Aston Martin will return to the Nurburgring 24 Hours in 2018 this may, with a two-car entry featuring all six of its FIA WEC factory drivers, for what will be the final 24-hour race for the current spec Vantage GT3 racing as a factory car.

In the race, the British manufacturer will enter a V12 Vantage GT3 in the SP9 class (above) for Maxime Martin, Marco Sõrensen and 2017 SP8 class winners Darren Turner and Nicki Thiim, and a GT4-spec V8 Vantage for factory drivers Alex Lynn and Jonny Adam, joined by Peter Cate and Jamie Chadwick (who will become the the first woman to race a factory Aston Martin in a 24-hour race).

Prior to the race in May, both cars will compete in this weekend’s six-hour qualification race, giving the V12 Vantage GT3 car – competing in the category most likely to produce the N24’s overall winner – an opportunity to guarantee itself a top-30 grid position for the main event.

“The Nürburgring 24 Hours is a unique event in the world of endurance racing and is rightly considered an important target for us,” said Aston Martin Racing team principal Paul Howarth.

“It is an immensely challenging race for the drivers and team, and it is the perfect test of performance and durability for our car. We are bringing a very strong driver line-up with considerable experience of the N24 in a proven car. Our clear objective is to get the best result possible and to build our drivers experience for the future.”

David King, President, Aston Martin Racing, added: “Aston Martin returns to the Nürburgring proud of its past achievements on a circuit famous for its challenging and daunting nature. We’ve not yet achieved our long-held ambition of winning this great race outright.

We think it is most important to bring the charismatic the V12 Vantage GT3 back for its factory swansong in a major 24-hour event and it’s a mark of the car’s pedigree that seven years after it first raced it remains a competitive proposition.

“Deploying all of our current FIA WEC Pro line-up means we are also ensuring that we keep them both well-prepared for other notable 24-hour events coming up on the calendar and familiar with the N24 with a view to whatever approach we may take to the event in 2019 and beyond. It’s a tribute to their adaptability and commitment that two of them are happy to make the switch to a GT4 car for the weekend.”

Photos courtesy of Aston Martin Racing