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Nicholas Mee Racing finishes gruelling Britcar 24 Hour race in atrocious weather

British privateer Aston Martin Team, Nicholas Mee Racing, completed the gruelling Britcar 24 Hour race held on the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit over last weekend.  

Racing in atrocious weather conditions which saw 15 days of rain fall on the south of England in 24 hours, Nicholas Mee Racing competing in their Aston Martin V8 Vantage GT4, team qualified 27th out of a field of 60 competitors, finishing a highly creditable 22nd out of over 50 finishers.  

Whilst running in 10th place and during the 20th hour of the endurance race, the Aston Martin GT4 was involved in an accident due to the slippery conditions. Following some swift and impressive repair work by the team in the NMR garage, the Vantage was able to rejoin the race and take the chequered flag. Despite a 50 minute stop for the accident repairs, a one lap penalty and two unscheduled pit stops during the race, the Aston Martin GT4 finished 3rd out of the 4 Aston Martin GT4 finishers. 

Persistent rain for over 21 hours created treacherous track conditions and caused constant alarm for the team and all other competitors, with frequent safety car outings necessitating several race strategy changes for the team managers. Nicholas Mee Racing drivers, Karsten Le Blanc, Sarah Bennett-Baggs, Dan de Zille and Ben de Zille Butler put in highly competitive and consistent drives, under the guidance of Nicholas Mee Racing team manager Giles Dawson.

The resulting finish for the team, racing in the atrocious weather conditions which persistently covered the south of England over weekend, comes at the end the teams second season and second 24 hour race of the year. Commenting on the year, Team Principal Nicholas Mee said:- 

'After a trying season of top level sportscar racing the whole team have performed brilliantly, particularly in the Dubai 24 hour event, where we had a podium finish. The difficult circumstances thrown up in 24 hour races can be uniquely challenging and our team members have risen on all occasions, to produce excellent results. We are now looking forward to hearing from race series organisers before announcing plans for the 2011 season'.

Photo credit: Will Belcher