Andrew Watson got his 2019 Blancpain GT Series campaign off to a strong start as his #59 Garage 59 team were the first Aston Martin Vantage GT3 to take the chequered flag to get their season off to a points scoring as they finished 9th overall and 7th in the PRO class, with Andrew posting the third quickest lap time of the race.
In his first race since his Garage 59 outfit switched to Aston Martin machinery, Watson and his teammates got off to a point scoring start in Monza, with Watson putting together an impressive personal performance behind the wheel in challenging conditions in Italy.
Qualifying saw the teams negotiate difficult conditions in a rain-hit session at the ‘Temple of Speed’. The Garage 59 team qualified in ninth position with a combined time of 2:06.935, with Watson posting a strong time of 2:06.371 in his time behind the wheel.
The 2019 Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup got off to an eventful start at Monza in Italy today. With heavy rain falling before the three-hour race, the drivers looked set to do battle on a fast but slippery race track, with correct tyre choice looking key to a strong race result in Monza.
The race started behind the safety car as the conditions were unsafe for almost for the 50-strong GT3 car field to hit turn one at Monza flat out. Once it pulled in the race was on and the first stint can only be described as bruising for Andrew’s teammate Jonny Adam who started the race in the #59 Aston Martin. After being passed off the track and hit twice, the Scot was in 15th place when he pitted to hand over to Andrew.
The team gambled on sending Watson out on slick tyres while the track was still damp. Watson showed all his class early on in difficult conditions, keeping it neat, tip-toeing around and was just starting to enjoy a much drier track when the safety car came out again and took away his advantage.
Despite the safety car set back, Andrew was still able to post the third quickest lap time of the race at the legendary Italian circuit, demonstrating his talent behind the wheel, as well showcasing the promising pace of the Aston Martin Vantage GT3.
When Côme Ledogar took the wheel of #59 for the final hour the Aston Martin was in 23rd position. The team played it safe and put him back onto wet tyres as it was starting to rain again and this decision paid dividends. Ledogar crossed the line in ninth place overall, seventh in the PRO class and as the first of the Aston Martins to cross the line on Garage 59’s debut in the Vantage GT3.
Delighted to get the season off to a point scoring start, Watson was pleased with his strong start to the season and performance in Monza.
“I’m really pleased with how the opening weekend has gone for all of us in Monza. To pick up points on our debut in the Aston Martins always promising and the perfect foundation to build on for the rest of our campaign. Also, with the heavy rain all weekend, it made racing really difficult but we all adapted incredibly well and showed the strength of the Aston Martin Vantage.”
“The speed across the weekend was really strong, and we’ve shown we can compete at the top end of the grid, so hopefully if we can carry this form into Silverstone and the rest of the calendar it should be an exciting year for all of us at Garage 59.”
9th in the Driver’s Championship with two points to his tally, Andrew’s next outing in the Blancpain GT Series will be for the second round of the Endurance Cup at Silverstone taking place across the 11th and 12th of May.