Aston Martin Takes GTE Pro Title at Le Mans

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June 19, 2017

As the dust settles at Le Mans, France, Aston Martin Racing went on to take top hoors in the GTE Pro Class of this year’s Le Mans 24-Hours Endurance race.

The 85th staging of the iconic endurance tilt witnessed the trio of Jonny Adam, Darren Turner, and Daniel Serra take the top spot as the chequered flag waved to signal the end of the grueling 24 hour contest. Yet victory wasn’t that easy for Team Aston Martin, as we will see them fighting tooth and nail until the home stretch.

The turning point was at the final 45 minute mark, when the Aston Martin V8 Vantage GTE, piloted by Jonny Adam, came in for a final fuel stop.  The race got more exciting as the Aston exited the pit alongside the #63 Corvette. This led to both cars trading places for most of the final minutes. Eventually, Adams and Aston Martin prevailed and took hom the GTE Pro title.

Jonny Adam said, “For Daniel and Darren to put me in that mix to battle for the front was testament to how good the car has been all weekend. To see how well the guys had driven, we had zero mistakes and we did our best to keep the car out of the pits as often as we could and just try and run a consistent pace throughout. It was an extremely tough last stint, we nearly pipped the Corvette on the pit exit in the last hour and when he did get the jump there he was fast. He managed to pull at one point a six to eight car length gap, but our goal was not to give up.  He looked weak in a few corners and I knew I had to capitalise on them and when I got on to his bumper I knew it was now or never if I wanted to win Le Mans. We got it and it was really cool to get him just before the finish line and to see fans in the grandstands and the team on the pit wall celebrating, and it was then just time to bring it home.”

Aston Martin will see action once again this July for the World Endurance Championship at the 6 Hours of Nurburgring.

 

About the Author

Mr. Gerard Jude Castillo
Gerard has been a self-confessed car nut ever since he was a little boy. As a grown-up, he indulges in his passion by collecting toy cars (which he started since childhood) and reading up on the latest cars out there.  As Associate Editor, he will ensure that you get your fill of the latest cars in the market, as well as a load of automotive features.