PODIUM POTENTIAL RAISES HOPES FOR REMAINDER OF ASIAN LE MANS SERIES!
The opening two rounds of the 2024 / 2025 Asian Le Mans Series delivered a mixed bag of results for Ben Tuck and his co-drivers in early December. In a spectacular double header at Sepang in Malaysia, Ben Tucks crew in the #74 Kessel Racing Ferrari encountered every possible kind of drama, from leading the race, to surviving multiple incidents, visiting the podium, suffering penalties and finally torrential rain. At the end of it all, although they did not return with any trophies, Tuck and his new co-drivers proved beyond doubt that they have the pace to run at the very front of the field.
Fresh from the European Le Mans Series, Tuck re-joined his GTWC Europe squad, Kessel Racing to team up with Bronze rated Dustin Blattner and Platinum rated Denis Marschall, for the series which runs over 3 double header weekends during the winter between December 2024 and February 2025. The trio bring to the campaign a huge amount of potential and in Rounds 1 and 2 in Malaysia, they proved that potential beyond any doubt.
With two races to look forward to, the weekend got off to an excellent start, with the car performing well in practice netting 2nd and 3rd fastest, followed by a successful qualifying session where Bronze rated Dustin Blattner claimed 3rd place on the grid for both races.
Race 1 on the Saturday delivered the typical rollercoaster experience that the Sepang weekend is noted for. Under blue skies with the temperature topping 34 degrees, a first corner incident saw Blattner take avoiding action across the grass, dropping the #74 Ferrari from 3rd to 12th. But during a superb 94-minute stint, featuring 3 Virtual Safety Cars and two full Safety Car periods, Blattner rose to lead the race before pitting to change drivers.
Tuck took over and quickly reclaimed the lead, before having to take a drive through penalty for a pit lane infringement committed earlier in the race, which dropped the team back to 17th position. A stunning comeback drive meant that Tuck delivered the car back to the pits in 2nd place 80 minutes later, which was consolidated by Marschall in the final stint after skilfully holding off the chasing Porsche’s to finish 3rd on the road. Sadly, a post-race penalty was applied which dropped the squad down to 6th place, but the statement had been made – this crew was more than capable of winning races.
Race 2 the following day was to follow a similar story. From 3rd place on the grid, Blattner broke away from the pack in a 4-way battle for the lead, until a collision damaged the steering and a drive through penalty was applied, dropping him to 14th place. Tuck took over in the second stint as rain began to threaten. Quickly climbing to 9th place, he was involved in a fierce 5 car battle in treacherous wet/dry conditions, before eventually pitting for Marschall to take over. Shortly after Marschall re-joined the track, heavy rain began to fall, which eventually halted the race with their Ferrari sitting in 12th position.
“It was a difficult weekend for sure” said Ben after the race. “The results didn’t reflect the pace we had. The car was strong all weekend and the Kessel guys did an amazing job as always. And Dustin’s and Denis’s stints were brilliant, but weather and penalties meant it wasn’t for us. But we know that we will be a front running team for the rest of the season. I’m definitely looking forward to the next one!”
The next two rounds of the Asian Le Mans Series are on 8th and 9th of February in Dubai.
