ASTON MARTIN // TAKING LE MANS OUTRIGHT?

With the Aston Martin DBR9 having bested the likes of Chevrolet's Corvette and a field full of Porsche's and Ferrari's, taking the GT1 championship at this years 24 hours of Le Mans, Aston now has its sights set on the LMP1 title. A feat that would require a bit of cash and some rule changes, allowing the non-diesel Prototypes to be competitive with the likes of Audi and Peugeot and their turbo-diesel super cars. Speaking of that, aside from the LMP1's of Audi and Peugeot, Astons LMP1 entry this year was the fastest in the field. With next years (top secret) Le Mans Prototype being designed by none other than Marek Reichman (the man behind the DBS and other Aston road cars), Aston Martin is busy trying to secure themselves a place in history. Then there is the issue of the $30 million it takes to race an LMP1 at Le Mans. This years GT1 effort was funded by a bit of savvy marketing, having pre-sold all of their GT1 DBR9's to a handful of collectors to help fund the effort. Anyone looking for a slightly used LMP1 race car, say mid 2009? // 08.09.2008