Aston DBR9 just misses win in thrilling Tourist Trophy

05 Jun 2011

Marking the first time Silverstone’s impressive new pit and paddock complex had been used, the RAC Tourist Trophy race for GT1 cars over June 4th/5th was hotly contested. After Aston Martin and Nissan had proved to be the main protagonists in Saturday’s one hour qualifying race, when the Young Driver AMR DBR9 of Tomas Enge/Alex Müller won by just 1.8 seconds from Michael Krumm/Lucas Luhr in the JR Motorsports Skyline GT-R, hopes were high that Aston Martin could make amends for being disqualified from victory in last year’s TT for a technical infringement; Mike Hezemans/Andreas Zuber were a distant third in their Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Backing up the lead DBR9 had been the Hexis AMR car of Stef Dusseldorp/Clivio Piccione in fifth and Christian Hohenadel/Andrea Piccini with 10th in the sister Hexis DBR9, while the other Young Driver Aston of Stefan Mucke/Darren Turner finished 15th having completed just one lap.

From the moment the flag fell for the 60 minute TT on Sunday it was to be a battle all the way to the finish. Enge led from the start and stayed ahead of the shadowing Krumm until the midway point and the pit stops for refuelling and driver change, the DBR9 taking the opportunity to refuel while the safety car was on the track. So too, though, had the Nissan and Luhr then managed to get out just in front of Müller – only for the Aston to pass the Nissan on the out lap before Luhr almost immediately regained the initiative. Thereafter the two GTs ran nose to tail for the remaining laps with Luhr surviving a last ditch attempt by Müller to snatch victory, the Skyline-GTR crossing the line a mere 0.22 seconds ahead of the DBR9.

Third place went to the Corvette Z06 of Hezemans/Zuber, with the Hexis DBR9 of Dusseldorp/Piccione fourth and the Hohenadel/Piccini sister car 13th in the 16 car field. The sister Young Driver Aston, meanwhile, had continued its troublesome weekend. Westbrook in the other JR Nissan had pushed the DBR9 of Mucke off the track while trying to pass; Mucke rejoined and caught the Nissan, contact was made and the Aston again went off the track. Both cars would finish 18 laps down on the leaders, the DBR9 15th and the Skyline in last place.