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Despite not being expected to contest the 2006 season, Aston Martin Racing has revealed that it is to return to the American Le Mans Series for next months 54th Sebring 12 Hours.
The Prodrive-run squad will run a brace of DBR9s, although drivers have yet to be confirmed, with several of the team's 2005 line-up having already sorted alternative seats for the coming season. David Brabham, Darren Turner, Pedro Lamy, Peter Kox, Stephane Ortelli and Stephane Sarrazin drove the two British Racing Green entries in 2005, but Brabham, for one, will be out at Sebring for a rival, having signed to contest the entire ALMS campaign for Multimatic Team Panoz.
Aston Martin Racing claimed a spectacular GT1 class victory in Florida last year, a notable achievement considering that it was the DBR9's first competitive appearance, while the British marque also has a lengthy history at Sebring, dating back to 1950, when three DB2s competed in what was then a six-hour competition.
“As we know from our final two races of 2005, the ALMS is fiercely competitive and, as ever, we expect a tough battle in GT1," Prodrive chairman David Richards admitted, "When we came to Sebring last year, it was for the DBR9's first race, at the start of a test and development year, so our class victory was an excellent debut. However, even more important for me was the car's ability to follow this with many more victories and podiums around the world - not just in our hands, but in those of our customers."
Aston Martin's presence at Sebring will not end at the ALMS event, however, as Autosport Designs Racing will run a pair of DBRS9s in the supporting SCCA Speed World Challenge Series.
“To have a customer team running two DBRS9s is particularly pleasing - and it's somewhat fitting that the car is making its competitive debut at the same circuit as the DBR9 did a year ago,“ Richards concluded.
Last year, Brabham, Turner and Ortelli survived challenges from the factory Corvettes, as well as assorted Saleens, Vipers, Ferraris and on of the controversial Maserati MC12s, to claim class victory and a top five place overall, before Aston Martin Racing went on to post impressive results at Le Mans, Petit Le Mans and Silverstone's Tourist Trophy FIA GT round.
"Naturally, we're pleased with Aston Martin Racing's decision to compete at Sebring," ALMS CEO Scott Atherton said, "Aston Martin and the American Le Mans Series go hand-in-hand. Both are high-tech, premium products that appeal to the same upscale, elite audience. The addition of two DBR9s to the Sebring grid will add to the anticipation of America's greatest sports car race."
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