Team, Drivers Prepare Aston Martin Vantage GT Cars For Classic Event In March
PETALUMA, Calif. (Feb. 19, 2014) – TRG-AMR North America, the most successful private team in North American sports car racing, announced it will field four Aston Martin Vantage GT4 cars in the 2014 Pirelli World Challenge.
Nick Esayian, Jorge De La Torre and Drew Regitz are confirmed to drive the TRG-AMR Aston Martin Vantage GT4 cars in the GTS class of the Pirelli World Challenge, one of the most prestigious and competitive racing series for production-based sports cars in North America. The fourth Vantage GT4 will be a “house” car open to selected drivers at each event.
The 2014 Pirelli World Challenge GTS season consists of 16 rounds at nine prestigious venues across North America, starting March 28-30 on the streets at St. Petersburg, Fla. , and finishing Sept. 12-13 at Miller Motorsports Park near Salt Lake City. Other iconic circuits include the natural-terrain road courses at Road America and Mid-Ohio and the street courses at Long Beach and Toronto.
“The ultra-competitive Pirelli World Challenge is an ideal series to continue to expand the excitement and prestige of the Aston Martin brand in North America,” TRG-AMR CEO Kevin Buckler said. “The GT4 Vantages are amazing machines and really seem to excite the fans. There is always a crowd around our cars, which is really cool.
“I am very proud of our drivers, and they have all hit it hard in a comprehensive offseason testing program. They are ready to race, and a strong and experienced team supports them. We have had so many inquiries about individual races from a variety of drivers that we decided to go ahead and put our brand-new house car into the mix. Everything is in place for a very competitive season, and we look forward to representing the brand in competition.”
Esayian, from San Diego, joins TRG-AMR after finishing eighth in the GTS Drivers’ Championship in 2013 PWC with nine top-10 finishes in an Acura TSX. It was his fourth consecutive top-10 season finish in the class, as he placed second in 2010 and fifth in 2011 and 2012. He helped contribute to four Manufacturers’ Championships with Real Time Racing and has one victory, 23 top-five and 65 top-10 finishes in 115 career Pirelli World Challenge starts and is a veteran of SCCA national and pro competition.
Esayian is the chief executive officer of Revenue Solutions, LLC, a major response marketing company. His career efforts have led to more than $2 billion of sales in the direct response marketplace.
De La Torre, from McAllen, Texas, will race for TRG-AMR after gaining experience in karting and Formula 3. He completed an aggressive testing schedule last summer and during the offseason in a Vantage GT4 for TRG-AMR to prepare for his professional racing debut in the Pirelli World Challenge. De La Torre is a student at theUniversity of Texas-Pan American.
Regitz, from Denver, returns to TRG-AMR after finishing eighth at Mid-Ohio in 2013 with the team in the Pirelli World Challenge GTS class in an Aston Martin Vantage GT4, the highlight of a limited schedule of seven events. Regitz tested extensively with the team during the offseason and will step up to a full season with TRG-AMR in 2014.
Sports Car Club of America competition veteran Regitz is the co-founder of Association Voice, a company created to help board members, community association managers, and management company chief executive officers improve their service and profits through leveraging cutting-edge technology.
The Aston Martin Vantage GT4 fielded by TRG-AMR in the Pirelli World Challenge is the most popular GT4 car in the world, with more than 100 built and competing in multiple race series around the globe.
A 4.7-liter V8 engine generating more than 400 horsepower is mated with a six-speed drivetrain featuring either a manual or semi-automatic shift system. Pirelli tires and an aerodynamic package that includes an adjustable carbon fiber rear wing and larger front splitter increase grip and downforce for greater dynamic performance, with four-piston caliper brakes equipped with Pagid pads offering plenty of stopping power. GT4 electrical diagnostics and a data-logging system are available as options.
Safety features include the same FIA-approved roll cage as found on the entire range of Aston Martin Racing cars. The interior has been stripped with a centrally mounted, bagged fuel tank to aid better weight distribution,and the cars will compete all season on the amazing Pirelli P-Zero racing slick and P-Zero racing rain tires.
NBC Sports Network will provide television coverage of the 2014 Pirelli World Challenge.
2014 Pirelli World Challenge GTS Schedule
March 28-30 Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg, Fla.
April 11-13 Grand Prix of Long Beach, Long Beach, Calif.*
April 25-27 Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Ala.
May 30-June 1 Grand Prix of Detroit
June 19-21 Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis.
July 18-20 Indy Toronto
Aug. 1-3 Indy 200, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio
Aug. 22-24 Sonoma Grand Prix, Sonoma Raceway, Sonoma, Calif.
Sept. 12-13 Miller Motorsports Park, Tooele, Utah*
*– Single race only. All other events feature double-header races.