Tom Onslow-Cole (GB) and his team-mate Paul White (GB) won the 2015 Michelin Aston Martin Le Mans Festival in the Strata 21 Bilstein-liveried V12 Vantage GT3, giving him valuable Circuit de la Sarthe experience and continuing this season’s 100% podium finishing rate.

Saturday’s 45-minute race on the full Le Mans circuit was OC’s fifth event of the year but his first back in the Aston Martin. Despite not racing the 6.0-litre V12 machine for several months, the 28-year old took no time in refamiliarising himself and qualified on pole in the GT3 class and third overall and ahead of all the GT2/GTEs.

“It was great to be back in the Aston Martin Vantage GT3,” commented OC. “I felt immediately at home in it and that allowed me to hit the ground running as I ran my first ever laps of Le Mans.
 
“Driving here is one of those dreams every driver has so you have a bit of an ‘is this really happening’ moment as you speed down the Mulsanne, especially in an Aston Martin as they have such history here.
 
“This is the very car that I did my first endurance race in back in 2013 and we’ve both gone on to do some exciting things!”

The Strata 21 V12 Vantage GT3 is the car that the Aston Martin Racing works team used to lead the 2013 Nürburgring 24 Hours and finish the 2014 race in fifth place. It also impressed onlookers at the 2014 Goodwood Festival of Speed and took a podium finish in the 2015 Dubai 24 Hours.

“It’s a fantastic car and I’m looking forward to making an announcement later this week about my next outing in one,” OC concluded.