Aston Martin picked up three podium positions at the ADAC Zurich Nurburgring 24 Hours event last weekend and completed an important testing exercise along the way.

In partnership with the marque’s motorsport arm, Aston Martin Racing, and partner team Young Driver AMR, Aston Martin entered two V12 Vantage Gt3s into the gruelling endurance race to aid development of the new Vantage-based racer.

Aston Martin has competed in the Nurburgring 24 Hours every year since 2006, but this entry marked the manufacturer’s first steps into the SP9 category for GT3 cars.

Crewed by professional drivers Stefan Mücke, Tomas Enze, Fredy Barth and Oliver Mathai in the #006 car, with Darren Turner, Dennis Rostek and Johannes and Ferdinand Stuck in the #007 car, the vehicles ran in matching sky blue and black paintjobs.

They qualified 17^th and 16^th respectively among a grid of 170 starters but both suffered early setbacks. On the fourth lap of the 25km circuit #006 developed a minor clutch issue, which would eventually cost it 15 laps, and #007 was stranded after a tyre blow-out. It got back up and running within 13 laps thanks to a replacement wheel and tyre.

Both carried on through the night  and having covered nearly 5,000km between them over 20 hours the team decided to rest both cars until the final lap, having gained a wealth of invaluable data.

Aston Martin also fielded a V12 Zagato and a Vantage GT4. The former finished second in class and the latter third in class.

Customer outfit Team Mathol Racing secured the third podium for Aston Martin, coming second in class.

“The number one objective coming into this race was to get all of our cars home to maintain our 100 per cent finishing record in the Nürburgring 24 Hours and we’ve absolutely done that,” said David King, head of motorsport at Aston Martin.

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