passed a number of cars, but had no idea it was seven! The car experience a little mechanical hiccup prior to qualifying, but the crew stepped in and got the V8 Vantage back into fighting form, as they always do. It’s obvious that whatever they did worked! I was really happy to be representing the team, the brand, and driving for my friend and teammate Max while he recovers. We’re looking forward to seeing everyone at Barber!”
Carlos Yepes, CEO, BelleAir Development Group:
“What a great weekend to live in St. Petersburg! Every day is great in this city, but this past week was something else – from meeting at the dealership, to the yacht club, to the Owner’s Suite at the circuit, and then the private Dalí all to ourselves – it was fantastic! I really think that Kevin and the team have it all really figured out and dialed in. They think of everything and have an incredible team – both on the racing and the business side of things. I am very impressed by the number of quality people I have met and created a business relationship with through Kevin and TRG-AMR. I promised I wouldn’t buy a GT4 unless this deal was really work and making my business surge – which it has! Thanks to everyone on the team and all of our amazing guests for making this weekend so memorable!”
Kevin Buckler, CEO, TRG-AMR North America:
“What an incredible weekend for all. Even with the ups and downs of the on track escapades, we always learn something. We take these lessons and apply them to every level of the team as quickly as possible. This weekend we learned a number of things – our crew is the best around, and our drivers can survive a close quarters battle like St. Pete with smart and careful driving, and our Aston Martin racecars are formidable. We also played host to a number of terrific partners, clients and friends, and other VIP guests of the team with our multiple events throughout the week ending with our private Dalî museum rental for both race days. Our world is on fire right now and we are so glad to be pushing the charge from the sports car side. This really shows you what a great time it is to be in sportscar racing – real sponsors and partners are continuing to jump on board and wanting to be a part of our world and everybody is happy and exceeding their goals.”
