Gulf’s endurance pedigree
Drivers set to follow in the footsteps of racing greats
Silverstone has been the scene of fulfilled and broken dreams for many years and the drivers bearing the orange disc of Gulf have been no exception.With the Gulf-branded 007 and 009 Lola Aston Martin's set to compete this weekend in the headline event of the Le Mans Series, the 1,000km of Silverstone, there can be no better occasion to look back on the life and times of Gulf in endurance racing.
Success at the home of British Motorsport has been limited for Gulf drivers, but that did not stop them making an impact further afield in the World Sportscar Championship.
One of the crowning glories was the victory of Brit Derek Bell and Jacky Ickx at the Le Mans 24 hours in June 1975. From the head of the grid they secured the chequered flag in the greatest endurance race of all.
For Ickx it was no unusual feeling, he had previously won the prestigious la Sarthe event in 1969, this time alongside another great UK talent, Jackie Oliver.
That achievement followed Gulf's first Le Mans triumph 12 months before, this time the honours going to Mexican Pedro Rodriguez and Belgian Lucien Bianchi.
More recently, the Gulf Aston Martin Racing team of Jan Charouz, Tomáš Enge and Stefan Mücke secured the Le Mans Series title with a third place finish at Silverstone almost exactly 12 months ago. They finished every round of the Series on the podium.
This weekend, the challenge of completing a Silverstone victory falls to Adrian Fernandez, Harold Primat and Andrew Meyrick in 007, and Juan Barazi and Briton Sam Hancock in sister car 009.
Competing in the LMP1 class, it will be a difficult task, but far from an impossible one.
"Everybody associated with Gulf in the UK cannot wait for the weekend," explains Keith Jewers, Director, Gulf Retail. "Silverstone is a special circuit, one that provides excitement and great racing."
"Even though we are conscious that generally, Silverstone has not been our happiest hunting ground, we know the Aston Martin Racing team will do us proud."
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