Le Mans: Hartley Makes It Two & Aston Martin Score The Double.
Sep 21, 2020
New Zealand’s Brendon Hartley has claimed his second victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The Kiwi, driving the #8 Toyota TS050 HYBRID alongside Sébastien Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima, inherited the lead when the team’s sister car suffered mechanical issues in the early hours of the morning.
Hartley’s previous success at Le mans was in 2017, when he won the worlds biggest sports car race alongside compatriot Earl Bamber.
While Toyota are the only factory team left in LMP1, the two sportscar classes remain fiercely competitive. This made Aston Martin’s success in both the Pro and LMGTE AM classes even more special.
The #97 AMR Vantage crossed the line one-and-a-half minutes clear last year’s winner James Calado in the Ferrari 488. The #95 Vantage claiming the final podium spot for the British team.
Charlie Eastwood was the fifth sportscar over the line, to wrap up the LMGTE AM category for Aston Martin.
The result is Aston Martin’s best at Le Mans since the marques famous 1-2 in in 1959, when Carroll Shelby and Roy Salvadori claimed outright honours in the Aston Martin DBR1
Words: Shaun Summerfield
Photos: Sourced