NEWS
11.09.11
Successful penultimate Le Mans Series round for Jota Sport AMR
Jota Sport AMR scored an 11th place finish in the penultimate round of this season’s Le Mans Series after Simon Dolan, Sam Hancock and Chris Buncombe produced a battling performance at the 6 Hours of Silverstone.
The British trio displayed impressive pace throughout free practice but were left wondering what might have been in qualifying after Hancock's best run was spoiled by a yellow flag, placing the #79 entry 11th on the grid.
Hancock began the race with a two-hour double stint, producing some of the most competitive lap times set by the British team aboard their Aston Martin Vantage GT2 so far this season. He then handed over to Dolan, who belied his limited experience with two mistake-free stints. Buncombe took the wheel for the final third of the race, closing on the tenth place Ferrari as the chequered flag neared.
Sam Hancock: “I am really happy with the pace we have shown today as in my first stint we were matching the class-leading cars. Half way through my second stint I was hit by a Ferrari exiting turn 3, which consequently affected the steering. After that I was forced to drive with a margin of safety and, to add insult to injury, I was hit on the other side by a Formula Le Mans car. It was an aggressive race but that's the nature of the series: the prototypes expect all other cars to move out of their way. Still, I am really pleased with how we performed. Sadly we recently lost a close friend and colleague in Andy Wilkinson and I hope that, wherever he was watching from, we have made him proud today.”
Simon Dolan: “Initially I found myself in traffic but overall the first of my two consecutive stints was great. I was really pleased with the speed of the car and fortunately I only felt minor affects of the earlier incident. However, by the second stint the tyres were well worn and we consequently dropped a few places, which was naturally very frustrating. That said it has been superb driving in front of the home crowd and I have thoroughly enjoyed having my friends and family supporting us from the paddock.”
Chris Buncombe: “It was great to have such a substantial amount of time in the car - the double stint was a good opportunity to really understand the balance of the Vantage. It was unfortunate that the Ferrari in front was too far ahead for us to challenge but I think that underlines just how competitive the GTE Pro class is. Overall the whole team did a really great job.”
Sam Hignett, Team Principal: “I can take great pride from the team’s achievements this weekend. The car ran faultlessly and there wasn’t a single mistake from the drivers, each of whom drove their best stints of the season. Our thanks must also go to Dunlop and all of our sponsors for their continuing support. Finally, it was great to host Andy Wilkinson's family this weekend. They were a pleasure to have around and should be thoroughly proud of all the hard work Andy contributed to the team.”
Jota Sport AMR will now prepare for the Le Mans Series season finale at Portuguese circuit Estoril on September 24-25.