Lola-Aston Martin B09/60

The Lola - Aston Martin LMP1 is a standard developed by Prodrive and has been used for 2009 Le Mans prototype. It is based on the Lola B08/60. The chassis itself were manufactured by Lola Lola B09/60 as. Aston Martin referred to this vehicle internally DBR1 -2, in memory of the Le Mans victory in 1959 with a DBR1. Officially the car by Aston Martin but is referred to as the Lola - Aston Martin LMP1.

History

In December 2008, announced David Richards, owner of Prodrive and Aston Martin Racing, in 2009 set up a factory LMP1 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and in the Le Mans Series.

For Lola B08/60 chassis purchased are heavily modified. In addition to a completely new aerodynamic rear axle and drive train have been completely redeveloped. Some other small parts were also revised.

The V12 engine is derived from the successful Aston Martin DBR9 GT1 class. This was first used in 2008 by Charouz Racing System in a Le Mans Prototype ( Lola B08/60 ). These are also responsible for the 2009 racing applications LMP under the name of Aston Martin Racing.

Racing applications

The first race took place in April 2009, only four months after the announcement of the work program. It secured his place on the grid and three very good starting position for the 1000km of Catalonia in Barcelona. With Jan Charouz, Stefan Mücke and Tomáš Enge, you could also equal to winning a race win in the debut. At the following race, the 1000 km of Spa, one was successful three and five again with the squares. From the 24 - hour race in Le Mans also three vehicles of the type were used. Where the hitherto in the Le Mans series successful driver trio Charouz, mosquito and narrowness, the race ended on the 4th place overall. In the 1000 km race at the Nürburgring finished all the LMP1 race on the podium. At the end of the 2009 season, the Czech- German driver trio won the title of the drivers' championship. At Aston Martin Racing also went the victory in the team standings. Following the races in Europe, took one of the vehicles with Stefan Mücke and Harold Primat part in the two championship races of the Asian Le Mans Series. Where the cart with a total victory and another podium finish in the championship standings, only by Henri Pescarolo team used Sora Racing was beaten.

Chassis

One of the four chassis was end of May 2009 severely damaged by an accident of Jos Verstappen in testing at Monza. Already at the Le Mans Series at Le Castellet pretests Tomáš Enge had an accident in which he sustained minor injuries and the vehicle but so badly damaged that a replacement chassis for rebuilding at Lola had to be ordered.