No. 007 Aston Martin Leads GT Daytona Class Before Bad Luck Strikes
SEBRING, Fla. (March 16, 2014) – The TRG-AMR team showed perseverance during a promising but tough day Saturday, March 15 during the Twelve Hours of Sebring.
The No. 007 Residences at the Hard Rock Hotel Daytona Beach Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 sped to the lead in the GT Daytona class during the first hour of the IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship endurance classic with James Davison behind the wheel, but several on-track incidents dropped the team of David Block, Al Carter and Davison to 19th at the finish.
Max Riddle, Brandon Davis and Kris Wilson also turned quick lap times throughout the 12-hour race in the No. 009 Residences at the Hard Rock Hotel Daytona Beach Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3, but that car also had some unexpected trouble and finished 16th at Sebring International Raceway.
“It was fantastic watching the 007 run to the front today and lead the race, and we will be doing more of that,” TRG-AMR CEO Kevin Buckler said. “It was a tough-luck weekend with on-track issues and having a few small things that put us in the garage. All six guys drove their tails off, but I think our heroes this weekend were our fantastic crew.
“For the big picture, the good news is the cars are super-competitive, and we’re ready to run up front and start winning. I think everybody saw that today.”
Davison started fourth but rocketed to the lead in the No. 007 from the start Saturday morning before handing the car to Block after a 45-minute opening stint. Carter took his first stint at the two-hour, 30-minute mark after Block put in a solid one hour, 45-minutes behind the wheel.
Carter also showed superb driving skill just before the three-hour mark to avoid — by inches – the No. 62 Ferrari driven by Matteo Malucelli, who inexplicably rejoined the track in traffic after spinning into the barriers.
Then bad luck struck at just the wrong time for the No. 007 Hard Rock Hotel Daytona Beach Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3.
Buckler and crew had devised a clever strategy under a lengthy caution to regain a lap and put Block, Carter and Davison just one lap down slightly past the four-hour mark of the 12-hour race. But a rival car slowed suddenly and inexplicably in front of Carter during the caution period, and the front of the No. 007 hit the rear of that car, causing front-end damage and several other issues. The talented TRG-AMR crew brought the No. 007 to the garage for extensive front-end and drivetrain repairs.
“I wish we could had brought it home for Kevin and the crew,” Block said. “The crew busted their butts all week working on the car. They always do a fantastic job. We keep throwing challenges at them, and they keep meeting them.”
Brake-pressure issues required a trip to the garage for the No. 009 two hours into the race after solid stints by Davis and Riddle in which they coped well with the problem on track during the incident-strewn early portion of the race.
“The crew did a great job,” Riddle said. “Everyone was thrashing all day, working as hard as they could. Kevin Buckler has put together an awesome team. I’m really happy to be a part of it.”
Said Carter, “We’ve got a good team here, and we’re ready to rock and roll.”
CHECKERED FLAG FAST FACTS:
Race: Twelve Hours of Sebring
Date: March 15
Track: Sebring International Raceway (17 turns, 3.74 miles)
Results: ; No. 009 Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 (Max Riddle, Brandon Davis, Kris Wilson), 16th in GT Daytona class. No. 007 Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 (David Block, Al Carter, James Davison), 19th in GT Daytona class
Next Race: May 4, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, Calif.
POST-RACE QUOTES
KEVIN BUCKLER (CEO, TRG-AMR): “It was a crazy, big week for us here. I was really proud of the whole team, from top to bottom, for all of the things that we did from the competition to the business side. I think everything went great. It was fantastic watching the 007 run to the front today and lead the race, and we will be doing more of that. It was a tough-luck weekend with on-track issues and having a few small things that put us in the garage. All six guys drove their tails off, but I think our heroes this weekend were our fantastic crew. Every night they were one of the last teams out. I always like driving my golf cart through the pits late at night and looking at who is still working. I am thinking, ‘Gone, gone, gone … Oh, yeah, there are our guys, still working!’ For the big picture, the good news is the cars are super-competitive, and we’re ready to run up front and start winning. I think everybody saw that today. Our partnership with the Residences at the Hard Rock Hotel Daytona Beach was a fantastic activation and execution. They were with us all weekend, and I think we made some great contacts for them. The Residences are the perfect project at the perfect time. Our friends at Royal Purple, who have supported us all year, provided lubricants that were superior throughout the race in both cars. We’re thankful for their continued support and excellent products.”
