ANOTHER PODIUM AT DRAMATIC ASIAN LE MANS SERIES FINALE!
Ben Tuck and the crew of the #74 Kessel Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 made an emphatic statement that they were the one of the fastest and most consistent teams in the highly competitive Asian Le Mans Series when they carved through the field last weekend in not one, but two, impressive comeback drives at the season finale double header at Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi. Two ‘back-of-the-grid’ starting positions and a drive through penalty could not hold the team back from achieving yet another podium to finish fourth in both the Drivers’ and the Teams’ Championship standings. The result marks the end of a thrilling championship which could have very easily netted the team the GT3 Title, given the pace displayed by drivers Tuck, Blattner and Marschall across all six rounds.
The season finale held at the beautiful Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi delivered as much drama and incident in the closing two races as was served up in the proceeding four in Dubai and Sepang. Both races and even the qualifying session, threw multiple curveballs for the team and drivers to deal with, despite which the crew delivered a pair of superb finishes.
The weekend started in dramatic fashion as the 15-minute qualifying session was stopped on three separate occasions by Red Flags. As the timer continued to tick down, Dustin Blattner was not able to complete a single flying lap to post a qualifying time, along with many of the rest of the field. The resultant jumbled grid placed the #74 Kessel Racing Ferrari almost at the back in 21st position for race one and 20th position for race two.
Race 1 got off to a delayed start after a Red Flag just 90 seconds into the race halted proceedings for 90 minutes. Once the race got underway properly, Blattner wasted no time in surging forward looking to get the Ferrari further towards the front of the pack. After a sensational 31 lap stint, featuring two Safety Car periods and a Full Course Yellow Flag, he’d made it up to fifth place and handed the car over to Ben Tuck.
Tuck resumed the fightback from 11th position after the pitstop and set about closing the gaps to the rest of the front runners as the fastest GT3 on the circuit at that point. In just one hour Ben cut through the opposition with some superb overtakes, pitting from fourth place for Marschall to take the #74 car to the flag. In a short final stint from eighth place, Marschall chased down the leading pack to bring the Kessel racing Ferrari home in an extraordinary fourth position. The result made it clear that given a clear run and a more representative starting position, the victory would have been possible.
In a remarkable repeat of the previous day, Race 2 lasted no longer that three minutes before being Red Flagged due to yet another incident. This time the delay was kept to 35 minutes, after which the race was resumed, when Blattner kicked off yet another superb recovery drive by taking the Ferrari 296 into the lead of the GT3 race just 21 laps later. During a Virtual Safety Car period, the team called Blattner back into the pits for Ben Tuck to take over. Ben returned to the track behind the Safety Car in sixth position. When racing resumed, he was engulfed in a ferocious five car battle for the top positions moving up to fourth place 12 laps later and closing rapidly on third position. The teams luck then took a turn when a pit lane infringement from the previous pitstop earned them a drive through penalty.
Ben served the penalty a few laps later, dropping him to 14th place. However, with massive determination and incredible focus, Tuck carved a path through the field regaining the lead of the race. In a bold move the Kessel Racing strategists then instructed Ben to save fuel in an effort to get to then next driver change without having to stop again. This he did with characteristic efficiency whilst still retaining the lead.
The final stint by Marschall was a similar masterclass from 17th position and in a nail-biting finale he relentlessly chased down the leaders as one by one ahead the opposition began to pit for fuel. By the final lap, the Kessel Racing Ferrari was comfortably in third place and just nine seconds behind the car in second position and just 15 seconds behind the leader. As the trio stood on the podium, their trophies provided an appropriate reward for the entire team which displayed more than enough pace to win any of the races through the season.
Ben was rightly proud of the superb performance of the entire team, but especially his fellow drivers, Dustin Blattner and Dennis Marschall. “An amazing fight back again and a great way to finish the Asian Le Mans Series. Awesome stints from my teammates and it was great to be leading the race in parts. We lost a few positions in the Safety Car period but some great strategy from Kessel got us back on the podium!”
Clearly comfortable with Swiss outfit Kessel Racing, Ben recognised the contribution of his team; “I’ve been getting stuck in this year, its nice to be in a position where we are fighting and having those battles [for the lead]. Kessel are a great team. I raced with them last year in GT World Challenge and obviously now in the Asian Le Mans Series. It’s a good team to be at and I hope I get to race with them again soon!”
Ben next kicks off his World Endurance Campaign in Qatar with Proton Competition and Ford Performance on 28th February.
