[Nick Koan]

http://www.wrc.com/page/News/Breakin...820753,00.html

Belgian co-driver Stephane Prevot returned home after a weekend of an unforgettable experience sitting beside French Subaru World Rally Team driver Stephane Sarrazin on the Lyon Charbonnieres-Rhone Rally - in an Aston Martin V8 Vantage. Although this class of car is forbidden in world championship events, production GT cars are allowed on rallies in Belgium and France, with the Lyon Charbonnieres being the first round of the French asphalt championship. "It was quite an experience for me who is more used to World Rally Cars, for the sport, for the marque and especially for the spectators. Maybe for Stephane, however it was a bit slow, because in his spare time he races an Aston Martin DBR9!" Serious rallying with Aston Martins has not been known for fifty years.

The project only began three weeks before the rally. "Stephane and I got a call during Corsica recce to ask if we would be available, then to our surprise it all happened straight away. The car was really standard with standard ABS brakes and suspension, but with racing seats and a rollcage added. On the rally we finished second in the class behind Nicolas Bernardi's Porsche 911 GT3. We were just less than a second a kilometre slower, which considering they must have been developing the Porsches for one to two years was very promising." The project was masterminded by motoring sportsman Frederic Dor, who attended the rally and was very encouraged by what he saw.

"Sitting in the car is quite an experience. It is so quiet. Suddenly you realise that you are travelling at 200kph. Maybe it is really too quiet, it is much quieter than an ordinary Group N car. From inside the car you can feel just how heavy it is, but you can also tell just how much fun it must be to drive the car as well. It is rear wheel drive, so the driver can use the throttle to slide the car round the bends. The Prodrive people did what they could to improve the car during the event, they even disconnected the ABS system but that led to a lack of balance of the braking, so they reverted to standard again. We do not know what will be the next time the car is seen in action, but with some work it must surely be able quite soon to match the speed of the Porsches."