PETALUMA, CA (January, 23rd) – The debut of TRG-AMR North America’s first official race with the Aston Martin Vantage GT4 will take place at Daytona this coming weekend in the first Grand-American Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge race of the season. Piloting the TRG-AMR Vantage GT4 are two of the most successful drivers in Aston Martin Racing history, Darren Turner and Stefan Mücke. The Vantage GT4, which ran in the top three at the Roar Before the 24 test days earlier this month, will have Turner and Mücke fighting it out for the win. Also joining the TRG-AMR team for the first time are sponsors Voxer, Jawbone and Aston Martin Orlando.
Mücke tested with TRG-AMR North America at the Roar Before the 24, putting the car in the top three during the competitive weekend. Mücke, a six-time 24 Hours of Le Mans competitor, took third in class alongside Turner last year at the storied endurance event. The duo, paired with Adrian Fernandez, made it to the Le Mans podium in 2012 running in the GTE Pro category driving the Aston Martin Racing Vantage V8 GT2, as well as winning the last round of the WEC in Shanghai.
Aston Martin Racing factory driver Darren Turner, has two Le Mans wins under his belt and numerous podiums at the prestigious event. He comes to Daytona to co-drive with Mücke, and the combined experience of the two drivers will undoubtedly prove invaluable to the competitiveness of the Vantage GT4 and TRG-AMR’s Grand American debut.
TRG-AMR North America hit a home-run in terms of sponsorship surrounding its inaugural running of the Aston Martin Vantage in North America. Two tech-based corporate sponsors as well as the greater Orlando area Aston Martin dealer all stepped up to the plate to sponsor this formidable debut entry.
New to the TRG-AMR stable is corporate sponsor Voxer, a California-based mobile communications company that brings Push-To-Talk (PTT) capability to your iOS or Android device. Voxer allows for instantaneous voice communication between users, the instant sharing of photos, videos, and locations, as well as group chats and Facebook integration. The Voxer application is available for download in both the iTunes App Store and the Google Play/Android Marketplace. Visit www.Voxer.com for more information and direct download links.
JAWBONE, makers of the world’s most functional human-centric wearable technology, has joined the TRG-AMR team for the Daytona weekend in pursuit of victory in the GRAND-AM Grand Sport class. JAWBONE is known for it’s award-winning and best-selling Jawbone ERA and ICON Bluetooth® headsets; NoiseAssassin® technology, the world’s first and only military-grade noise-eliminating technology; and the JAM-BOX wireless speaker and speakerphone. Find out more about JAWBONE at www.JAWBONE.com today.
Also joining the TRG-AMR North America stable for this inaugural event is Aston Martin Orlando, the premier Aston Martin dealership in the greater Orlando area (www.astonmartinorlando.com). TRG-AMR and Aston Martin Orlando forged this new partnership through TRG-AMR North America with the help of the Aston Martin Dealer Network, helping to begin shaping a motorsports package that will maximize exposure and involvement for all Aston Martin dealerships. This first-of-its-kind partnership will transfer easily to other markets and dealers seeking brand activation and advertising to a very specific targeted demographic.
Peter Wilson on the Partnership with TRG-AMR North America:
“On behalf of Aston Martin Orlando, we are really excited to be the first in on this new opportunity with TRG-AMR North America. Advancing our visibility, brand awareness and traffic through a motorsports platform is a natural for us and we are looking forward to what this partnership will bring, along with hopefully shaking some champagne on Friday after the race!”
Kevin Buckler on having two factory drivers:
“We always bring a strong lineup to Daytona, but having Darren and Stefan in the GS car is a massive opportunity to really kick off our new partnership with Aston Martin Racing. We want to show the potential of not just the Vantage GT4 racecar, but of the entire program and what TRG-AMR is bringing to the series and to the Aston Martin fans around the country. We are in it to win it!”
Kevin Buckler on the sponsors and partners:
“Having Voxer and Jawbone step up to join us in our inaugural race couldn’t be more exciting. These are front-line technology companies based in our Northern California home area and we will do everything we can to show them the power and the value in a motorsport sponsorship. Also, we couldn’t be happier to have Aston Martin Orlando on board for our inaugural race as well. Peter sees the power and the value of what motorsports can do for his brand back at the dealership and we’re going to kick it off together. The marketing staff back at the shop in California are working in conjunction with the team at Aston Martin North America to help craft this program and maximize the potential we can offer and deliver to our dealer partners. This is an incredible opportunity for all Aston Martin dealerships and we look forward to working with them for upcoming races across North America. Our goal is twofold. First: to help open the doors for corporate America to take a serious look at what professional sports car racing has to offer and its value proposition especially compared to all other forms of motorsports. Second: to show what a “unified front” can accomplish when the motor sports division and the streetcar division of an iconic car brand, work hand-in-hand to accomplish their mutual goals.”
About TRG-AMR North America:
Aston Martin Racing is rich in heritage. It began racing in 1949 and by 1951 the DB2 had swept the podium in class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and in 1959 the DBR1 finished one-two overall at the Circuit de la Sarthe. Aston Martin returned to GT racing as a factory team in 2005 with the DBR9 GT1, which went on to record back-to-back victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2007 and 2008, as well as winning the 2011 FIA GT1 World Championship.
Most recently the formidable new race cars achieved a string of successes, capturing three of the last four pole positions in the FIA World Endurance Championship, a win at the final round in Shanghai, China and finishing second in the World Championship with the GTE machine. The new Vantage GT3 had an incredible run in its debut year with 18 major victories, and the Vantage GT4 is the car of choice in multiple series worldwide.
Last year, the Vantage GT4 took 2 championship wins, 40 race wins and 47 podium finishes in Grand Am, Portuguese GT, Brazilian Sprint, VLN, Dutch GT4, Dutch Supercar, GT4 Challenge, Britcar, Le Mans Festival, NARRC and SCCA.
In 2013, Aston Martin Racing continues its tradition with the advent of TRG-AMR North America, proudly taking the reins of its North American motorsport operation.
The Racers Group (TRG), with headquarters in Petaluma, California, was founded in 1993 and has competed at the top level of motor racing for nearly 20 years. The team has competed in all of the major series and holds victories in the ALMS GT Class, the Rolex Series DP Class, the Rolex Series GT Class, the ALMS GTC Class as well as the Grand American GS Class. The team won Rolex Series GT championships in 2005 and 2006 and holds the record for the most wins in GRAND-AM with 32. The team’s resume is highlighted by four total championships, four Rolex 24 Hour at Daytona victories, and a Le Mans 24 Hours win. While competition in the GRAND-AM Rolex Series and American Le Mans Series has been the team’s staple, it has also competed in other levels of motorsports throughout its history, including ARCA, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
For More Information Please Contact:
Kevin Buckler
President/CEO
T: 707-935-3999
kevin@theracersgroup.com
Coulter Mulligan
Director of Social Media & Marketing
T: 707-935-3999
coulter@theracersgroup.com
TRG-AMR North America, 1995 S. McDowell Blvd., Petaluma, CA 94954 707-935-3999