Podium finish for Gulf in the Algarve
Aston Martin Racing scoops second place in Portuguese leg of Le Mans
The Gulf-liveried Aston Martin Racing team came within a whisker of its second race win of the 2009 Le Mans Series with a hard-fought second place in the Algarve 1000 kilometres in Portugal.
The 007 car crewed by Jan Charouz (CZ), Tomas Enge (CZ) and Stefan Mücke (DE) finished less than a minute and half shy of the works Pescarolo at the end of almost six hours of racing. Apart from an early spin, 007 ran a faultless race in the difficult conditions that a busy track provided, during this first ever night LMS race.
The lead see-sawed between the blue and orange 007 car and the number 16 Pescarolo throughout the race, each trading positions with the other, as they ran slightly different pit stop sequences. Ultimately, it was the Pescarolo that came out on top, leaving Stefan Mücke to bring the Gulf liveried Aston Martin across the line in second place.
007’s Jan Charouz described conditions. “It was fun but very tough. It is a hard track to drive because you have corners and corners and corners. Even on the straights you can’t really relax because it’s so bumpy that you have to hold the steering wheel really tight to make sure the car doesn’t go offline. I got used to the track pretty quickly so the visibility wasn’t really a problem for me.
009, driven by Harold Primat (CH), Miguel Ramos (PT) and Darren Turner (GB) finished a strong fifth, four laps behind – its only problem of note being some slight damage sustained when contact was made with another car during Harold Primat’s first stint.
“We started fifth and we finished fifth. The car was very good but I think like most people, our race wasn’t trouble free,” commented 009 driver, Darren Turner. “I really enjoyed my time on the track especially at the end as the car was really well balanced and we had good pace. The team did another great job in the pit stops.”
Team Principal George Howard-Chappell commented: “The combination of the spin and a small technical fault with the 007 car at the end of the race cost us the victory. I was pleased to see the 009 car come home safely and we are still in the hunt for the championship. Once again the pit work from the team was excellent.”
“Our congratulations once again go to all at Aston Martin Racing on another fine team performance,” enthused Gulf Oil International’s Brand and Marketing Manager, Sam Cork. “It means that the Gulf cars are continuing their strong championship challenge and we are very much looking forward to the next race.”
Germany’s famous Nurburgring circuit plays host to the fifth of the six round Le Mans Series, over the weekend of the 21-23 August.
The attached images show the Gulf-sponsored Aston Martin Racing LMP1 cars in action in Portugal. They are copyright free for editorial use.
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