Aston Martin Becomes Full-Season IGTC Entrant

Aston Martin has become the latest manufacturer to join the Intercontinental GT Challenge powered by Pirelli on a full-season basis.

The British marque, which expressed a strong interest in the series last November, has confirmed that it will contest all five rounds of the 2020 campaign with at least two cars.

Aston becomes the eighth brand to sign up for the full IGTC season, joining Audi, BMW, Mercedes-AMG, Lamborghini, Honda, Porsche and Bentley.

It’s understood those are the final eight manufacturers for the season, with newcomers Aston Martin and Lamborghini effectively replacing Ferrari and Nissan.

Aston Martin is sending a total of four cars to the season-opening Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour this weekend with Garage 59 and R-Motorsport fielding two entries each.

These two teams are also set to spearhead Aston’s appearances in the Total 24 Hours of Spa, Suzuka 10 Hours, Indianapolis 8 Hours and Kyalami 9 Hour.

Bathurst will mark the first time that the second-generation Aston Martin Vantage GT3 has contested the Australian enduro.

2019 runner-up Jake Dennis will contest this year’s edition with two new co-drivers in Supercars ace Rick Kelly and recent Rolex 24 at Daytona winner Scott Dixon.

R-Motorsport’s other car will be driven by Luca Ghiotto, Olli Caldwell and one of Dennis’ former teammates Marvin Kirchhoefer.

The two Garage 59 Aston Martins will compete in the Pro-Am and Silver Cup classes.

Alexander West, Chris Goodwin, Come Ledogar and factory driver Maxime Martin will share the Pro-Am car while Andrew Watson, Olivier Hart and Roman de Angelis will race in Silver Cup.

“This is Aston Martin Racing’s boldest attack on the Bathurst 12 Hour, a race that showcases the very best of what international GT3 racing has to offer,” said Aston Martin Racing president David King.

“We have full confidence that the combination of our two partner teams R-Motorsport and Garage 59, and the growing competitiveness of the Aston Martin Vantage GT3, will provide a fierce challenge for honours in Australia.

“This line-up, and the quality of our partners, represents the perfect time to commit to the overall manufacturers’ championship for the first time.”