The Oman Racing Team celebrated a historic podium result in the fifth annual Gulf 12 hours event on the world-famous Yas Marina Circuit, UAE on Friday.

Qualifying on pole position thanks to an outstanding performance by Ahmad Al Harthy alongside Aston Martin works drivers Jonny Adam and Darren Turner; the Motorbase-run squad, based in Wrotham, went on to secure an impressive third place finish in the 12 hour contest.

The weekend also marked a rewarding debut for the Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3, with the Oman Racing Team claiming silverware for the marque on the manufacturer’s maiden appearance in the event.

“I’m absolutely delighted with the podium result;” said David Bartrum, Oman Racing Team and Motorbase Performance Team Principal.

“We knew that we’d be competitive, but to secure pole on our debut in this event far outperformed my expectations and the podium was the perfect reward for all of the team’s efforts this year.”

“We’ve had fantastic support once again from the people of Oman and it was amazing to have been able to race in front of Ahmad’s home crowd and to give them cause to celebrate.”

“Ahmad, Jonny and Darren all did an excellent job – the whole team was on point this week and that showed in the results;” continued Bartrum. “The Gulf 12 hours is a great event and one that deserves far bigger exposure, it’s probably one of the best kept secrets in the motorsport calendar.

“It was a great debut for Aston Martin and we’ve shown that the Oman Racing Team is serious about competing at an International level.”

Starting from pole, Adam took the opening stint in the #44 Vantage and was immediately under pressure for the lead from both Black Falcon Mercedes before an opening lap incident resulted in a long safety car period and the Aston settled back into third as the racing got back underway.

Switching between third and fourth spots as the second hour of the race progressed; Oman-backed Al Harthy enjoyed a closely fought battle with the #1 Mercedes before handing back to Adam for the final part of the opening six hour stage.

With the final six hours of the race under the Yas Marina floodlights; the Oman Racing Team continued its push for the podium spot with AMR works driver Turner behind the wheel. As the lead pack pulled away from the rest of the field, another safety car incident with just over 3 hours left on the clock allowed the Vantage to close in with Al Harthy back in control of the Aston.

Holding position as the race entered the closing stages, the race was red-flagged with 15 minutes remaining on the clock due to an incident involving two Ferrari’s. With officials declaring the results final, the Oman Racing Team celebrated a superb podium finish on its debut at the Yas Marina Circuit and the perfect end to its 2015 GT campaign.

Pictures supplied by Foto Speedy.