Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 racer Ahmad Al Harthy and the Oman Racing Team celebrated their best result of the Blancpain Endurance Series campaign at the Nurburgring in Germany on Sunday, 20th September, with a superb outright top 10 finish during the fifth and final round of 2015.

 Despite a challenging start to the event, with an engine issue preventing Ahmad and team-mates Stefan Mücke and Rory Butcher from enjoying any track time in the pre-qualifying session, the rapid trio overcame the difficulties to deliver a sterling race performance in the three hour contest.

“That was a great, great race for us”, said an elated Ahmad, “To finish in the top 10 in Blancpain is like a podium to us, we’re competing against some of the best teams and drivers in the world so to end the season with a result like this is fantastic and very important for the Oman Racing Team.”

Factory Aston Martin driver Mücke, drafted into the Oman Racing Team for the first time this weekend, took the opening stint of the race and from 22nd overall on the grid – 16th in the Pro Cup class – the German swiftly carved his way through the order.

 Holding 15th position overall just prior to the 30 minute mark, after a three lap Safety Car period Mücke climbed into the outright top five as some of the mandatory pit-stops began to be taken and handed the No.44 car over to Ahmad with just over an hour completed.

 Rejoining the race in 14th position overall, 13th in the Pro Cup, the Oman Air, Oman Ministry of Sports Affairs, Ooredoo, National Bank of Oman and Al Hashar Group backed racer delivered a consistently strong and competitive stint and maintained hopes of a potential top 10 points finish.

 During another Safety Car period late in the second hour, the vast majority of the upper order opted to make their second round of mandatory driver change pit-stops and Ahmad pitted at the end of lap 54 from 14th position.

 Thanks to another good turnaround from the Oman Racing Team pit crew, with Butcher now behind the wheel, the Aston Martin held 13th place overall and 11th in the Pro Cup when the race order settled back down and inside 10 laps the Scottish driver had broken into the outright top 10.

 Maintaining position to the finish on lap 88, Butcher – making his debut in the Blancpain Endurance Series this weekend – helped to seal the team’s best result of the campaign as well as the second Pro Cup points score of 2015.

“Stefan and Rory did an amazing, amazing job and we were able to show we can be competitive with the best”, reflected Aston Martin Middle East and North Africa ambassador Ahmad, “Nurburgring isn’t the best track for our car either, so it shows what a great job the whole team did this weekend.

“It really is very satisfying to end the season like this, to finish in the top 10 in Blancpain was our objective at the start of the season – we’ve done it so we’re delighted. I have to say a huge thank you to all of the sponsors for standing with us, everyone back home in Oman and to the guys in the team who all worked so hard this year. We hope to announce our plans for next year very soon!”