NorthWest AMR claimed a podium at the second round of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) at the 6 Hours of Spa Francorchamps.
The team fought back impressively from a drive-through penalty by NorthWest AMR team owner and 2017 World Champion Paul Dalla Lana (CDN), David Pittard (GBR) and works driver Nicki Thiim (DEN) to ensure the Sebring winners finished third and remain on top of the GTE Am class standings.
After starting on the front row, Dalla Lana dropped to eighth at the end of the first hour after serving a penalty for contact, and with rain falling heavily shortly afterwards – resulting in a series of incidents for rival cars – the race was stopped twice in quick succession. Many subsequent laps were then spent behind the safety car.
A pitstop just before the first red flag by TF Sport meant that, Pittard in the NorthWest AMR #98 car, and Chaves - now aboard the #33 TF Sport entry - had to push as hard as they dared from the lower reaches of the top 10 in the ever-changing track conditions, where a small error could mean instant elimination.
Both drove flawlessly though perfectly executed team strategies, meaning that with the final stops completed and 50 minutes to go, the fight for victory boiled down to a three-car battle that included two-time world champions Sørensen and Thiim, who both crossed the line within four seconds of the winning Porsche to make it four podium finishes from the opening two races of 2022 for the Vantage GTE.
Huw Tasker, Head of AMR partner racing, said: “Vantage enjoyed an excellent weekend, and we were unlucky not to see a second Aston Martin victory in as many WEC races. But Spa always throws up unexpected variables and our partner teams did very well to manage the chaos in Belgium and secure podium results."