Le Mans Series

Aston Martin powered LMP1 coupe gains a point

© Planetlemans - Marcel ten Caat

It was a dramatic second round at the 1000 km Monza seeing Jan Charouz and Stefan Mücke finishing eighth in the elite LMP1 one class gaining a valuable one point. The brand new LMP1 coupe powered by Aston Martin led the race after a one hour and 15 minutes but suffered with fuel system issues which resulted in additional time spent in the pits. The Czech-German duo subsequently impressively worked hard and fought back to earn the team a well earned point.

The 20 year old Praguer and 26 year older Berliner team-mates had one of the best race starts at the second Le Mans Series 2008 race at Monza. Finding the team in last position after a long pit stop to rectify a problem with the fuel system Charouz and Mücke did not give up with Mücke even managing to beat his own qualifying time at the end of the race.

The drivers and all members of the Charouz Racing Team are already looking forward to the next race which takes place in a fortnight at Spa-Francorchamps. The new LMP1 ran reliably throughout even though it experienced fuel system issues with both drivers clocking comparable lap times with the turbo diesels in the second half of the race.

Aston Martin Racing has another reason to celebrate as Tomas Enge and Antonio Garcia won the GT1 class with Team Modena in the Aston Martin DBR9.

Stefan Mücke: “Luck was not on our side today. Our car was unbelievably quick and we led the race after one hour and 15 minutes. Our chances to get a podium finish looked good but the car suddenly lost power and nearly stopped. I managed to make it back to the pits safely where the team managed to fix the problem. Jan and I then worked hard to catch up. Fortunately we are evenly matched and managed to fight out a point for eighth place.”

Jan Charouz: “I must say that today was a real challenge. It is very tough as a driver when you experience technical problems. Both Stephan and I had to cope with the same problems during the race. Fortunately the mechanics managed to fix the problem and get us back on the track. We could have finished very high if we had not experienced these problems today, however unfortunately that’s racing.”

Antonin Charouz, Team principal: “The problems with the fuel system dampened down our high, and I think justified, ambitions for the race. It is a big shame but it is part of motorsport. The important thing is that we were not involved in any of the many accidents that occurred on the track today. I was concerned when both drivers were slow because it becomes dangerous; however both drivers managed to negotiate their way back into the pits safely. All in all, I am happy with our consistent times during the whole weekend. We must bear in mind that the car is brand new and some technical gremlins are part of the process.”

George Howard-Chappell, Technical Director of Aston Martin Racing: “Obviously we are disappointed in not getting a better result today, however small teething problems are expected so early on in the programme. We will be persevering and working hard to rectify the small issues we experienced today ready for the next race.”

(BPA sport marketing a. s.)