Hot off the heels of victory in the opening round of the European Le Mans Series at Silverstone and a double podium in the British GT championship at Oulton Park, TF Sport added further silverware to its collection on Sunday afternoon (23 April, 2017) at Monza with victory in the Pro-Am Blancpain Endurance Cup.
“For Oman Racing with TF Sport to win on its debut in Blancpain is mind blowing,” said TF Sport Director Tom Ferrier. “The level of the championship is so strong. Going into the weekend I just wanted strong points, so to achieve this surpassed expectations. We are on the crest of a wave as a team at present. We have improvements to make in all areas so I know we can be stronger.”
Competing as Oman Racing with TF Sport, Jonny Adam and Ahmad Al Harthy teamed up for their first race of the season together in the #97 Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3. Practice saw both drivers working race setup initially before switching to qualifying setup and they carried that momentum in qualifying where Ahmad Al Harthy and Adam were seventh and quickest overall in the class.
The three-hour race saw Ahmad Al Harthy compete a double stint, surviving a dramatic first lap incident whilst fending off the attentions of the #911 Porsche. The team battled a small fuel rig issue which allowed the #11 Kessel Racing entry to pass in the second stop, before Adam took over for the final stint and with over a ten second deficit to the leading Pro-Am #11. With a flurry of fastest laps, Adam closed the deficit and in a late race shoot out, gained the position and with it the Pro-Am race win and eighth position overall.
“It’s been a great weekend for TF Sport and Oman Racing,” said Adam. “Qualifying was very important and to get seventh and first in class set us up nicely for the three-hour race. Ahmad’s first two stints were very impressive and gave us track position.
“The last 30 minutes was a big push to catch the Pro-Am leader. I was relieved to get by in the dying moments of a tough race but the team gave me a fast and perfectly handing Aston Martin GT3. I am happy for Ahmad and all of his partners at Oman Racing as we’ve been working hard to achieve this win for a few years now.”
Oman Racing with TF Sport return to the Blancpain Endurance Cup at Silverstone for the second round of championship on May 11-12.
