Aston Martin Racing triumphs over adversity for Spa podium
Jaeger-LeCoultre greets the performance of its Official Partner
On May 9, 2009. the 007 Aston Martin Racing LMP1 car of Jan Charouz (CZ), Tomas Enge (CZ) and Stefan Mücke (GER) has finished on the podium of the 1000 Km of Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium following a magnificent fightback after the team started from the back of the grid.
The 007 crew failed to set a qualifying time on Saturday as the result of a mechanical problem, which saw the Aston Martin Racing mechanics work late into the night to replace the car’s engine in readiness for today’s six-hour race.
Nonetheless a superlative performance from all three drivers throughout an incident-packed race, plus a well-deserved fifth place for the sister 009 car, has resulted in Aston Martin Racing adding to its Le Mans Series team points total following victory at the opening round in Barcelona last month for the 1000 Km of Catalunya. This was despite strong opposition from diesel-powered rivals that turned out to have a significant performance advantage on the seven-kilometre Spa circuit, located in the heart of the Ardennes Mountains. Although this region of Belgium is noted for its changeable weather, conditions remained warm and dry for the 143-lap race.
The next competitive outing for the Aston Martin Racing team will be its biggest challenge of the year: the daunting Le Mans 24 Hours itself, on June 13-14. Jaeger-LeCoultre, which has been partnering the prestigious British automobile Manufacturer since 2004, will present a new AMVOX Racing model to mark this auspicious occasion. Stay tuned...
Extended coverage of the Jaeger-LeCoultre-Aston Martin Racing Partnership and the 1000 Km of Spa-Francorchamps is available in
LeClub.