The Aston Martin DBR9 racecar and two of its drivers, David Brabham and Darren Turner, enjoyed an unaccustomed day out when they visited the corporate headquarters of one of the team’s key partners, the Intercontinental Hotel Group in Windsor.
The racecar was parked outside the building for photographs all day, while David, Darren and some of the mechanics had their audience gripped by some high-speed practice pit stops.
Intercontinental’s staff also had the opportunity to test drive Aston Martin’s road cars and chat to the drivers about the endurance test they will face at Le Mans in just over a month’s time. A number of people from Intercontinental Hotels will be there to see it happen, but for those who won’t be, this was a unique opportunity to witness the team at work.
“That was the best part of the whole day,” commented David Brabham. “We got to meet people that we normally wouldn’t have met, and showed them what we do. It was all about bringing the spectacle to the people, rather than the other way round. Even if you go to Le Mans, it’s unlikely you’d ever see a pit stop from that close.”
“Absolutely,” agreed his team mate Darren Turner. “These are some of the key people who make our racing possible, so it’s always a pleasure to come here and try to put on a bit of a show.”
A driver change – whether it’s in the hectic Le Mans pit lane or the leafy suburbs of Windsor – is normally over in less than 39 seconds: the time taken to refuel the DBR9. “We try to do everything in the fuel window,” explained David “You can go on a bit longer, but when the crew is putting tyres on it’s helpful if there’s somebody already in the car to hold the steering wheel straight.”
In the drive of Intercontinental’s corporate HQ, Darren and David simulated the whole process – from the moment that the car stops to the minute it gets going again.
“There’s a very specific way to get into and out of the car quickly,” said Darren. It might look like a bit of a scrum, but there’s a definite system! It’s important to do it quickly, as it’s so hard to make up any time you lose in the pits on the track.”
The staff of the Intercontinental Hotel Group were certainly impressed, but as the group’s Chief Marketing Officer Peter Gowers explained, it meant a lot more than just entertainment.
“The experience gives us a chance to energise the whole company by directly engaging them behind the sponsorship,” he commented. “That’s one of the big benefits of partnership with Aston Martin Racing. We use it to great effect internally, by comparing our hotels to the cars and our managers to the drivers. It’s a very vivid metaphor.”
For the Intercontinental Hotel Group, those pit stops are a fascinating example of how to work together in a high-pressure environment. For David and Darren, it’s just one step closer to the real thing…