The #97 Aston Martin Vantage of Maxim Martin and Alex Lynn qualified second on the GTE Pro class grid and 17th overall for tomorrow’s Total 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, whilst Danes Nicki Thiim and Marco Sørensen in the sister #95 Aston Martin are in fifth and 20th overall on the grid for tomorrow’s race.
It has been a year since the Aston Martin Vantage GTE had its FIA WEC debut in Belgium. Since then, the team has enjoyed a strong series of races, with the car performing extremely well and becoming a front-running contender in the championship. The car even managed to get its first victory in China on only its fifth race and took pole position at the previous race in Japan.
The Total 6 Hours of Spa will give Aston Martin Racing its last opportunity to really hone its race preparation ahead of the season-ending Le Mans 24 Hours on the weekend of 15-16 June.
Maxim Martin commented that: “This is GTE Pro racing at its best – it’s a close category and this is the way it goes sometimes. We knew we had a really strong car, but there are others who have a little more straight-line speed than us and that counts for a lot around here – so to be so close was really good. And we know that the weather is looking like it will be very wet tomorrow which suits our car, so we can be confident ahead of the race. I’m really looking forward to it”
Alex Lynn added: “We’ve had the pace all year in this car and we know the Vantage GTE is fast enough to win, because our team-mates have proved it. We are 100% focussed on delivering our maximum in the race.”
John Gaw, Aston Martin Racing Managing Director said: “Regarding the GTE Pro Vantage, we’ve seen a strong performance from the team and the car to bring it into contention for pole position. Once again it demonstrates the potential of the car in both the wet and dry. We’ve looked strong all weekend and with the weather forecasted to be wet we look to the race with a strong sense of optimism.”
The Total 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps begins tomorrow at 13:30 local time.
Author Bio:
Simon Burrell is Editor of Our Man Behind The Wheel, a professional photographer and former saloon car racing driver.
Photographs courtesy of Aston Martin taken by Nick Dungan / Drew Gibson Photography
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