Ahmad Al Harthy and team-mate Daniel Lloyd will be aiming to continue their Avon Tyres British GT Championship podium finishing momentum during the Silverstone 500 later this afternoon, Sunday, 31st May, after qualifying fifth fastest for round four of the season.
Concluding the two free practice sessions seventh quickest on combined times, the Oman Racing Team pairing went on to deliver a competitive showing in their respective qualifying runs to ensure a bid for silverware in today’s three-hour race is very much a realistic proposition.
Ahmad took the wheel of their Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 in the opening 10-minute period and produced typically impressive speed, posting the second fastest time at that point with a lap of 2m04.471 seconds (105.87mph).
Placing the Aston Martin Middle East and North Africa ambassador just 0.081 seconds shy of the outright pace, added to the lap of 2m03.578 seconds (106.63mph) which Lloyd achieved in the subsequent ‘Pro’ session the No.2 car will line-up on the third row for the race’s rolling start.
“We’re feeling good for the race, qualifying went well and I was very happy with my session”, said Ahmad, “Dan did his best too during his run, fifth is definitely a respectable place to start such a long race from and we’re looking forward to fighting for a good result.
“It’ll be tough, as always, but if we can get a podium it’ll be amazing. We obviously want to try and win but a lot can happen, so if we can score some big points for the championship we’ll be happy and satisfied with that.”
Just one week on from the Oman Racing Team’s last outing at Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit in the Blancpain Endurance Series, Oman Air, Oman Ministry of Sports Affairs, Ooredoo, National Bank of Oman and Al Hashar Group-backed racer Ahmad is sure the experience will pay dividends.
“It’s good to be back in action at Silverstone again so soon after Blancpain, we learnt a lot there which has been helpful this weekend”, added the 2014 British GT Vice-Champion, “It’s going to be all about strategy as usual but if we can have a smooth race, good pit-stops and great team-work, we’ll have a very good chance of a great result.”
Round four of the Avon Tyres British GT Championship, the Silverstone 500, will get underway at 12.20 (UK time) today and will be screened live on Motors TV.
Provisional 2015 Avon Tyres British GT Championship GT3 Driver Standings:5th Ahmad Al Harthy/Daniel Lloyd, 28pts
Provisional 2015 Avon Tyres British GT Championship GT3 Silver Cup:1st Ahmad Al Harthy/Daniel Lloyd, 40.25pts
Provisional 2015 Avon Tyres British GT Championship GT3 Team Standings:1st Oman Racing Team, 99.5pts
