Even though Walkenhorst Motorsport’s Aston Martin debut did not go as planned, the racing team was able to learn a lot for future racing commitments.
The 2024 season of the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Endurance Cup kicked off at the Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet in the south of France. On the former Grand Prix circuit near Marseille, the high-calibre SRO racing series completed a three-hour race in which 54 GT3 cars took part. Walkenhorst Motorsport entered three new Aston Martin Vantage GT3s – the event in the Département Var was also the Melle-based team’s first race outing with the British brand.
In a close and hard-fought qualifying session, the three works drivers David Pittard, Henrique Chaves and Ross Gunn finished twelfth on the grid and were therefore within reach of a good result in the race. Maxime Robin, Romain Leroux and Lorcan Hanafin (#35, Silver Cup) and Timothy Creswick, Mex Jansen and Ben Green (#36, Bronze Cup) also put in strong performances in the three-part qualifying session and were among the top 10 in their respective classes in every segment of qualifying.
Pittard was able to make up a few positions at the start and push the #34 Aston Martin into the top 10. But the joy did not last long: Technical problems forced the Briton to make a lengthy pit stop. Although last year’s winner of the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring was sent back out onto the track, he had to park his car a few laps later with flames, but the factory driver was able to leave the car unharmed.
In the Silver Cup, the two local heroes Leroux and Robin and Brit Lorcan Hanafin showed strong pace and battled with the front runners for the podium positions. A minor technical problem caused the trio to lose touch with the front runners in the final third of the race, but they were able to finish a strong fourth place, allowing the three drivers to collect extremely important points in the championship.
Starting driver Timothy Creswick was spun round in the Bronze Cup car in the early stages and dropped to the back of the field. The Vantage GT3 also suffered damage in the collision, which resulted in a loss of performance. However, the three drivers did not give up and were even able to make up a few positions in the fiercely contested class. In the end, the car finished 13th in the class. Ben Green proved the potential of the car in qualifying. The ADAC GT Masters race winner finished 11th overall in his segment, making him the fastest Aston Martin driver in the qualifying section.
“Unfortunately, we were not able to achieve the result we had hoped for,” said Walkenhorst Motorsport Managing Director Niclas Königbauer. “Nevertheless, we were able to collect extremely important data that will help us in the next races. Our speed was also extremely promising, as we were able to fight for a podium result in the Silver Cup and also put in a strong performance in qualifying! We are going into the upcoming races with confidence!”
The Fanatec GT World Endurance Cup continues on the last weekend in June. The CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa will then be the season highlight of the popular racing series. Two official test days will take place on the Ardennes rollercoaster beforehand.