News Story

12/06/2010 23:58:00

After nine hours: Aston Martins maintain a strong pace at Le Mans

As midnight came and went, the two Works Aston Martin drivers who started the race were back behind the wheel of the Gulf-liveried LMP1 cars. Aston Martin 007, guided through the darkness by Stefan Mücke, held seventh place while Darren Turner maintained eighth in the 009 machine.

Both cars have demonstrated exemplary reliability, unlike many high-profile LMP1 rivals who have encountered problems.

All the drivers have now experienced some stints behind the wheel of their cars, and with cooler temperatures, better grip, and greater familiarity with the circuit, the lap times are falling as expected.

As daylight turned to darkness, Harold Primat was at the wheel of 007. He had no problems throughout his run although he had to endure a period behind the safety car. “I had a good run,” he said after he finished his stint and headed off for a well-deserved rest until the early hours of the morning when he is due to take over the car again. “I sat behind a safety car for part of my stint and had some trouble with oil on my windscreen, but overall the car seems to be running very reliably and it’s comfortable to drive. I had a little contact with another car but there was no damage. Visibility is always difficult as the sun sets, but we continue on.”

At 21:27 he handed over to Mücke – who continues to make excellent progress, having climbed as high as fifth after one of the top diesel runners hit trouble.

Juan Barazi soon settled into a rhythm in the 009 car, handing over to Turner at 21:46. It was the first time that Barazi had driven the Aston Martin LMP1 car in earnest, but even in the fading light he stuck to a safe pace and experienced no problems; “We’ve been trying to keep a good constant pace and our aim is to be the fastest petrol car here, so my main objective was to continue without any dramas,” he commented. “I’m pleased to say it went very well. This is my first race in this car so I am just adjusting myself to the different weight compared to the LMP2 machine I was used to, but it’s pretty easy to drive.”

Live race coverage can be found at www.astonmartin.com and www.astonmartinracing.com with additional behind the scenes updates on Facebook; www.facebook.com/astonmartin and through Twitter at www.twitter.com/astonmartin. Eurosport will be broadcasting live throughout the week, while coverage with Radio Le Mans can be found at: www.radiolemans.com.

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