DAVID BLOCK (No. 007 Residences at the Hard Rock Hotel Daytona Beach Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3): “I think I made big improvements. I think the car was pretty good. James was super-fast in it. We had a couple of odd penalties. I’m not even sure if they were legitimate or not. I had a spin moment after all the debris on the track from the fire. But other than that, I ran good times and the car felt good. I think we had a winning car. We did finish the race and did get points toward the North American Endurance Challenge and had a great time with all the sponsors. The Residences at the Hard Rock Hotel Daytona Beach brought a full-court press with their promotions team. We had a great time. It was a great race. I wish we could had brought it home for Kevin and the crew. The crew busted their butts all week working on the car. They always do a fantastic job. We keep throwing challenges at them, and they keep meeting them. Unfortunately we didn’t keep it on the lead lap, but we finished, and finishing is at least half the battle. We keep improving, keep working at it.”
AL CARTER (No. 007 Residences at the Hard Rock Hotel Daytona Beach Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3): “There are a couple of different ways to look at it. Sebring is Sebring, and today you could see how tough it was. There was a lot of carnage out there, a lot of incidents, a lot of stuff going on. We had some slight contact that put us back behind the wall for a little bit. But when you see the car get out there, the crew digs and makes it happen. We finished running. We get our points. We go to Laguna for the first sprint race of the season, and we know James and I will be competitive at Laguna, and that’s what we take away from this event.” (About work of crew): “It’s such a team sport, and everybody has to be on top of their game. That’s what wins races. As we go on in the season, you see that type of effort and desire, and you’re proud to be a part of it and share in it. We’ve got a good team here, and we’re ready to rock and roll.”
JAMES DAVISON (No. 007 Residences at the Hard Rock Hotel Daytona Beach Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3): “It’s a disappointing result, unfortunately. But that’s racing. We had a good start to the race. I moved into the lead and raced some good drivers out there. I handed the car over to Al and David, and ultimately it was a radiator that put us out of contention. I enjoyed myself in the nighttime when I finished the race off running with the GTD leaders and pretending I was on the lead lap to entertain myself. It was another great first-time experience for me, just like Daytona. I’ve never done the Daytona 24 or Sebring 12-hour or any of these big races. In the big picture, it was fun. But we all want to win. So we will regroup, and I’m certainly looking forward to the rest of the season. I think it’s an achievement just making it to the end. Both at Daytona and here, both cars have finished. It is an achievement, so that does still give you some enjoyment knowing that you’re not with a crashed car. It basically can always be worse.” (About working with Residences at the Hard Rock Hotel Daytona Beach): “It was nice having the Residences at the Hard Rock Hotel Daytona Beach as our sponsor this weekend. We enjoyed having them around us all weekend.”
MAX RIDDLE (No. 009 Residences at the Hard Rock Hotel Daytona Beach Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3): “This is my first time running the Twelve Hours of Sebring, and everyone says this race beats up the cars, beats up the crew and beats up the car. And that was part of the case today. The car had some unexpected problems. When I was in the car, I had some good stints. All my stints were green the whole time, so I got a lot of laps in. I just can’t thank these guys at TRG-Aston Martin Racing enough. The crew did a great job. Everyone was thrashing all day, working as hard as they could. Kevin Buckler has put together an awesome team. He’s the king of strategy, and he runs a great show. I’m really happy to be a part of it. I’m really happy my first time at Sebring I got to do it as part of this team. Big thanks to the guys, big thanks to my dad and to my teammates Brandon Davis and Kris Wilson.”
KRIS WILSON (No. 009 Residences at the Hard Rock Hotel Daytona Beach Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3): “The motor is just awesome in this thing. We can motor by anyone down the straightaway. The problem is with the braking problem; we couldn’t outbrake anyone. So it was hard to pass cars with the situation. The car is awesome. This is a tough track on any car, but it seemed to handle everything really well. Hopefully we can sort out the bugs and come back and kick some butt next time.” (About work of the crew): “Think about changing the clutch on one car and the radiator and the brakes on ours. They earned their keep. There’s no doubt about it.”
BRANDON DAVIS (No. 009 Residences at the Hard Rock Hotel Daytona Beach Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3): “We had a little bit of a brake issue. Went out and knew something was a little bit off, and it got progressively worse. But the guys did a great job of fixing the car, making it right. We had a couple of other little incidents there with some unfortunate stuff. But when we were on the track, they continued to make it better. By the end of the race, it was as good as it’s been all weekend. That’s all you can ask for. That’s one of the advantages of running with a team like TRG. They’re going to get it right, and they’re going to do it the right way. It’s good to know those guys have my back when I’m out there. It’s not the result we’re looking for. We had the pace to run up front, but I think the guys did a great job, and that’s something to be proud of. They (the crew) have been working so hard. I’m exhausted from the amount of sleep I’ve gotten, and I can’t even imagine those guys. Any time I’m leaving, they’re probably staying another three or four hours. So those guys have done a great job. They’re a great group of guys.”