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Aston Martin Returns to Racing with the DBR9
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With Porsche and Ferrari as Rivals Astons Success Wont Come Easily
What is heritage to a premium carmaker? To some, its the impetus behind its latest production vehicles, ones that stand out in a crowd because of unique style or design attributes. To others heritage is the continuation of an ongoing tradition, whether it that means the inclusion of a certain motor, chassis characteristic or some other key design element.
To many sports car manufacturers, including Aston Martin, an important aspect of their heritage has been built up in motorsports and racing activities. Since the introduction of the British companys most recent vehicle, the DB9, Aston has been striving to get back on the track. But unlike  | | A large part of Aston Martins heritage has been built up in motorsports activities. (Photo: Aston Martin) |
Porsche, Ferrari or even Chevrolet, all of which continue to build their reputations in motorsport to this day, Aston Martin has long relied on victories of the past to sell vehicles of the present. This will change come 2005 with the official introduction of its all-new DBR9 racing car (see news archives for Jul
18, 2004: Aston Martin Prepares Race-Ready DBR9 Sports Car for GT Grid), which is set to enter a number of racing series around the globe.
 | | Aston Martin has set a lofty goal for its all-new DBR9 racing car, to grab the checkered flag at next years 24 Hours of Sebring in Florida, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France. (Photo: Aston Martin) | | align="justify">The target goal of Aston Martin is to produce a vehicle that can beat the competition to the checkered flag at next years 24 Hours of Sebring in Florida, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France. To sports car racing enthusiasts, Le Mans is considered the automotive Holy Grail. Its a test of endurance, reliability, performance and the will of not only the racing car, but the drivers and support team. The last time that Aston Martin entered the famed event was over 65 years ago, when | | Motorsports experts Prodrive, which competes in the WRC with Subaru, and is headed by BARs F1 team principal David Richards, developed the DBR9. (Photo: Aston Martin) |
Carroll Shelby and Roy Salvadori drove the DBR1 and DBS3 to victory back in 1959. That year, Aston Martins elite racing cars also brought home the World Sports Car title.
While sports cars have become sleeker, faster, and more complex than ever, one thing hasnt changed since Aston left the racing circuit, the competition is still stiff. The upcoming DBR9 must compete with the likes of the latest generation 911 GT-3 and Ferraris awesome F360 GTC racer, among others.
To build a machine capable of staying ahead of the competition, Aston Martins racing division called upon motorsports experts  | | Apart from the chassis, undercarriage and engine, the car is essentially a hand-built machine with the single goal of winning races. (Photo: Aston Martin) |
Prodrive, the same group that competes in the World Rally Championship with Subaru, headed up by none other than Formula 1 competitor BARs team principal David Richards, to plan and develop the DBR9. To comply with the FIA and other motorsport governing bodies, Aston Martin had to obey several rules to be considered eligible for entry into the sanctioned events. One of the rules is that the cars entered must be based on a production vehicle, therefore it was required that the road-going DB9s chassis be used as a backbone for the DBR9 racer. The high-strength aluminum undercarriage, as well as the production cars 6.0-liter V12 engine block and head are the only components that the DBR9 shares with its streetwise sibling.
Aside from these three  | | Power for the DBR9 comes from Aston Martins trusted 6.0-liter V12, but it has been rebuilt from the bottom up to extract the most power. (Photo: Aston Martin) |
components, the rest of the car is essentially a hand-built machine with the single goal of winning races. Its overall body shape is very similar to the production DB9, featuring the same flowing lines and graceful haunches. What might not be as noticeable is that the body panels have been crafted from lightweight carbon fiber rather than aluminum. The DBR9 also features an aerodynamics package tuned via computational fluid dynamics, consisting of a flat undertray, a gigantic carbon fiber rear spoiler, plus front and rear diffusers to keep the car glued to the road, regardless of speed.
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