Posts from — Giugno 2009

Dopo un impegnativo ma entusiasmante 24 Ore, Anthony e la squadra del 008 Aston Martin – Darren Turner (ck) e Jos Verstappen (NL) - Ha tagliato il traguardo del leggendario Le Mans 24 Ore di gara. Anthony goduto il suo primo assaggio della LMP1 Categoria, e messo in una buona prestazione – qualificazione del 008 nono auto in un solo volo giro sul suo primo stint con gomme nuove in Aston, e ad un certo punto il Sabato sera salire più in alto terzo in classifica generale gara.

Come previsto, il motore diesel auto godeva di un margine di superiorità, ma Aston Martin Racing compiuto la sua missione di essere la prima casa con l'auto a benzina 007 perché, avendo anche stato il più veloce delle auto a benzina durante le qualifiche su Giovedi notte. Anthony qualificata la 008 car in ninth place for the start of the 77th Le Mans 24 Ore, despite never having driven the car in qualifying trim before. This was also in spite of extremely limited dry running before qualifying, as the six-hour long free practice session on Wednesday was hit by heavy rain.

Anthony enjoyed a strong first stint in the car, a triple stint which started around 7pm.  Driving at sunset and into the dark, Anthony managed to run as high as P3 and a lap ahead of the sister 007 Aston Martin, which went on to finish 4th.  After his first driver change Anthony was out of the car when the 008 car lost time at around 10pm following a collision with a GT1 car at Tertre Rouge. The effect of this was to damage the suspension and floor, which necessitated several visits to the pits to repair. Furthermore, the crew was handed a five-minute stop-and-go penalty in relation to the incident, which was taken in the early hours of Sunday morning. Afterwards, 008 was amongst the quickest petrol-powered cars in the race, but it subsequently lost time with several mechanical problems relating to the gearbox and brakes. It was eventually classified 13th, having followed the 007 car across the line on Sunday in a spectacular formation finish. il 008 crew completed 342 giri, with all the drivers delighted to get to the finish of this epic race.

Says Anthony:

“It’s been an absolutely great experience… I’ve been really impressed with the performance we’ve shown here and I hope we’ve surprised a few people with our speed. It’s been fantastic to be part of the Aston Martin team and I think between us all we’ve put on a great show. We ran as high as third overall and I think had we experienced no problems, then we could have challenged for the podium.”