Arriving at the weekend looking to build on the solid opening races in Dubai, the purple and yellow #69 Vantage GT3 was firmly on the pace to qualify at the sharp end of the 23-car GT3 grid. The best qualifying result of the championship saw Sam take the start of race 3 from 4th on the grid, and a rapid getaway gained two positions before the end of the opening laps. Sam then defended hard before halfway through his opening stint when the race came under full course yellow caution, and a number of the other leaders opted to stop. Sam maintained the planned strategy and remained on track, moving up the order and eventually drawing his stint to a close just past the hour mark, running 2nd. As pitstops and strategies played out over the remaining 3 hours, the Sam’s teammates made steady progress up the order. Sam’s performance over the longer opening stint allowed the team to optimise the strategy into the final hour, and the #69 Vantage GT3 was in a position to continue the fight to the chequered flag, making up five positions during the final hour to cross the line in 5th.

Sam was, once again, at the wheel for the start of the season finale, and it was hard battling across the GT grid as the lights went out. A chaotic opening lap saw changes in the order, and Sam was forced into taking avoiding action to prevent contact which initially lost positions. Undeterred, Sam fought back with a determined drive battling the championship leader before action was brought under full course caution just before the hour mark. Reacting to the opportunity, the team made the call for Sam to pit, bringing his final stint of the season to a conclusion running in 8th. Further progress was made during Ahmad’s stint, but it was heavily interrupted with full course yellow periods, which presented strategic opportunities for the team to roll the dice approaching the closing stages.  As the race approached the final hour, the Safety Car was scrambled following an incident and, as several the lead crews opted to pit, Charlie pressed on and gained track position. Running in clear air and as pitstops cycled through, the #69 Vantage GT3 inherited the race lead before a final pitstop with half an hour remaining. With fresher tyres fitted and a determination to end the season on a high, Charlie battled through the field to move back through the field, taking three places in the closing laps and crossing the line in 4th place.

The results across the weekend signed off Sam’s championship debut in style with the #69 Oman Racing with TF Sport crew as the top performing Aston Martin across the four races.

“Overall, it was a great start to the new season, and it is really good to be back out on track. We were unlucky with the various safety cars and full course yellow periods across both races this weekend, and they didn’t quite work out with our strategies, but the Oman Racing with TF Sport crew were faultless throughout and the car felt great. We held our own with good pace, getting stronger with each race, and were in the mix all the way up until the end. It would have been great to have had a trophy to show for the efforts, but we got the most out of the car over the races and pleased we were the quickest of the Astons.”