24h Le Mans
Although the 6 Hours of Fuji saw a closely-fought battle in the two prototype classes, it was not at all the case in LM GTE Am as the winners were more than a lap ahead of the runners-up at the chequered flag.
In winning by more than a lap, the performance of the #98 Aston Martin Vantage team is so rare that it deserves a special mention. Since the 2016 World Endurance Championship (WEC) season began, Paul Dalla Lana, former Peugeot works driver Pedro Lamy, and Mathias Lauda, son of ex-F1 world champion Niki Lauda, have chalked up four class wins and as many pole positions.
However, they only lie second in the race for the FIA Endurance Trophy for GT Am Drivers, 33 points behind the leaders. This is in no small part due to the #98 Aston Martin’s failure to finish at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June – a race that counts for double points. With 52 points still up for grabs, the season is not over yet but Rui Águas, Emmanuel Collard (two overall second places and two class wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans) and François Perrodo will be difficult to catch. Although the trio only won at the season’s opener at Silverstone, they scored the 50 points awarded to the winner at Le Mans as the first WEC entrant to cross the finish line. They have also displayed remarkable consistency with six podiums in seven rounds.
Back in third placed, David Heinemeier Hansson and Khaled Al Qubaisi have just one win to their name, at Austin. They and the Aston Martin Racing lineup are the only ones who can still contemplate upsetting the plans of the AF Corse trio.
The situation is identical in the Teams standings. AF Corse with 155 points lead Aston Martin Racing by 33 points and Abu Dhabi-Proton Racing by 41 points. Larbre Compétition, KCMG and Gulf Racing are now out of the running for the trophy.
The penultimate round – the 6 Hours of Shanghai – will be held on 6 November, ahead of the season finale in Bahrain on 19 November.
Full results of the 6 Hours of Fuji
Photo (credit: Gabi Tomescu – AdrenalMedia.com/FIA WEC): The LM GTE Am field hot on the heels of Dempsey-Proton Racing’s Porsche (LM GTE Pro) at the start of the 6 Hours of Fuji.
