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Le Mans-2005-06-05-059
Aston Martin DBR9
Aston Martin
aka FIA GT1 European Championship
Production 2005-2010
Class GT1 racing car
Body Style 2-door coupe
Length 182.8 in
Width 77.1 in
Height
Wheelbase
Weight 1100 kg
Transmission Manual
Engine V12 5935 cc
Power 600hp (448kW)
700Nm (517lb-ft) of torque.
Similar Corvette C6R
Maserati MC12 GT1
Corvette C5R
Lamborghini Murcielago GT1
Ferrari 550 Maranello GT1
Designer Aston Martin DB9 (Henrik Fisker)

The Aston Martin DBR9 is a GT1 racing car built by Aston Martin to compete in historic events such as the Le Mans 24 hours. The car was first built in 2005, and it's name is derived from the original Le Mans-winning DBR1 - with the DB standing for 'David Brown' - the then owner of Aston Martin.

Development[]

Based on the Aston Martin DB9 road car, the DBR9 retains the chassis, engine block, and cylinder heads of the road car's V12 engine. The rest of the car is re-engineered for high performance competition use. The DBR9's bodywork is a blend of optimum aerodynamic performance and the styling of the DB9 road car. All the body panels are constructed from carbon fibre composite (except the roof) to minimize the weight of the car. To complete the aerodynamic body, the bottom of the car is flat all the way from the front to the rear diffuser. To optimise rear downforce a carbon fibre wing has been added. The engine develops 625 bhp (466 kW; 634 PS) and 746 N⋅m (550 lb⋅ft) of torque, using two 31.2 mm (1.2-inch) air restrictors. Completely unrestricted, however, this engine is capable of developing over 750 bhp (559 kW; 760 PS), and over 880 N⋅m (649 lb⋅ft) of torque.[2][3][4] The DBR9 goes from 0 to 60 mph (97 km/h) in 3.4 seconds, and 0 to 100 mph (161 km/h) in 6.4 seconds.

For the 2007 24 Hours of Le Mans, Prodrive made modifications to the DBR9 design to not only improve performance, but also to increase driver comfort in the cockpit. Due to new regulations put into place by Le Mans organizers, the DBR9 required the installation of an air conditioning unit, to prevent overstressing drivers. Prodrive went further by putting a heat-resistant white roof on all new cars to assist in keeping cockpit temperatures down. Performance modifications included the removal of two, now immaterial, cooling vents from the bonnet of the car.

Basis[]

The Aston Martin DB9 provided the basis for the lightweight race car version, and this is clearly evident through the styling cues shared by both cars. Whereas the DB9 has 450 bhp, the DBR9 has been modified to produce and astonishing 600 bhp to offer fiercer competition to its main competitor - the Corvette C6R.

Alterations and Styling[]

The DB9 base was significantly altered in the making of the DBR9 - it was made lighter, safety features such as a harness and a roll cage were fitted, the engine and mechanics were modified to produce more power and a large carbon fibre spoiler was fitted to provide downforce.

Specifications[]

With all the modifications made to produce the car, it is estimated to be able to do at least 195 mph and produces 517 lb fts of torque.

Racing history[]

The DBR9 won the Sebring 12 Hours for its LMGT1 category in 2005, but came third in Le Mans 24 Hour behind arch-rivals Corvette Racing due to fuel problems. In 2006, the DBR9 was unable to repeat its success at Sebring, finishing second behind a Corvette. A similar situation occurred at Le Mans as well. Despite not winning Sebring and Le Mans, Aston Martin Racing regularly challenged Corvette Racing for victory in the rest of the American Le Mans Series schedule, with victories at Lime Rock Park, Miller Motorsports Park, Mosport, Petit Le Mans, and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Aston Martin capped their 2006 ALMS season by finishing second in the GT1 Manufacturer's Championship, earning the factory team an automatic entry to the 2007 24 Hours of Le Mans.

In the Le Mans Endurance Series, Larbre Compétition took the Team's Championship, with victories at the 1000 Kilometres of Istanbul and 1000 Kilometres of the Nurburgring, a second-place finish at the 1000 Kilometres of Jarama, and a fifth-place finish at the 1000 Kilometres of Donington.

The DBR9 came into the 2006 FIA GT Championship being title contender favourites, but the season was somewhat lacklustre with only two victories at Mugello and Dubai. The Phoenix Racing Aston Martin DBR9 narrowly missed out on victory at the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. BMS Scuderia Italia cited a problem with finding the right tyre compound with their Pirellis as the factor for their lack of success.

For 2007, Aston Martin was finally able to overcome their woes at Le Mans, securing the GT1 class victory for the #009 Aston Martin Racing DBR9. Larbre's DBR9 would also manage third place in class. The teams running DBR9s managed to finish every car entered. To celebrate that historic victory, Aston Martin built a very limited edition of the DB9 called the DB9 LM (Le Mans), which featured a unique color, called the Sarthe Silver (named to the track where the Le Mans racing is held), also DBS clear taillights, specific wheels, Magnum silver meshes and crossbar, Sport Pack as standard, a specific interior with red stitching and tertre rouge facia trim. All cars were individually numbered and they are very sought-after today.

Teams[]

The Aston Martin DBR9 was last run by two customers team in the FIA GT1 World Championship. In the past, there were up to three factory teams and the car has also been sold to customers for private use in various racing series, such as the American Le Mans Series, Le Mans Series, FIA GT Championship, FFSA GT Championship, and Super GT.

  • Aston Martin Racing BMS (2 cars)
  • Jet Alliance Racing (2 cars)

Gallery[]

References[]

See Also[]

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ASTON MARTIN

Prodrive Ltd.


Prodrive | Aston Martin | Lagonda | Tickford | Glenn Seton Racing | Aston Martin Racing


Current Models: Vantage · Vantage Volante · DB11 · DBX · DBS Superleggera · Valkyrie

Historic cars: DB1 · DB2 · DB3 · DB2/4 · DB Mark III · DB4 · DB4 GT Zagato · DB5 · DB6 · DBS (1967) · V8 · DB7 · V12 Vantage · DB7 Zagato · DB AR1 · Lagonda · Lagonda Rapide · Virage · Vanquish · DB9 · DBS · V8 Vantage · One-77 · Rapide · Cygnet · V12 Zagato


Racing/Competition: DB3 · DBSS · DBR1 · DBR2 · DBR3 · DBR4 · DBR5 · DP212 · DP214 · DP215 · Nimrod · AMR1 · DBR9 · DBRS9 · Rally GT · Vantage GT2 · Vantage GT4 · B09/60 ·AMR-One · Rapide 24h Nurburgring · Vantage GTE (2018) · AMR21 · AMR22

Concept cars: AM4 · Jet · Bulldog · Jet 2 · Lagonda Vignale · Vanquish Zagato Roadster · 20/20 · AMV8 Vantage · Rapide Concept · V12 Vantage RS Concept · Cygnet Concept


David Brown · David Richards · Ford


Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford Corporate website A brand of Prodrive Ltd.


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