Incredible scenes in the Jetalliance Racing pits at the finish of the 77th edition of the Le Mans 24 hour race: After being the first Austrian team since 1972 to start this classic race, team owner Lukas Lichtner-Hoyer, Thomas Gruber and Alex Müller reached their big goal in their Jetalliance Aston Martin DBR9 – third place and a podium finish in the GT1 class, cheers and rejoicings were boundless . . .
But it all started with serious problems – starting driver Lukas Lichtner-Hoyer had to come into the pits after the very first lap because of malfunctioning electronics. The alternator needed to be changed. About 25 minutes or six laps lost. Shortly thereafter the next malfunction, this time the fuel pump, Lichtner-Hoyer ground to a halt out on the track, but got the car going again – almost an hour and a half were lost . . .
But the Jetalliance crew never lost heart, rejoining the race in an almost hopeless position. Subsequently Lichtner-Hoyer, Gruber and Müller reeled off their laps. The bad luck was all used up, giving way to better fortune. First the Alphand Corvette ran into difficulties, then the factory Corvette of Marcel Fässler & co. retired with just two hours to go – now, for the first time, the team was in a podium position – and with great trepidation, the closing stages of the race began.
But the Aston Martin lasted – and just after three o’clock in the afternoon, Lukas Lichtner-Hoyer crossed the finish line third in the GT1 class. The dream result had become reality, the biggest success in the history of Jetalliance Racing was in the bag!
Team owner Lukas Lichtner-Hoyer: “After seven horrifying hours our team spirit has finally prevailed. We never gave up, and for that we were rewarded. Of course we were lucky in the end – but crossing the finish line is all that counts at Le Mans. And we managed to do that. Congratulations to the entire team!”
Thomas Gruber: “For me as an amateur the sense of achievement is certainly double. It’s like you’re playing tennis and then celebrate a win at Wimbledon. Standing on the rostrum really was such a great moment. It will live on in my memory for ever.”
Alex Müller: “We never gave ourselves up, we always kept on fighting. Our crew of mechanics really worked their arses off for us – thanks a lot for that. We had a lot of bad luck early on, but toward the end of the race the tide began to turn.”
Source : Jetalliance Racing