Aston Martin to challenge Corvette Racing in 2008 ALMS
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Corvette Racing's championship-winning C6.Rs will finally have some competition in the GT1 class of the American Le Mans Series (ALMS), after running the 2007 GT1 season alone. Bell Motorsports has announced that it will challenge the 2008 ALMS GT1 season with an Aston Martin DBR9, beginning with the 12 Hours of Sebring -- a race Aston Martin won with the DBR9 in 2005.
Aston Martin is no stranger to the ALMS series, having contested both the 2005 and 2006 seasons, scoring a total of six wins. Meanwhile, Corvette Racing has won the GT1 class for the last seven consecutive years, narrowly beating Aston Martin during the 2006 season at the final race at Laguna Seca Raceway. An E85-powered Aston Martin Vantage GT2 will contest the GT2 class for the 2008 ALMS season, campaigned by Drayson-Barwell, where primary competition will come from Ferrari and Porsche. Together, the two entries signify a strong return for Aston Martin to North American road racing.
"We hope we can make things interesting this year for the Corvettes and especially fans," said Jim Bell, team principal of Bell Motorsports and an ALMS competitor since the series' inaugural race. "They have clamored for competition, and we intend to give it our best shot."
The season-opening 12 Hours of Sebring will be televised live by the SPEED network on March 15.
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