Hydrogen-powered Rapide S racer runs in a shakedown ahead of next month's 24-hour event
The first hydrogen-powered lap of the Nürburgring VLN circuit has been completed by Aston Martin CEO Dr Ulrich Bez.
He was driving the latest Aston race car, the Hybrid Hydrogen Rapide S, in a test run before the Nürburgring 24 Hours.
With the formal zero-emissions record attempt scheduled for three weeks away, Aston Martin used Saturday's four-hour ADAC ACAS H&R-Cup VLN series race as a shakedown event. The Rapide S ran without fault, completing its qualifying lap and finishing the race on hydrogen.
The car has been built in partnership with Alset Global. Two storage tanks hold 3.5kg of hydrogen each at 350bar, which are refilled at the same time as the petrol tank. The Rapide's 6.0-litre, twin-turbo V12 has been tweaked so it can run on any arbitrary combination of the two fuels or either one solely.
Of the lap, Ulrich Bez said: “We have written a little motorsport history... and, of course, it bodes extremely well for our participation in the 24 Hours of Nürburgring in three weeks’ time.”
David King led development of the Hybrid Hydrogen Rapide S and added: “This achievement should leave no one in any doubt that the system we have developed with Alset Global is a viable and exciting option for the future.”
Aston Martin will campaign the Hybrid Hydrogen Rapide S in the E1-XP experimental class at the Nürburgring 24 Hours. The race takes place on 19-20 May.
Matt Bird