The Nürburgring 24 Hours, the annual GT and touring car endurance race, is not for nothing a highly revered blue riband event. A 24 hour race is tough at the best of times, and with this one on the unforgiving 25km Nordschleife circuit it’s hard to find a more grueling on-track test. Aston Martin has confirmed that it is entering two Vantage GT4s in this year’s N24, which takes place on June 22 and 23, and it is clearly taking it seriously if its driver line-up, also just announced, is an indication.
It has revealed an all-star cast that includes its new works driver Jamie Chadwick, three-time Le Mans class winner Darren Turner, BBC Top Gear presenter Chris Harris as well as European Le Mans Series champion–and son of F1 commentator and former F1 driver Martin–Alex Brundle.
Chadwick has landed a long-term contract as factory Aston Martin junior GT driver, and also will be involved in testing and development and as an ambassador. And BRDC Formula 3 race winner Chadwick is no stranger to Aston Martin, as she won the 2015 British GT4 championship alongside fellow works driver Ross Gunn in a Vantage, as well as making her N24 debut in a works Vantage GT8 in last year’s event. In addition, Chadwick will compete in rounds of the VLN long-distance championship on the Nordschleife around her N24 appearance, starting with round 3 of the campaign on April 27, then the six-hour qualification race on May 19.
She will be re-united with Gunn for both, and they will compete in the SP10 class with N24 debutant Brundle and Nordschleife expert Peter Cate. It will mean a busy 2019 for Chadwick, as she also will race in the six rounds of the inaugural W Series. The Aston Martin sister car will be entered in the SP8T class for turbocharged 4-liter machines, and is to be piloted by Turner, Aston Martin High Performance test driver Chris Goodwin, Goodwin’s Garage 59 Blancpain GT team-mate Harris and Christian Gebhardt.
“To have started my racing journey in an Aston Martin, and to then be welcomed back and rewarded with a works contract, is fantastic,” Chadwick said. “The W Series is a key focus in 2019 and winning that title has to be an imperative, but bringing home some silverware in the Nürburgring 24 Hours is extremely important to me as well. Who knows where this will all lead to, but one of my targets is to compete for victory at Le Mans and building on this relationship with Aston Martin is an important step on that road.”
“We’ve been keeping a watchful eye on her progress and working with her ad hoc since she won the British GT4 Championship in one of our cars and it was clear that the time was right to bring her more formally into the fold,” added Aston Martin Racing president David King. “We have a very strong blend of talent and experience.”
Images courtesy of Aston Martin Racing
