Nicholas Mee Racing Crowned GT4 Champion in Dijon

QuickSilver dealers and Aston Martin Specialists Nicholas Mee, were crowned
the AM GT4 Challenge winners for 2011 taking the win at Dijon last weekend to
secure the title.

The AM GT4 Challenge travelled to Dijon in France for the final round of the one-
make challenge last weekend, where both NMR and Vantage Racing arrived level
on 52 points.

In qualifying it was Alan Bonner of Vantage racing who set the pole time of
1.27.01 followed by Stratton Motorsport and Karsten le Black driving solo in the
NMR car coming in 3rd position.

With the forecast threatening heavy rain for Sunday’s 80 minute race, Le Blanc
made a terrific start by slotting straight into second position, and then took the
lead from Vantage Racing while still on the first lap. Vantage Racing incurred a
spin by Tom Black who was chasing hard, losing him 2 or 3 places. By the pit
stops Le Blanc managed to pull out a 50 sec lead margin.

Vantage Racing pitted first for Tom Black, to hand over to Alan Bonner, but on
his exit from the pit lane, Bonner crossed the white line for the circuit before the
end of the pit lane incurring a drive-through penalty. Thus reducing the pressure
on NMR as it would mean that the team would now have a one-lap advantage
over its main rival.

With all the pit stops made it was Karsten Le Blanc in car 322 leading from
Nicholas Gourdol in car 377, third was Alan Bonner in car 324, fourth.

But there would be more tension as, 30 minutes before the end of the race, the
predicted heavy showers arrived and competitors were forced to dive into the
pits for treaded tyres. Cars 347, 399, 391, 324 and 377 all pitted for wets but the
leader Karsten Le Blanc in car 312 and Olivier Bouche in car 322 remained on
slick tyres. The rain then stopped and with the track drying again the advantage
fell to Karsten Le Blanc. On lap 37 Alan Bonner took second position from
Nicholas Gourdol but Karsten Le Blanc still had a lap in hand.

The checkered flag came out on lap 47 for Karsten Le Blanc and the Nicholas Mee
team to take the win with a faultless drive earning them not only the win at Dijon
but also the 2011 Aston Martin Challenge of Great Britain title.

After the race a beaming Karsten Le Blanc said, “I’m absolutely delighted
with our win here and our clinching the Challenge. We were determined to take
the title this year in memory of our dear friend and former Team Manager Craig
Dawson, who passed away late last year. We've had to work hard all season to
fend off our always competitive and consistent rivals and friends Tom Black and
Alan Bonner of Vantage Racing, and, with both of us on equal points at the start
of the race, the race and the series really could have gone either way.”

In a year that shown shown this one make challenge to be one of the most action
packed and close racing. Series partners QuickSilver Exhausts would like to
Congratulate 2011 Champions Karsten Le Blanc and the Nicholas Mee team,
including the other drivers of the 312 machine, Dan de Zille, Christiaen Van
Lanschot and Hannes van Asseldonk, on a fantastic and very consistent year, and
to runners up Vantage Racing, Tom Black and Alan Bonner for pushing Karsten
and the 312 machine all the way through the season with the title only being
decided at the last race. Chris Kemp in car 391 ended up third in the 2011 series
and in only his second season of racing was also a fantastic achievement.

We all now look forward to the 2012 season and the next chapter of the Aston
Martin Challenge of Great Britain.

Race Result

1. 312 Karsten Le Blanc - Nicholas Mee Racing – 47 Laps
2. 324 Tom Black/Alan Bonner - Vantage Racing – 46 Laps
3. 377 Wolfgang Schubauer/Nicholas Gourdol – Aston Martin Lagonda –
46 Laps
4. 391 Chris Kemp - Stratton Motorsport – 45 Laps
5. 347 Stuart Patterson/Paul Bartley – EQ8 Racing – 45 Laps