Driven consecutively by Richie and Darren, the Aston Martin Vantage V8 car #97 overcame all competitors in its class and brought the team their first victory in the FIA WEC 2016 at the Rodríguez Brothers Racetrack in Mexico. With this win, the Aston Martin Racing team returned to lead the GTE Pro class, and driver Darren Turner climbed to first place in the racer individual ranking.
The weekend in Mexico passed successfully for Aston Martin Racing. After Saturday’s qualification, both cars ended up at the front of the starting grid, and succeeded in reaching 1st and 3rd place in the GT ranking the next day. The 6-hour race was held under light rain, yet the crew of #95 handled the track and the weather brilliantly to decide the results of the race.
Race winners in the GT rankings commented on their performance.
Darren Turner:
What a race! So much happened there! I think the key moment was Richie’s driving in wet track conditions, when we used the slicks. That gave us a serious advantage and reversed the course of the race. It was a great result for us all.
Richie Stanaway:
The car kept nice this weekend, and I hoped for a calm race. Luckily, when the rain started, we had good headroom and managed changing conditions on the track. Dunlop did a good job with the tyres, and I am happy that we got the victory for Aston Martin Racing.
The race was a struggle. For the first 3 hours, Aston Martin ultimately kept the lead, but then, #95’s Dutch crew of Nikki Tim and Marco Sorensen lost its positions; after a minor incident on the track, the car needed body repairs.
Nikki took a chance to regain a place at the podium for himself and his partner, and made it to third place with a great result. But Dutch hopes for more are fated in the United States at the next race in Austin, Texas, the 17th of September.
Aston Martin Racing regained its leader’s role in the Championship, but the struggle continues. The crew stands only 3 points from second place, now held by Ferrari. In the individual ranking the competition is even harder: Darren Turner leads with 86 points, but another five racers already have 80 or more points.
The fight still lies ahead. We wish Aston Martin Racing victory in the Championship!
