PayPal, Hewlett-Packard, ACS, Royal Purple, Aston Martin Los Gatos On Board
After a historic win two weeks ago at Sonoma Raceway with the Aston Martin Vantage GT4, TRG-AMR North America makes its Grand-Am Rolex debut with the V12 Vantage GT3 this weekend at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
After eight months in the planning, the time has come for TRG-AMR to launch the amazing Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 racecar and no better place than at its home track at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The teams from the U.S. and U.K. have been preparing for this monumental event. The unveiling of the new race car in U.S. endurance racing should mark an important moment in history of Aston Martin Racing here in North America.
Driving the inaugural event of the GT3 will be Aston Martin Racing factory driver Darren Turner and Sonoma race winner Brandon Davis. Turner comes to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca fresh off a second place at the WEC event in Brazil last week. He is the current championship point leader in the FIA World Endurance Cup. Turner has been a long-time factory team member, and his accomplishments include 2007 and 2008 GT1 victories in the 24 Hours of Le Mans driving the Aston Martin DB9.
Davis comes off Aston Martin Racing’s inaugural North American win this season for TRG-AMR driving the Vantage GT4 at Sonoma Raceway. He has a long association with TRG racing a variety of cars. Earlier this year, Davis piloted TRG-AMR’s GT4 run at the Long Beach Grand Prix and has a long and successful history in professional sports car racing.
Highlighting the team’s first Grand-Am Rolex event are several important corporate partners. PayPal and Hewlett-Package (HP) have come on board for the race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
ACS returns to the TRG-AMR North America team after the teams’ win in Sonoma. The partnership connects three progressive Silicon Valley-based companies to this inaugural endeavor and highlights the value of sports car racing and what the future will hold with the new United SportsCar Racing Series.
Houston based Royal Purple has also come onboard as a partner for this weekend and for the upcoming Lime Rock Grand-Am Rolex round. Royal Purple is an American manufacturer that produces lubricants for automotive, industrial, marine, motorcycle and racing use.
In addition to the above partnerships for the weekend, Aston Martin Los Gatos/Los Gatos Luxury Cars will be a big part of the weekend as the dealer/partner for this race. They are the dealer of choice for Aston Martin, Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini and Lotus in the San Francisco Bay Area. They will be at the track during the week and supporting the team with a beautiful new Aston Martin Vanquish streetcar on display.
The Grand-Am Rolex race airs Sunday, September 8 at 5:00 p.m. ET/2:00 p.m. PT on Fox Sports 1.
Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series President and CEO Ed Bennett:
“The introduction of the Aston Martin GT3 to our series is certainly something we’ve been looking forward to with great anticipation. I know Kevin has worked very hard this year to bring something special to the paddock, and it certainly appears as if he’s succeeded. Having great partners like PayPal, HP, ACS, and Royal Purple indicates that sports car racing is really catching the attention of the corporate world as well.”
TRG-AMR CEO Kevin Buckler on Laguna Seca:
“What an incredible moment this is! To debut this Aston Martin racing program in one of the world’s elite sports car series with the new V12 Vantage GT3 is one of the benchmarks that we have been building toward.
"The GT3 is an incredible race car and has been built specifically to race here in the Grand-Am series. With one of Aston Martin’s most decorated and successful drivers on our team along with a talented champion like Brandon, we believe we can really be strong for this opening weekend. The team has been testing and all of the guys have been working so hard to be ready.
"We are absolutely thrilled with the corporate partnership and support that we are getting from PayPal, HP, ACS, and Royal Purple, and our local Aston Martin dealer. This speaks volumes not only to the legacy this team has created but more importantly to the marketing and business platform that sportscar racing has now opened for corporate America. I'm a huge fan of the new United SportsCar Racing Series and where professional sports car racing is headed in North America. This is a great testament to all of that and only the beginning.”
Darren Turner about the Aston Martin race program:
“I’ve been fortunate to have raced for Aston Martin for many years all over the world. AMR builds great race cars, and I am more than thrilled that I will have the chance to make history here in North America with the GT3’s first run in the Grand-Am Rolex Series.
"Kevin has always run a first rate operation, one based on attention to details that has produced some great results over the years. And I look forward to racing with Brandon as well. He’s certainly had some success in the Astons, and we will be a great team!!”
Brandon Davis about racing with TRG-AMR:
“TRG-AMR has provided a great opportunity for me this year to drive these amazing Aston Martin race cars. From Long Beach early in the year to Sonoma a few weeks ago, I must say that I really love racing these cars. Not only are they easy to drive but they are fast and always competitive. I feel like I have a chance to win every time I get behind the wheel.
"I look forward to driving the GT3 for the first time, and being with Darren, one of Aston’s all-time great factory drivers, will be a great experience for me.
"I’m also excited to have support from ACS again. We had a great weekend winning in Sonoma! With the addition of HP and PayPal we hope to repeat the success!”
About PayPal:
PayPal is the faster, safer way to pay and get paid online, via a mobile device and in retail stores. The service gives people simpler ways to send money without sharing financial information, and with the flexibility to pay using their account balances, bank accounts, credit cards or promotional financing. Because PayPal helps people transact anytime, anywhere and in any way, the company is a driving force behind the growth of mobile commerce and expects to process $20 billion in mobile payments in 2013.
About Hewlett-Packard:
The Hewlett-Packard Company or HP is an American multinational information technology corporation headquartered in Palo Alto, California, United States. It provides products, technologies, software, solutions and services to consumers, small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) and large enterprises, including customers in the government, health and education sectors.
About ACS:
ACS specializes in helping clients align information technology, process, and people with business goals. With over two decades of practical experience garnered in real-world business environments, we have delivered measurable results for a wide range of organizations, from small start-ups to Fortune 500 enterprises representing an equally diverse range of industries.
About Royal Purple:
Royal Purple manufactures high performance lubricants for most automotive, industrial, marine, motorcycle and racing applications. It is considered the best synthetic oil by many end users. Royal Purple synthetic oil and synthetic lubricants are formulated to maximize performance in real world applications.
About Aston Martin Los Gatos:
Aston Martin Los Gatos is a part of Los Gatos Luxury Cars. We are proud to offer the world’s finest collection of automobiles. We are a franchise new car dealer for Aston Martin, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Lotus and Rolls Royce. In 2009 we proudly joined the Qvale Automotive Group which has over 60 years experience in the luxury automotive industry. Los Gatos Luxury Cars is comprised of a small team of employees in service, parts and sales all with one common bond, a love of exotic cars.
About TRG-AMR:
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 Racer's 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.
About Adobe Road Winery:
Adobe Road features hand-crafted small lot wines produced from some of the finest vineyards in Sonoma and Napa counties. It has developed a reputation as one of Northern California's hottest boutique wineries, producing many award-winning wines. Most recently, Wine Spectator Insider gave outstanding scores to four of the wineries latest releases: 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon, Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard (94 points); 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon, Bavarian Lion Vineyard (93 points); 2009 Syrah, Dry Creek Kemp Vineyard (93 points); and 2009 Chardonnay, Russian River Valley (92 points).
