Aston Martin aiming for LMGTE Pro victory in Fuji
After recording four consecutive podium finishes and a qualifying pole position in both São Paulo and Bahrain, Aston Martin Racing has its sights set firmly on the top step of the LMGTE Pro podium in the 6 Hours of Fuji.
The No.97 Vantage GTE will once again be driven by works Aston Martin drivers Darren Turner and Stefan Mücke. The Anglo-German pairing have demonstrated great pace and reliability to date, and are hoping that the recent changes in LMGTE Pro regulations will allow them to translate that promise into victory for the iconic British manufacturer.
The team is confident that its car will suit the characteristics of the fast circuit, particularly the long 1.5 mile straight, and like all the other competitors who will take the start for Sunday’s race it will use the additional day of testing (Wednesday, 10th October) to work on an optimum set up for the car.
John Gaw, Team Principal: “Now that the fuelling issue has been balanced by the organisers, we should only need to pit five times in a six hour race, which is in line with our rivals. We will aim to be ahead of the rest of the GTE Pro field as we head into the final stint; we’ll use the class-leading pace of the Vantage GTE to get us into that position. If there are no hiccups, our pace should allow us to win the race.”
Darren Turner, No.97 Aston Martin Vantage GTE: “We had a good chance to go for the win at Bahrain and I think that will continue on to Fuji. Neither myself or Stefan has raced there before but we have a test on the Wednesday prior to the race so it will be one of the few times we have plenty of mileage before the race weekend starts. We’re still playing catch up to the Ferrari but we can at least take the fight to them now so everything is still to play for and we will go out there to try and achieve the Aston Martin Vantage GTE’s first win.”
Stefan Mücke, No.97 Aston Martin Vantage GTE: “I’ve never driven at Fuji Speedway before and it’s always exciting to head to a new circuit. The only time I’ve raced in Japan was in 2009 when we won at Okayama in the Aston Martin DBR1-2 LMP1 car – hopefully we can win here again, to continue my Japanese racing success rate! I think we can do it. Obviously, there are so many things that can happen in a six hour race that you can’t be sure, but we have the fastest car and certainly have the ability to win here.”
Fiona Miller (quotes from Aston Martin Racing press release)
Photo: SAKHIR (BAHRAIN), BAHRAIN INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT, 6 HOURS OF BAHRAIN, SATURDAY, 29TH SEPTEMBER 2012, RACE. The No.97 Aston Martin Vantage GTE is looking for its first LMGTE Pro victory in the 6 Hours of Fuji.
