Opening ELMS round at Paul Ricard set to be a scorcher

Saturday, July 18, 2020

Returning to the series for the first time with their new turbo charged GTE race car, Aston Martin Racing nearly came away with a class pole with their GTE after a pair of flying laps from their new Gold rated factory driver Ross Gunn.

Joining the feeder series for the sole purpose of lifting the race craft of their long term customer and gentleman driver Paul Dalla Lana before the return of the World Endurance Championship later in August, it has been the work of both Gunn and Mathias Lauda to set up the #98 AMR Vantage for the Canadian businessman throughout the week at the official Prologue before his arrival at the circuit on Friday.

Over the five session of the Prologue earlier in the week, the #98 car ran with a best lap time of 1:52:959 before Gunn elevated that time to be quickest of the nine GTE runners with a 1:51:507 in the second and final Free Practice session yesterday. Dalla Lana also pushed his comfort zone from is Bronze Driver test time of 1:55:350 down to 1:53:912 in the same session as the team and drivers became more used to the spec Goodyear tyres around the Le Castellet circuit.

Running with Gunn in the car against some formidable factory driver opposition in this afternoon ten minute Qualifying session, Gunn literally went off with bang to claim the top slot on the timing board by the halfway stage. Setting a fastest time of 1:51:745 over this two flying laps, the #98 car was finale pipped at the line by the #74 Kessel Racing Ferrari as the third from last car to take the chequered flag by just 0.0163 of a second.