Rounding a total mixed bag of race results from the various Aston Martin Racing powered teams from around the world last weekend, we leave the 24H Series visit to Spa Francorchamps till last!
With three Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT3 crews listed as competing within the second round of the series European calendar, it was still just the #90 E2P Racing entry that was a full season entry as both Comtoyou Racing crews were again just merely guesting at the race opportunity.
After the Mugello opener a few weeks ago, last weekend was another twelve-hour affair split almost equally over the Saturday and Sunday which saw the three Aston Martins claim the third and fourth rows of the grid ahead of the eighteen-car strong grid with Nicolas Baert, Xavier Knauf and Gregory Servais claiming that top honour within their #41 Am classed entry.
The Dutch duo of Tom Coronel and Jan Jaap Van Roon were next quickest in their Comtoyou Racing supported #40 Pro-Am classed entry whilst the #90 E2P Am crew of Pablo Buerguera, Oliver Campos and Antonio Sainero had to make do with their P8 overall/P3 in class starting position ahead of the first six hours of racing.
The opening moments of the race went surprisingly well for the AMR contingent as the #41 grabbed the lead at the end of one early Code 60 period before Coronel swapped positions with the #1 car at the head of the pack at the end of the first hour but at the midway point to Saturday’s course of racing was still the lead Aston with the other two between them in P2 and P15 for the E2P Racing crew.
The #90 crew were then going to hit down again with technical issues that would see Burguera forced to pit from P11 with hours still upon the race clock and although they were soon out again – the car was dropping laps all of the time.
Disaster however struck down the #40 car just half an hour before the end of the opening half to the race as Coronel pitted from fifth to hand over to Jaap Van Roon. On his outlap, the gentleman driver suffered some kind of malfunction within the car that sent him straight on into the tyre wall and barrier at Bruxelles – sustaining serious damage to the front end in the process. It did appear that the front right may not have been connected properly immediately before impact.
At the halfway stage, the #41 Comtoyou was still supporting a healthy P3 overall position whilst the #90 car, but problems soon came around for the #41 car as the grid formed up for Sundays concluding six and a half hours. Failing to make the restart, the team were seen still working upon the car as the race resumed without them but at least the #90 E2P Racing entry did make the restart.
Baert was later interviewed to be very disappointed with the matter as the mechanics struggled to identify and resolve the issue within the car, but it was all to no avail class wise at least.
Despite the good early running, the final results were not what anyone would want to see as the #40 Comtoyou Racing Am classed entry was confirmed as a DNF after their Saturday night accident although their sister #40 car was eventually listed as a P28 overall/ P8 in class finisher albeit forty-three laps down to the winners. The #90 crew eventually finished slightly further ahead in P26 overall / P7 in their class – thirty-nine laps down.
Photo credits – 24H Series