PLYMOUTH, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aston Martin Racing will equip all of its cars with xenon headlights from Hella for the 2009 racing season.
“We believe our new partnership with Aston Martin will clearly demonstrate the endurance and quality of Hella lighting at major racing events such as the European Le Mans series,” said Carlos Visconti, vice president of Product Development – Lighting, for Hella Corporate Center USA.
“Aston Martin’s use of Hella headlights in the demanding Le Mans series and the grueling 24 Hours of Le Mans says a great deal about the quality of our lighting technology,” said Visconti. “Their choice also is a good recommendation for all drivers.”
In 2009, Aston Martin has a two-car Le Mans Prototype 1 (LMP1) team competing in the full European Le Mans series. Compared with Formula 1 racing, where the typical race is 124 to 186 miles long, Le Mans drivers face distances of 621 miles.
Le Mans consists of five races, including Barcelona, Spain; Spa, Belgium; Algarve, Portugal; Nuerburgring, Germany, and Silverstone, England. In addition, the Aston Martin team will race in the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans.
German driver Stephan Muecke and his two Czech teammates Jan Charouz and Tomas Enge won the first race in Barcelona in their 007 Aston Martin LMP1 car. This brand-new vehicle was equipped with Hella xenon headlights.
“Because these races are an especially big challenge for both men and machines,” Visconti noted, “they represent a considerably greater test of endurance and quality.”
Hella’s lighting system consists of the Rallye 1000 FF (free form reflector) spotlights, 90 mm xenon modules and LED side marker lights.
“We chose Hella and the Rallye 1000 FF headlight with xenon technology because we did not want to compromise on light quality,” said George Howard-Chappell, technical director, Aston Martin Racing. The races, such as the 24-hour race in Le Mans and the night race in Portugal, take place at twilight or under poor visibility conditions. In these situations, top headlights take the strain off the driver.
About Aston Martin Racing: Aston Martin, Britain’s most exclusive sports car company, made its return to international racing in 2005 with the DBR9. A new division called Aston Martin Racing was created in partnership with Prodrive, the world’s leading motorsport and automotive technology specialist. Prodrive is responsible for Aston Martin's global racing operations and oversees all aspects of race car production and development.
In 2005 the DBR9 won its debut race at the 12 Hours of Sebring. In 2007 and again in 2008, Aston Martin Racing went on to win the GT1 class at Le Mans with the DBR9. Aston Martin is the only manufacturer to offer race cars in every FIA GT category - GT1 - DBR9, GT2 - Vantage GT2, GT3 - DBRS9 and GT4 - Vantage GT4 and since 2005 over 100 Aston Martin race cars have been produced.
About Hella: Hella KGaA Hueck & Co. develops and manufactures lighting and electronics components and systems for the automotive industry. Its joint venture companies also produce complete vehicle modules and air conditioning systems.
In addition, Hella has one of the largest aftermarket organizations in the world for automotive parts and accessories, with its own sales companies and partners in more than 100 countries. The consolidated annual turnover of the Hella Group is about $5.7 billion.
Hella is one of the top 50 automotive parts suppliers in the world and one of the 100 largest industrial companies in Germany. Nearly 25,000 people work in 70 manufacturing facilities and production subsidiaries throughout the world, including more than 3,500 research-and-development engineers and technicians. Customers include all of the world’s leading vehicle and systems manufacturers, as well as the automotive parts aftermarket.
Additional information is available at www.hella.com.
Note to Editors: A photo of an Aston Martin racing car with Hella xenon headlights is available here or by contacting Jan Krol of AutoCom Associates at +1-248-647-8621 or jkrol@usautocom.com.
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