Chassis 7 was sold and returned to Europe. It was raced extensively and is now part of a private collection. It was photographed at the 2015 AMOC Autumn Concours at Alnwick Castle.
DBRS9 – Autosport Designs
- 30/01/2013DBR9 – Aston Martin Racing
- 30/01/2013For the first, and I believe still only outing on UK soil, the cars achieved a remarkable 1st and 2nd finish in the RAC Tourist Trophy Race at Silverstone in May 2005 (DBR9/02 1st, 01 2nd). The 2005 season continued with races at Le Mans, Spa, Road Atlanta and Laguna Seca.
For 2006, AMR concentrated their efforts in the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) and Le Mans since full works teams were not permitted in the FIA GT races. Best results for the team were 4th overall in both Sebring and Houston and 1st/2nd in class (8th and 9th overall) in the Petit Le Mans. Overall in the 2006 championship, Stephanie Sarrazin was 3rd Thomas Enge was 4th in the GT1 class. We also saw the works team running a new chassis, DBR9/3 at Le Mans with race number 007.
For 2007, AMR concentrated their efforts on the 24 hours of Le Mans in the middle weekend in June winning the GT1 class
For 2008 again the only scheduled works entry is for the 24 hours of Le Mans where the cars will be raced in the famous Gulf racing colours
FIA GT, RAC TT, Silverstone, 2007
- 30/01/2013DBR9 – Capuava Racing (DBR9/102)
- 30/01/2013The specification for the car was unique and featured an apparently more powerful ‘D spec’ race engine (+75bhp over the 2005 spec engine) with generous 34mm air restrictors. The standard DBR9 gearbox was combined with a pneumatically-operated semi-automatic paddle-shift gear change system with a ‘throttle blipper’ to assist speedy down-changes. As delivered, #102 had a particularly high downforce aerodynamic package with an extended high-downforce front splitter balanced by a full-width high-downforce rear wing.
The car plus a generous spares package has, for most of 2007, been offered for sale by Oakfields in Hampshire for a half a million pounds (plus VAT) and was also entered into the 2007 AM/Bonhams auction in Works Service where it failed to reach it’s reserve. Problem in selling the car has been, that with all these unique features, 102 was in need of much remidial work before if could be eligible to race in either FIA or ACO sanctioned events.
DBR9 – Team Modena (DBR9/101)
- 30/01/2013Whilst the car was initially prepared by Cirtek Motorsport in the UK, it carried the logos of ‘Russian Age Racing’ and was finished vivid Royal Blue. Previously the team had competed with the Ferrari 550 Maranello in the FIA GT1 class. First time out in a competitive race was at a rain soaked 1000 km of Silverstone where the car finished 15th overall and 4th in class. In the very next race of the Le Mans Series at the Nurburgring, the car came in first in class and 9th overall. The team then switched to the FIA GT series and at Zhuhai, the DBR9 failed to finish but then achieved 15th in Dubai and then gained a victory in the last race of the season, the 11th round of the FIA GT series in Bahrain in the hands of Christophe Bouchut and Antonio Garcia. In all three races entered in the FIA GT series, the car started from pole position.
For the 2006 season, the car was again entered by Cirtek but carried the Team Modena logos, a company run by Graham Schultz and based in High Wycombe. First outing of the season was at the Silverstone round of the FIA GT championship for the RAC Tourist Trophy where, in the hands of David Brabham, Christophe Bouchut, the car came home 4th.
During the Le Mans 24 hour race in 2006, the team had a brilliant result narrowly missing a podium with 4th in class and 9th overall being driven by David Brabham, Nelson Piquet Jnr. and Antonio Garcia
Following Le Mans, the team switched to running in selected races in the European Le Mans Series with two cars at Spa and Istanbul (chassis number of the second car unknown). Best result was 1st in class and 4th overall at Donington park in the hands of Antonio Garcia and Peter Hardman.
For the 2007 season, as well as Le Mans in June, the team appears to be concentrating on the Le Mans European Series (LMES). In March 2007, 101 also took 3rd in class at the Sebring 12 hours, a round of the American Le Mans Series. For Le Mans 2007, #101 achieved 18th overall and 10th in class.
In the last season that #101 raced, 2008, the car was run in four race in the European Le Mans Series achieving three firsts and a third but missed out on championship victory by a single point. Also the car ran for a remarkable third time in the Le Mans 24 hour race where it finished 8th in class. DBR9/101 is now considered the most successful DBR9 and the most successful privately-owned Aston Martin racing car in the marque’s history. After retirement from the track, it has been returned to 2006 spec and has been displayed the British Motor Heritage Museum in Gaydon, the Aston Martin Heritage Trust and during the Centenary Celebrations of the marque at Kensington Palace during July 2013.
