Three AMR powered crews now confirmed for this weeks Road to Le Mans action
Saturday, June 08, 2024
One of the supports series racing again at this week’s 24 Hours of Le Mans is of course the ACO rules Michelin Le Mans Cup Series who again run a two-race programme at the Circuit de La Sarthe as part of their Road to Le Mans Event.
Full season Le Mans Cup entries from the Blackthorn AMR team are due to make their first two car appearance of the season as team boss Claude Bovet and David McDonald are now due to race alongside that of Martin Berry and Lorcan Hanafin in their two Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT3’s.
Having been forced to skip the opening round of the season in Barcelona in mid-April due to the lack of available new chassis/conversion kits, the Cotswold based team did compete with a single Aston Martin at the next round of the season from Paul Ricard just a month ago. Further testing in recent weeks at Paul Ricard strongly confirmed a two-car entry (as advertised) into this week’s events at Le Mans.
Both Berry and Hanafin already made up 2/3rd of the Grid Motorsport by TF Sport European Le Mans Series entry alongside Jonny Adam within their #97 car but if this new pairing is just a one off or from now on in is yet to be confirmed.
Joining them within the Road to Le Mans GT3 ranks is also another ELMS full season entrant as Derek DeBoer again races alongside AMR factory driver Valentin Hasse-Clot within their #95 Racing Spirit of Leman AMR Vantage GT3 entry as part of a collective eighteen car GT3 entry alongside that of a forty car LMP3 entry.
Previous years has seen previous Aston Martin Racing powered success within the two allotted fifty-five-minute races on Thursday and Saturday and that possibility will again be so this year too as long as everyone can keep things on the tarmac and avoid the sometimes-inevitable Safety Car interventions.
The Heart of Racing team will also be in action within this class with a recuperating Valentin Pierburg showing Gary Newell the way around the circuit, but they will be competing with an SPS Performance prepared Mercedes AMG GT3.
Track action begins on Wednesday morning with Free Practice 1 before Free Practice 2 later into the evening. Two Qualifying sessions Thursday morning will proceed the opening race at 18:30hrs local before race 2 on Saturday morning at 10:35hrs local before the build to the start of the 24hour race itself.
Photo credits – team / series / social media
Track action begins on Wednesday morning with Free Practice 1 before Free Practice 2 later into the evening. Two Qualifying sessions Thursday morning will proceed the opening race at 18:30hrs local before race 2 on Saturday morning at 10:35hrs local before the build to the start of the 24hour race itself.
Photo credits – team / series / social media
