Voted Rookie of the Year at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, a pole which will always remain brilliant in the annals of the recent 24 Hours of Spa, Maxime Martin was back in action in the FIA GT3 European Championship with the French entered LMP Motorsport Aston Martin DBRS9 this weekend on the Slovakia Ring, in Bratislava. A track which was entirely new to the majority of competitors … « A well set out circuit, Maxime admitted. It’s varied, with various slow sections as also some fast ones, but over and above all a major hillock where the cars take off! During the briefing the Clerk of the Course even advised us to ease off prior to taking it on, because a mere two weeks earlier a GT had landed up on its roof right there! Guaranteed sensations that’s for sure… »
But over and above all initial positive results for Maxime, who clocked up the 2nd best time in the free practice session, whilst all the other competitors had shod their cars with fresh tyres. Unfortunately a first initial impression which was not going to repeat itself during the qualifying sessions.. « During his session my French team mate Gaël Lesoudier clocked up a 16th best time, and on my side I was fully determined to confirm my top speed from the previous day, Martin continued. Unfortunately during my fast lap one of the tyres blew, and we don’t really know why. This is the second time this had occurred and we still do not know the reasons. As outcome I was back in 15th place, in the middle of the pack … »
The two 60 minutes races held on the Slovakia Ring circuit saw Maxime Martin excel at the wheel of the sole Aston Martin DBRS9 showing any progress be it on the international or national GT3 scene this season. At the start of the first race Lesoudier took the start and climbed up through from 16th into 11th place, prior to handing over the drive to the young Belgian driver, who truly went to town, going from 11th place through to …4th place in less than 30 minutes! « A fun race, definitely, especially after we had started off so far back, Maxime congratulated himself, and in all that I now find myself in 2nd place in the championship. Pure proof that performance and regularity go hand in hand … »
Unfortunately on Sunday matters were less positive, notwithstanding a brilliant first half race by Maxime Martin, who took off from the 8th row of the grid to climb back up into 4th place as per his usual trait. In a competition where the Balance of Performance ensures equivalent or similar performance between the various cars, these recent two progressions in the rankings did not go unnoticed. « Gaël was even back on track in 3rd place, but during his second lap he went into a spin and found himself back in 10th position. Engine cut-outs near the end of the race cost him a few additional places. A great pity, seeing that earlier in the race the leaders in the championship had retired, allowing us to perform well and score loads of points … »
However overall it is in 3rd place in the championship, and in fact the best place of a Belgian competitor, that Maxime Martin ended the Slovak episode of the FIA GT3 European Championship. One final stage remains on the programme, during the month of October at the Dutch Zandvoort circuit, where Maxime will do everything within his power to defend this top-3 on the international scene. Between now and then various meetings are on the young driver’s programme and notably the penultimate rendezvous of the Blancpain Endurance Series this coming weekend at Magny-Cours, in France. A three hour race which Martin will take on at the wheel of the BMW Z4 GT3 Marc VDS Racing, which also allowed him to clinch the pole position at the 24 Hours of Spa. « Finally a car of the new generation, Maxime joyfully commented. Taking into account the potential on hand at Francorchamps, I’m pretty optimistic. Ideal aerodynamics is far more important that pure engine power here in Magny-Cours. So we’re in with a great chance…as we head on off to the Nièvre… »
Source : Maxime Martin