Aston takes two podium places at N24

Aston is over the moon with a two-three class finish at the ‘Ring 24 hour race!

Possible the most unusual entry into this years event, the four-door Rapide, claimed second spot in the SP8 class and 35th place overall, while a bright green V12 Vantage nicknamed ‘Kermit’ finished third in the same class and 40th overall from 199 starters - a staggering performance when you consider both racers are lightly modified versions of production cars.

The Rapide, piloted amongst others by Aston CEO Dr Ulrich Bez was the most consistent car in the race, starting third in class on the grid and staying there for most of the 24 hours before moving up a spot close to the end. It managed to complete 134 laps at an average speed of 84.3mph.

It was quite as smooth running for the V12 Vantage, driven in part by EVO contributor Richard Meaden, which led the class easily for the first 18 hours of the race, but ran into problems when its drive shaft failed and it had to limp back to the pits.

Kermit returned to the action still 16 minutes later still leading the class, but almost immediately had to stop out on the track with a fuel pump failure. That’s when an unlikely hero was called into action… The Cygnet!

The team decided the Toyota IQ-based Aston was the quickest way to get out of the crowded paddock and to Dr Bez’s DBS parked nearby. This was used to zip around the outside the track and tow the Vantage back to the pits, where the problem was rectified. Stunning final stints from Richard Meaden, Chris Porritt and Oliver Mathai brought the car back to third place in the class.

The SP8 class, which included the Lexus IS-F driven by Auto Express road tester Owen Mildenhall, was eventually won by a Gazoo Racing-run Lexus LF-A.