Drayson Racing add Rob Bell to Sebring Line-up

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Further strengthening its already impressive international sports car racing programme, Drayson Racing announced two exciting additions to its 2009 effort today. The Official Partner Team of Aston Martin Racing adds two-time defending Le Mans Series GT2 class Driver Champion Rob Bell to the driver lineup for the American Le Mans Series endurance races. Bell, a resident of St Helens, England, will join owner/driver Paul Drayson (London/Gloucestershire, UK) and Jonny Cocker (Guisborough, Yorks, UK) behind the wheel of the No. 007 Drayson Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT2 at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh from Florida on 21 March and the Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta on 26 September. Furthermore, the Dale White-managed team will join the elite group of operations campaigning the Michelin Pilot Racing Slick in 2009. The official partnership with the world's leader in tyres encompasses both the American Le Mans Series and Le Mans Series efforts of Drayson Racing.

Since coming to sports car racing in 2005, Bell has left an impression in the road car-based GT2 class winning the last two Le Mans Series GT2 Driver Championships ('07, '08). In '07, Bell had two race wins and two pole positions driving for Virgo Motorsport and finished fifth in the LM GT2 class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in a Panoz. Bell retained his Le Mans Series title in '08 with four wins and four pole positions. Last season, he made his American Le Mans Series debut at the 12 Hours of Sebring driving in the GT2 class. He finished seventh at Sebring and made two more starts in North America at Road America and Detroit.

While best known as a Ferrari ace in recent seasons, Bell's earliest sports car racing successes came behind the wheel of an Aston Martin. He drove a GT1 class DB9R to his first GT victory at the daunting 1000km/Six Hours of Nürburgring in 2005. Prior to his fulltime move to sports car racing, Bell won the 2001 and 2002 Formula Renault Winter Championship and finished as the highest-placed British driver (fourth) in the British Formula Ford Championship in '01. In 2000, he won the prestigious Ford Festival World Cup. Bell began his career racing Cadet karts in 1990 earning the British Junior Championship.

The likeable Brit will be a direct competitor to the No. 87 Aston Martin Vantage GT2 in which Drayson and Cocker will race throughout the five-race Le Mans Series schedule.

The addition of Michelin as an official partner is another impressive step forward for the team. Michelin of Europe will supply tyres to Drayson Racing for the full Le Mans Series schedule as well as its three race American Le Mans Series schedule (Sebring, Petit Le Mans and the Monterey Sports Car Championships). It marks the first full season endeavor for Michelin to outfit an Aston Martin Vantage GT2 in the Le Mans Series and the first time Michelin has supplied a GT2- class tyre for the Vantage in the American Le Mans Series. The team will assist Michelin in the tyre's development. Michelin will also be fitted to the Drayson Aston Martin should the team receive an invitation to compete in its first 24 Hours of Le Mans. Invitations will be announced for Le Mans on 26 February.