Aston Martin is to supply the Vantage GT3 to the D’station Racing AMR team, marking a return to the Japanese Super GT for the UK-based luxury sportscar manufacturer.
The long-term agreement features the highest level of partner support from Aston Martin Racing, including a one-car program in the Super GT 300 class, which comprises mainly customer and works-supported GT3 machinery.
The number 7 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 will be driven by Japan’s Tomonobu Fujii and Brazil’s Joāo Paulo Oliveira. They will be supported by works driver and three-time Le Mans 24 Hours class-winner Darren Turner (GB) in the 500-mile round at Fuji Speedway on August 4.
The Vantage GT3 is the first Aston Martin to compete in Japan’s top GT series since 2012 and will run in a dark green livery featuring the British manufacturer’s AMR Performance sub-brand and the team’s tire partner Yokohama.
The Vantage GT3 made its debut in the FIA World Endurance Championship at Spa-Francorchamps last year.
The successor to the V12 Vantage GT3, the latest car features race-modified versions of the AMG-derived 4.0-liter V8 twin-turbocharged engine used in Aston Martin’s sports car. The Vantage GT3 also shares design attributes with the Vantage GTE, which was developed in tandem with the road car.
The D’station team is run by the KTR motorsport preparation company which is based near Fuji Speedway. The team is entering its third year of competition in Japanese Super GT.
Tomonobu Fujii said, “I am proud and honored to be the first Japanese driver to race the new Vantage GT3 in the Japanese Super GT championship. The team has been growing in competitiveness since entering the category in 2017, and I firmly believe that joining forces with Aston Martin is the final step on our quest to be successful.”
D’station Racing AMR president Satoshi Hoshino said, “We are very proud to race with Aston Martin in the Japanese Super GT championship. As a team, we believe the Vantage GT3 can lead us to great success and we are excited to be playing a part in the new Vantage racing story from the beginning of its career.”
President of Aston Martin Racing David King added, “That an Aston Martin is once again racing in such a prestigious and important series as the Japanese Super GT is evidence of our expanding motorsport and customer racing activities around the world.
“It will also help to further the message of our growing AMR Performance brand of Aston Martin road cars and services, and we see Japan as a very important market for this.”
