Walkenhorst Motorsport made its debut at Brands Hatch in the GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Sprint Cup, with the Aston Martin racing team demonstrating good race pace.
Walkenhorst Motorsport broke new ground at Brands Hatch in the United Kingdom, with the Lower Saxony-based team competing in the GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Sprint Cup for the first time. Aston Martin factory driver Henrique Chaves and youngster Mateo Villagomez from Ecuador drove the Aston Martin Vantage GT3, which started in the Pro class.
‘The track at Brands Hatch reminded us of our motorsport home, the Nordschleife. Lots of fast corners with banked turns, hardly any run-off areas and an incredible amount of character,’ explained team owner Henry Walkenhorst.
The team used the practice sessions to get the best possible feel for the special conditions of the track in Kent. Due to a heavy accident involving a competitor, the team lost another 20 minutes of the planned 120 minutes of practice time. Nevertheless, Henrique Chaves qualified in a strong tenth place for the second race. Mateo Villagomez started the first race from 22nd on the grid.
In the first race, the South American initially made up a few positions before the team lost some ground during the mandatory pit stop. Due to the narrow pit lane on the traditional circuit, the Aston Martin was unable to get into the correct position after a competitor’s pit stop and lost a lot of time as a result. Ultimately, the car with start number #35 finished the race in 25th place.
The second race went well for the team, as Chaves made up two positions on the opening lap and defended eighth place until the pit stop. Mateo Villagomez also defended a strong points finish in his half of the race and was initially classified in seventh place at the end of the race. However, due to a minor infringement during the pit stop, the car was subsequently given a 5-second time penalty, which dropped it out of the points and into 17th place.
‘I am very satisfied with our performance on the track this weekend. We did a flawless job and were able to set a strong pace, especially in the second race. Unfortunately, we lost a well-deserved top ten result on the track due to an unfortunate penalty. We are already looking forward to the next race in Zandvoort and will implement what we have learned there,’ said Managing Director Jörg Breuer.
The GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Sprint Cup continues in just two weeks. The second race weekend will take place in Zandvoort in the Netherlands. The GP circuit is located directly in the dunes, not far from the Dutch North Sea coast. Last year, the team scored its first podium finish in the ADAC GT Masters on the famous circuit.