CAR FEATURE>> ASTON MARTIN VANTAGE GT2
Photographer Andrew Jennings was at Road Atlanta earlier this month, enjoying a classic Petit Le Mans event. During the weekend, Andrew had the opportunity to get close to the Drayson-Barwell Aston Martin Vantage GT2 race car. Following our popular Car Features on the GT1 Aston Martin DBR9 and Corvette C6.R, we are delighted to feature his words and images for fellow Speedhunters.
Words and Images by Andrew Jennings
Not long ago I was down in Atlanta to attend the 2008 ALMS Petit Le Mans 1000mile/10 hour race. It was a fantastic weekend, but a 10 hour race does leave you with some spare time. Knowing this, I contacted the guys at the Drayson-Barwell team to visit their side of the paddock and see what one of the newest entrants to the Le Mans series is packing.
While the 007 car was out on track, the crew was kind enough to let me get acquainted with the team's spare car. Many of you may be familiar with Aston Martins that have raced in the GT1 class, but this represents the newest of the breed, a Vantage that has been developed by Aston Martin Racing for the GT2 class. Aston Martin has been working with Prodrive since 2004 to develop their race cars, and the partnership yielded their first GT1 class victory at Le Mans in 2007, repeating this past June for 2008. It's only a matter of time before GT2 is contested just as hotly by their latest creation.
This is the very first GT2 chassis to be built by the company to expand their motorsport reaches. The characteristic British Racing Green livery is also symbolic of this car's mission, to compete while using a more environmentally friendly powertrain. Like the GT1 Corvettes, this car is fueled by E85 bio-ethanol. Drayson-Barwell, the partnership who manages the team, is no stranger to this powertrain either.
Together with Aston Martin Racing they campaigned the DBRS9 GT3 chassis in the 2007 British GT Championship, and claimed the first ever victory for an E85 powered car in that series, finishing 2nd in overall season points.
The front-mounted 4.2L V8 puts out approximately 450bhp while revving all the way to 8,000rpm. The Vantage's normal engine sounds awesome, but this car is just insane when heard on track, topped off by its sequential 6-speed transmission. The car's body panels, as well as the engine, are fitted with copious amounts of carbon fiber. I've seen it tons of times before, but it never gets old. Check out the intake manifolds on this thing! The craftsmanship is truly fantastic.
Stopping power is provided by a Brembo 6-piston front, 4-piston rear setup clamping around gigantic 380mm front and 332mm rear slotted rotors. If you look at brakes these days, it seems like a graphic artist has been given free range with the slots. I swear every car I look at, be it an ALMS car, Formula Drift, or any other series has a unique set of rotors that are all just as badass. BBS lightweight 18" rims wrapped in Dunlop rubber finish out the corners.
ALMS cars are fitted with pneumatic air jacks, and man are these things cool. Cars that still use a hand jack (I'm looking at you NASCAR) could learn something by watching these guys handle a pit stop. Be it a 10-hours or two hours, every second counts when changing tires and refueling. All the crew needs to do is hook up the pressure and up she goes. Nothing is faster to get the car in the air than this system, totally minimizing human error.
The interior of the Drayson-Barwell car is fitted with a single Recaro racing bucket seat, and Sabelt harness to keep the driver in place. The dash board is also made of carbon fiber, providing plenty of real estate for the usual engine management switches. A Pi Data acquisition system, displayed via an Omega dash gives the driver all the needed information while tearing up the track.
There are also controls for the front and rear brake bias – as the car approaches a corner, the driver can adjust the distribution on the fly, and do it all over again for the next one. I sure wouldn't get bored if my daily driver had that kind of adjustment.
Here's another detail I was really taken with on the car that I didn't notice at first. Anything look different about these mirrors? Most racing cars try to have the tiniest, most aerodynamic mirrors possible. The Flying Lizard Porsches wear theirs huddled up against the A-pillar like a Mitsubishi rally car. But this Aston isn't shy, sticking the mirrors and doing more than providing the driver with a good line of sight to the cars trailing him.These unique carbon fiber antennae have integrated ducts that draw air into the cabin to help keep the driver cool. Each intake is outlined by a set of green LEDs, complementing the car's look once the sun has set.
Additionally, the rear quarter windows on the car have been removed to make additional air inlets. These ducts don't funnel towards the driver however, their function is to keep the differential and other components within working temperatures. Again, subtle, but very effective.
Lord Paul Drayson is one of the two drivers that makes up the team. He is joined by Jonny Cocker, a 22-year old racing phenom from Britain. I thought Ken Gushi was making strides, but this kid took the overall British GT Championship at only 18 in 2004! The photograph below probably tells the story better than my words can however. Yes, that's Cocker sitting cooly in the shadow of the car, while Drayson is wearing a big grin on the other side just waiting for the race to begin.
With a new Bond movie about to hit theaters next month, the 007 number that the team has chosen is a very fitting mutual advertisement. Watching this car do laps made me want to see the movie even more – I expect Daniel Craig to put the DBS to much better use in his second go.
Here you can see the car as darkness is just starting to fall. Notice those green LEDs I mentioned before on the side mirrors. Their color matches the accenting that is found around the front air intake, window trim, and graphics trailing away from the headlights. This detail has always been a characteristic of Aston Martin race cars, teams choosing colors such as yellow, orange, red, or other colors to give their car a unique presence on the track. Many times this has given the cars a really mean look, almost like it is ready to gobble up small children that may cross its path on the way to victory. I'm really digging the new light green, which may not look as intimidating as the other colors, but still sets this one off from the crowd.
The 2008 ALMS season has been a bit rough for the team. They are not up to the level of the Porsches or Ferraris, but don't count them out for long.
This fairy tale started by Lord Drayson's dream of a Le Mans victory still has many chapters to be written so stay tuned to see what happens next.
-Andrew Jennings
Thanks to Andrew for the great photos and the words. The final round of the ALMS takes place on Saturday, from Laguna Seca in California. Check NBC in North America and Motors TV in Europe for delayed coverage, or the Radio Le Mans website for live commentary over the weekend
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