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A Centenary not to be forgotten: TF Sport clinches its 4th LMGTE Am podium in the 2023 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans!
During an unforgettable edition of the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans, TF Sport managed to get on the second step of the podium in the LMGTE Am class with the Aston Martin Vantage #25 ORT by TF after 24 hours of pure action and adrenaline between the kerbs of the Circuit de La Sarthe. Amid adverse weather conditions, mishaps and battles to the last pitstop, the TF Sport team earned its place in history by fighting its battle with millimetric precision and lucidity even during the adverse situations.
Out of the four cars fielded, it was the #25 Vantage that managed to survive the night of La Sarthe thanks to a masterful driving display by Charlie Eastwood, Ahmad Al Harthy and Michael Dinan and the hard and focused work of the entire crew. Emerged safely from the storms that marked the early stages of the race, the #25 was thus able to continue its race braving the rain and the rivals, stopping only once it reached the second step of the LMGTE Am podium. For TF Sport, this is the fourth consecutive podium finish in the LMGTE Am class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. After victories in 2020 and 2022 and second place in the 2021 edition, the result obtained by ORT's Aston Martin Vantage by TF #25 puts the British team back on the podium of the world's most important endurance race and makes it the only team able to achieve four consecutive top 2 finishes at Le Mans in the LMGTE Am class.
The squad of the Aston Martin Vantage #777 run by D'Station also put on a sensational weekend. Seemingly out of the running at the end of FP1 due to the blameless damage suffered from a collision with an LMP2 car, the Vantage driven by Casper Stevenson, Tomonobu Fujii and Satoshi Hoshino was back in contention thanks to the extraordinary work of the crew. The three drivers paid tribute to the crew's hard work by driving excellently in the difficult wet condition and showing excellent race pace in the LMGTE Am class, until an electronic problem forced them to retire, ending their dreams of glory. The classification unfortunately does not reflect the hard work of the entire team, which was truly outstanding throughout the weekend.
A technical problem then put Racing Team Turkey's Oreca #923 out of action, forcing it to raise the white flag while it was well in contention for the podium in the LMP2 Pro/Am class. Salih Yoluc, Tom Gamble and Dries Vanthoor had delivered a splendid race up to that point, run at the pace of the best crews in the LMP2 class. Unfortunately, a collision with another LMP2 car damaged the Racing Team Turkey car, putting an early end to the chase for the podium as night enveloped the Circuit de La Sarthe. It was not the result we had hoped for, but we are confident that the whole team will come back even stronger, drawing strength from the many positive aspects of the weekend.
An early retirement also knocked out the #72 Aston Martin Vantage, whose crew was having an outstanding race that kept them in contention for victory in the LMGTE Am class. Arnold Robin, Maxime Robin and Valentin Hasse Clot had managed to recover very well in the early stages of the race and were close to the top positions, but unfortunately a slight contact with the barriers damaged the car and prevented it from returning to the pits. It was a real shame, because the three drivers had shown that they had a very good race pace that would have taken them to the top of the standings.
All in all, TF Sport can be proud of the results achieved thanks to the outstanding teamwork. Everyone played its part and contributed to make this weekend a unique one that will remain in history for many years to come.
Tom Ferrier, TF Sport Director:
Out of the four cars fielded, it was the #25 Vantage that managed to survive the night of La Sarthe thanks to a masterful driving display by Charlie Eastwood, Ahmad Al Harthy and Michael Dinan and the hard and focused work of the entire crew. Emerged safely from the storms that marked the early stages of the race, the #25 was thus able to continue its race braving the rain and the rivals, stopping only once it reached the second step of the LMGTE Am podium. For TF Sport, this is the fourth consecutive podium finish in the LMGTE Am class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. After victories in 2020 and 2022 and second place in the 2021 edition, the result obtained by ORT's Aston Martin Vantage by TF #25 puts the British team back on the podium of the world's most important endurance race and makes it the only team able to achieve four consecutive top 2 finishes at Le Mans in the LMGTE Am class.
The squad of the Aston Martin Vantage #777 run by D'Station also put on a sensational weekend. Seemingly out of the running at the end of FP1 due to the blameless damage suffered from a collision with an LMP2 car, the Vantage driven by Casper Stevenson, Tomonobu Fujii and Satoshi Hoshino was back in contention thanks to the extraordinary work of the crew. The three drivers paid tribute to the crew's hard work by driving excellently in the difficult wet condition and showing excellent race pace in the LMGTE Am class, until an electronic problem forced them to retire, ending their dreams of glory. The classification unfortunately does not reflect the hard work of the entire team, which was truly outstanding throughout the weekend.
A technical problem then put Racing Team Turkey's Oreca #923 out of action, forcing it to raise the white flag while it was well in contention for the podium in the LMP2 Pro/Am class. Salih Yoluc, Tom Gamble and Dries Vanthoor had delivered a splendid race up to that point, run at the pace of the best crews in the LMP2 class. Unfortunately, a collision with another LMP2 car damaged the Racing Team Turkey car, putting an early end to the chase for the podium as night enveloped the Circuit de La Sarthe. It was not the result we had hoped for, but we are confident that the whole team will come back even stronger, drawing strength from the many positive aspects of the weekend.
An early retirement also knocked out the #72 Aston Martin Vantage, whose crew was having an outstanding race that kept them in contention for victory in the LMGTE Am class. Arnold Robin, Maxime Robin and Valentin Hasse Clot had managed to recover very well in the early stages of the race and were close to the top positions, but unfortunately a slight contact with the barriers damaged the car and prevented it from returning to the pits. It was a real shame, because the three drivers had shown that they had a very good race pace that would have taken them to the top of the standings.
All in all, TF Sport can be proud of the results achieved thanks to the outstanding teamwork. Everyone played its part and contributed to make this weekend a unique one that will remain in history for many years to come.
Tom Ferrier, TF Sport Director:
“What a race. It was the craziest Le Mans I have ever seen. Definitely a huge disappointment for three of our cars, but also great elation for the Aston #25 crew. Le Mans is always a test and I am very happy to continue our four-year podium streak”
