In a thrilling first half of the first ever Le Mans Series race at Castellet, the Aston Martin 009 LMP1 car is currently running in second position. Official Aston Martin Racing partner Signature Plus continues in fifth overall.
In a spectacular start by Stefan Mücke (GER) who left the grid from third place; a battle between the two front running diesels ensued. Stefan quickly negotiating past both front runners by turn three, stormed into the lead holding it for the following two laps before predictably settling into third. The advantage of the factory diesels was clear on the long Mistral straight.
After 40 minutes a puncture forced Mücke into the pits placing the car in fifth as it returned to the race. He fought his way back up to third and as the second placed diesel had a longer than expected pit stop, Mücke ended his 1h40 stint handing over to Adrian Fernández (MX) in second position.
Fernández had a trouble free 1h40 stint holding second place handing over to Harold Primat (CH) who is currently driving the 009 car which has now completed 126 laps.
Mücke said: “I had great grip right from the beginning allowing me to get off the grid quickly. A couple of mistakes by the lead cars allowed me to pass them both letting me lead the race for a time. The speed differentiation on the straight returned me to third. The car has been running really well and I’m really looking forward to my second stint.”
Fernández said: “It’s slippery out there and there is a lot of pick-up on the tyres, but we maintained good speed despite a demanding drive. The main aim was to stay ahead of the competition.”
The 8 Heures du Castellet will conclude at 19:00 (CET) on Sunday 11th April 2010. Live timing will be available from www.lemans-series.com and live race coverage with Radio Le Mans at www.radiolemans.com.