Cheshire-based outfit closing in on endurance racing crownClassic British sportscar maintains remarkable rostrum recordDrivers and crew overcome high temperatures at Paul RicardSpeedworks Motorsport has one hand on the trophy in the 2015 FIA International 24H Series, after its Global Racing-branded Aston Martin Vantage GT4 beat the heat to claim a fifth consecutive podium finish in the inaugural 24 Hours of Paul Ricard. Making its debut around the demanding southern French circuit, the Aston Martin was piloted by team sponsor and Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) points-scorer Tony Hughes, Global Insurance Management MD and track day enthusiast John Gilbert, promising young gun Devon Modell and former Porsche Carrera Cup GB Pro-Am 2 Champion Steven Liquorish. In stiflingly hot conditions, the #170 entry qualified fourth in the SP3 division – for GT4-spec machinery – and 34th overall amongst the race’s 58 protagonists, and a stellar opening stint saw Modell snatch the class lead before handing over to team-mate Liquorish. Unfortunately, less than a handful of laps later, debris found its way into the engine and snapped the water pump belt, which subsequently caused damage to the head gasket and persistent overheating dramas. What followed was a tremendous effort to manage the situation by the Speedworks crew, and after coaxing the ailing Aston through the cooler night, the Northwich, Cheshire-based outfit sagely elected to ‘park’ it the next morning once third place in-class was assured. Just reward for a gritty performance, the result preserved the iconic British sportscar’s unblemished, five-out-of-five rostrum record – having scarcely missed a beat all season – and extended Speedworks’ advantage in the teams’ championship to 17 points with two rounds remaining. Modell and Gilbert hold a similar margin over Hughes in the drivers’ standings. As they close inexorably in on the coveted crown, another podium in September’s 24 Hours of Barcelona – which is anticipated to attract the largest SP3 grid of the year – will likely be sufficient to put the destiny of the laurels beyond reach before the end of the campaign.“That was a tough one!” reflected team principal Christian Dick, whose squad is also an established top ten regular in the fiercely-disputed and ITV4 live-televised BTCC. “The drivers really enjoyed the circuit and did a great job. Their biggest challenge was actually the heat – although the car has air conditioning, it simply couldn’t keep up. In those circumstances, it was a lot to ask of them to complete hour-and-a-half-long stints, but they were all admirably up to the task and consistently quick with it.“I also need to pay tribute as ever to our fantastic mechanics and engineers, having to work on the car and tackle problems in such hot conditions, but they doggedly stuck at it throughout. The water pump belt is not something you can properly repair during a race; when the ambient temperature dropped at night, it was ok, but as soon as it picked up again the head gasket issue reappeared.“Towards the end, we knew we were safe in third position so rather than risk overstretching the car, we parked up and took the points – we felt we had pushed our luck far enough by that stage!“We’ve not really been thinking about the championship over the course of the season, and that tactic won’t change – we will approach Barcelona the same way we approach any other race weekend. It was great to maintain the Aston Martin’s unbroken podium run at Paul Ricard, but the focus now is on scoring one more...”