2010 DTM Championship winner and current United Autosports Asian Le Mans Series Championship leader Paul Di Resta has been confirmed as the first of four drivers for the forthcoming R-Motorsport DTM programme with Aston Martin.

Di Resta brings the experience of nine previous seasons in the series, six of which he finished in the Top Five including third overall last season with Mercedes Benz.

“I am looking forward to the new DTM season and the challenge to compete with the Aston Martin Vantage DTM car for my new team R-Motorsport,” said Paul. “It will certainly be not easy to challenge our competition of experienced teams of big premium manufacturers with our comparatively small outfit. However, my impression of our team’s professionalism and ambition is very positive and I’ll go into the preparation of the championship season with a good feeling. I can’t wait to drive the Aston Martin Vantage DTM car at the first test on the race track and contribute my part to the development of the new car.”

During his debut season, Di Resta made DTM history by becoming the first driver of a so-called ‘Jahreswagen’ (i.e. a car from a previous season) to lead the overall standings.

In his 126 DTM races to date, he has notched up eleven wins, nine pole positions, 37 podiums and 793 points in the Mercedes-AMG developed and fielded by HWA.

“In Paul, we have secured the services of a knowledgeable and experienced driver with an impressive sporting CV,” said Team Principal Florian Kamelger. “This signing is a key element in the development of our new Aston Martin Vantage DTM. His experience and natural speed should help us to quickly bring the new DTM car up to a competitive standard. We are aware that this is not going to be an easy task for us at R-Motorsport because in the DTM we are facing competition from works teams who not only have the backing of well-known premium manufacturers but have also grown accustomed to success over the years. But it’s a challenge that we are happy to rise to, and we’re looking forward to the upcoming DTM season.”

The DTM campaign under R-Motorsport’s exclusive license with Aston Martin will be operated by the newly announced Vynamic joint venture between AF Racing AG (parent company of R-Motorsport and HWA AG.