The Blancpain Endurance Series takes to the track this weekend and Oman Racing team will be hoping for a good showing.
The three hour contest takes place at Silverstone over the bank holiday weekend and the star trio of Ahmad Al Harthy, Michael Caine and Stephen Jelley will be behind the wheel of the Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3.
However, based on a very strong showing in the season opener at Monza last month, the Motorbase Performance squad is targeting a top 10 finish in Sunday’s three hour race.
Despite disappointment in Italy when the Aston Martin was forced to retire due to an electrical problem with just under an hour of the race to run, the squad showed fine form upon its debut in the championship. Now, the added benefit of the home race on the schedule will be another boost to the team heading into back-to-back weekends at Silverstone where a week later, the team will be back in action on the world famous circuit for round four of the British GT Championship.
Although ultimately denied a result in the Monza race, the experience gained in Italy will serve the team well at Silverstone where all three drivers have good track knowledge. The target is to chase a top 10 place on the grid for the second event of the high-profile five-round European series. If everything slots into place, a top 10 finish is firmly within reach against the leading teams and drivers in international GT racing.
Speaking ahead of the weekend, Ahmad Al Harthy, said: “Silverstone GP Circuit is a fantastic track, I always enjoy racing there. We were very unfortunate to miss out on the points at Monza, but the pace we showed – race pace in particular – was very strong and that gives us a lot of confidence going into this race.
“It’s definitely going to be a big weekend for all of the guys at Motorbase and, of course, Michael and Stephen being the British round. Blancpain is an incredibly challenging championship, the competition is of the highest standard and you always have to be at the top of your game.”
Following free practice on Saturday, qualifying is scheduled for 9am on Sunday before the three-hour race gets underway at 2.55pm with live streaming of the race available on the official championship website http://www.blancpain-gt-series.com/endurance/live