The Oman Racing Team were left frustrated in the final round of the 2014 Blancpain Endurance season last weekend at the Nurburgring.

That was despite a fantastic effort from the team in qualifying, changing weather hit Saturday’s qualifying sessions, but tremendous performances from Michael Caine and Ahmad Al Harthy put the team’s Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 eighth overall in a grid of incredibly high standard GT teams and drivers.

Caine made the opening qualifying run and delivered a fantastic performance to set sixth fastest time overall. When added to the strong run by Al Harthy, the Oman car took its best qualifying position of the season with eighth place.

However, Sunday’s six-hour race was hit by thick fog and heavy rainfall, making conditions very tough for the Motorbase Performance-run Oman car. To add to the already  difficult challenge, regular third driver Stephen Jelley was taken unwell and judged unfit to drive early on Sunday morning, with regular MP Motorsport driver Joe Osborne stepping in at the last-minute to cover his final two hour stint.

The run of bad luck continued into the race when unfortunate contact with a Bentley on the opening lap of the race damaged a tyre on the Aston Martin, forcing Caine into the pits. The unscheduled stop put the Motorbase crew on the back-foot from the start before the Vantage suffered an electrical issue that cost the squad significant time and any chance of clawing back a good result. Once back in the race, the team took the decision to gain more experience of a race of this nature and the Aston Martin ran strongly to the flag, finally finishing in 32nd place overall and 11th in the Pro Cup class.

It was a disappointing end to the Motorbase-run outfit’s maiden season in the Blancpain Endurance Series; however the team has put the experience gained to good use with Team Principal David Bartrum already confirming his commitment to the championship with his intentions to return in 2015 with an extended two car line-up.

Speaking after the weekend Bartrum, said: “It was a great weekend for us up until Sunday morning. I’m incredibly proud of the team for getting P8 on the grid and we looked set for a good end to our inaugural Blancpain season and then it all started to go wrong, with Stephen calling in sick, then the weather was awful and Michael’s contact in the opening lap pretty much ended the weekend for us. What started as a promising weekend ended with a fizzle.

“I have to say a big thank you to Dave Wilcox and all at MP Motorsport for kindly lending us Joe Osborne to help out in our moment of need and a very big thank you to Joe for coming and doing a first class job for us. I have thoroughly enjoyed our first year in Blancpain and I do feel we really have unfinished business here. Next year we’ll be back to prove ourselves; hopefully stronger and wiser.”