Kevin Buckler brings home a GT class top 10 with the GT3 debut

(PETALUMA, CA – August 25) The entire race weekend for TRG-AMR North America was simply fantastic. The Brandon Davis No. 27 Barracuda Networks / ACS Vantage GT4 took its first North American victory in a hard fought GTS race at Sonoma Raceway in Round 13 of the Pirelli World Challenge championship. The No. 66 Jawbone V12 Vantage GT3 took home a sixth in GT class after team owner and driver Kevin Buckler battled from the back of the entire grid after a pre-race clutch repair.

Buckler had pre-race dramas that made for a wild time for the TRG-AMR North America team with the brand new mighty V12 Vantage GT3.  F1 launch control for the standing starts is mandatory on the GT cars but Bucklers’ brand new GT3 has yet to have this option installed and Buckler had not done a standing race start before. The team was granted an opportunity to practice several standing starts, from the paddock/pitlane area in the morning, the old-fashioned way…smoky burnouts and all!!   However, the # 66 Aston Martin suffered a clutch failure.  Therefore, with only an hour before the race the team made a complete clutch change (their first one on the brand new V12 Vantage GT3!).  The time it took to make this change meant that the machine missed the window to start from its seventh starting position.  In fact, it meant starting from pit lane behind the ENTIRE field of GT and GTS cars.

Buckler calmly got the No. 66 Jawbone V12 Vantage GT3 into the field.  After spending the first eight laps slicing through GTS field, a caution was thrown.  At this point Buckler was able to reconnect with his fellow GT competitors.  He spent the remainder of the race working into the top 10  before finishing with a solid sixth place in the super competitive GT field.  He also posted the second fastest lap time in the race.

Kevin Buckler on TRG-AMR North America's No. 66 debut:
"This was a great day for the TRG-Aston Martin Racing program and for our sponsors Jawbone and Barracuda.  We prepared for this race and came here with four cars, three in the very competitive GTS class and our brand-new GT3 competing in its first ever race in North America in the GT class.  The team and the drivers all did a great job, and when it came time to deliver today, they did.   Brandon Davis took the victory in the GTS class, and I was able to put together a strong run in the GT car shaking it down for its first-ever race.  Drew and Mark drove some of the best racing I have ever seen and were actually running in the top six for awhile.  The Aston Martin racing program for North America is actually based here in Northern California, so it is perfect that we had our debut weekend turn out so well.   This is an amazing brand and we are proud to represent them. I could not be prouder of the team as a whole. Everyone did a great job, and we are headed to Laguna Seca in two weeks for our Grand American Rolex series debut."

(TRG-AMR)