Leading by only one point, TRG-Aston Martin Racing is heading into Petit Le Mans

Atlanta, GA - For the first time in North American history two very special moments are unfolding heading into the final round of the Tudor United SportsCar Championship at Petit Le Mans on October 3rd. TRG-Aston Martin Racing enters the event leading in the GTD championship for both the team and the drivers championships and leading by the slimmest of margins. This will be the first time in history that an Aston Martin or a female driver could potentially win a major North American championship and all eyes are on the 007 car and its star driver, Christina Nielsen.

The team arrived into Atlanta last week to begin testing and building its race strategy for the Petit Le Mans endurance race that will determine the championship points standings for the 2015 Tudor United SportsCar Championship season. Everyone is watching the #007 Royal Purple/Orion/LaSalle Solutions/Passtime V12 Vantage and drivers Christina Nielsen and Kuno Wittmer. For the Petit Le Mans race, TRG-AMR will be adding Brandon Davis, a former World Challenge GT champion as the third driver to complete a highly competitive driver lineup.

Petit Le Mans is going to be exactly what sponsors, fans, the series and the media had hoped for

Kevin Buckler

Media requests have already begun to stack up for TRG-AMR and its drivers, as the team and points championship leading driver Christina Nielsen are on the verge of making history. With the top three teams in the GT Daytona class separated by only 4 points, the 10-hour Petit Le Mans race will be filled with intensity, excitement and suspense and a “must see” event for attending fans and those tuning into Fox Sports. The stage is set for one of the closest points races in history headed into this final round.

Endurance races present a different set of challenges as race teams attempt to balance speed, reliability and strategy and in this case, all centered around the singular goal of winning the championship. Push the car too hard early in the race and it can lead to mechanical failure or driver error. Run the car too conservatively and untimely caution flags or pit stop rotations could lead to going a lap down to the leaders.

The team’s approach to the race will also include monitoring the on-track position of the #48 Audi and #63 Ferrari that are second and third in the points championship, respectively. The team needs to finish ahead of both of those cars to become 2015 GTD class champions and so it all comes down to Petit Le Mans.

“We are heading into the final race with only a one point advantage over our competitors so now the pressure is on us to finish ahead of the Ferrari and Audi at Road Atlanta to close out this championship,” said Christina Nielsen, TRG-AMR team driver. “We are still entering the race as the class leaders and as drivers, this is what we dream of -- a chance to win a championship in the last race of the season when everything is on the line. It’s exciting and a little nerve-wracking all at the same time. When I started with the team back in Daytona, I never believed we would be going into the last race in this position. The entire team has done such an amazing job to get us here and now we have to deliver.”

“Our initial testing last Monday went well and the car feels really good,” said Kuno Wittmer, TRG-AMR co-driver with Christina Nielsen. “There is no playing it safe now as we have three cars separated by only four points. Of course we have to be smart to save the car for the end of the race, but need to be on the podium and we know what is at stake. This is an amazing opportunity for all of us and the TRG-AMR squad have just been exceptional throughout the season and here we are…in a position to win it all. As a driver you just can’t ask for more.”

“Petit Le Mans is going to be exactly what sponsors, fans, the series and the media had hoped for -- a shoot out among the top teams to determine the championship in the last race of the season,” said Kevin Buckler, Chief Executive Officer at TRG-AMR. “We have everything in play going into next week’s race and we are already working on our multiple race strategies and triple-checking every detail so that we can be standing on the top step of the podium and win the GTD championship. Endurance racing is our specialty and once again it is time for us to show why we deserve to be champions.

I try to prepare the team to expect the unexpected and even the best race strategy sometimes gets thrown out the window once the green flag drops... when weather, accidents, or other variables happen over the course of a 10-hour race. It is a complicated little puzzle like a multidimensional chess game and all the while we are driving the team and the racecar really hard. This race might just come down to the team that does the best job of adapting to the unexpected -- and we hope that will be us at the finish line.”“Before it all starts I want to give a big thanks to our friends and partners at Royal Purple, Orion Energy Systems, LaSalle Solutions and Passtime and everybody else that has helped us this year to be in this position. We cannot do this without our partners and they have all been just so strong in their support for us this year both on and off the track.

Also, a huge thanks to everyone on our team from hospitality, our amazing office staff, to marketing, to competition and of course to our drivers. And of course the biggest thanks goes out to this most amazing brand--- Aston Martin and the fantastic race cars that they build at Aston Martin Racing. This has been quite a journey together since starting from scratch three years ago and we are both pleased and proud to be working together.

With everything happening at Aston Martin, their new and exciting upcoming product line and all the new management that is in place this is just the perfect time to hopefully be delivering a championship for them and help forge new territory and opportunities here in the North American market. Everyone has done a superb job to get us here and once again we want to show that TRG is the place to be for Corporate America and their partnerships as well as top young drivers looking to make a career in motorsports. We deliver results.”

TRG-Aston Martin Racing