The GTE era produced countless memorable races, particularly at the peak of factory involvement, when Aston Martin, BMW, Corvette, Ferrari, Ford and Porsche were all throwing huge resources at their GTLM and GTE Pro programmes at the same time.
But which race will live the longest in the memory? Jonny Adam may be biased, but he feels the answer is clear: the 2017 Le Mans 24 Hours.
It had everything, a smorgasbord of factory teams, with Aston Martin, Corvette, Ferrari Ford and Porsche all entering cars, an array of factory drivers, multiple cars from multiple factories finishing on the lead lap, a breakthrough win and late drama.
It also marked the true return of the Aston Martin vs Corvette rivalry that began during the GT1 era, as the #97 Vantage GTE stormed across the line after a battle with the #63 C7.R in the race’s dying moments.
Adam, who was behind the wheel for that final stint, during which he caught and passed Jordan Taylor and delivered a first GTE Pro Le Mans win for Aston Martin, describes it as an out-of-body experience, after a long, tough week at the Circuit de la Sarthe.
DSC sat down with the Scotsman before the final ELMS GTE race at Portimao to learn more about that performance, which put him on the map as an elite GT driver and marked a return to form for Aston Martin’s long-standing factory effort.
Let’s start with some wider general thoughts, what do you remember from that race week, and what stands out?
“It was a special race for so many reasons. We started the week strong on the Test Day, we felt it was always good there in terms of drag, but Dunlop, AMR’s tyre partner, came with a new soft tyre which made a huge difference.
“A couple of us tried it on the #95 and #97 and the figures were really strong. We just didn’t know how strong it would be in the heat, and that year it was well over 30 degrees during the race.
“But the whole week we knew we would be in with a chance. Darren (Turner) stuck it on pole and the car felt hooked up all weekend. We had good pit stops, the guys practised so much that year to execute. The team had run the car for so many seasons, with upgrades along the way, but they knew it inside out.
“We just felt ready. And in the end, it was a fitting story, because there has always been a big, fun rivalry with Corvette, so it’s nice that it went down to the wire.”
The tyre war aspect is something that gets forgotten about, but at the time it was vital. And the Dunlop switch felt like a roll of the dice. How do you measure its impact?
“Daniel (Serra) came from Dunlop with all his testing work, he got integrated into AMR because of that. He was the perfect fit to the team and Darren and I. He knew what the tyres could do, we gelled and it showed. It was his first Le Mans and he won it.
“It was a difficult decision for Aston at the time. AMR didn’t have the finances to do what we wanted to do with Michelin, but we needed performance and Dunlop came up trumps. They had a great group of staff, they had good procedures and set out a three-year plan. In the end, both parties were happy, with Le Mans and FIA WEC title wins.
“The partnership was great, but it didn’t continue with the new car, which was unfortunate. You can’t deny it worked during those years though.”
The race itself will always be remembered for that final stint. The field was bunched up, you were in the car gunning for glory and came through to take the win. What do you remember? Is it all a blur?
“No, it’s still a memory. I always remember it, I remember asking the management at Prodrive and AMR where we were going to be and they didn’t know before getting in the car. They thought we would be in the fight for a podium, maybe third, but we didn’t know where the strategy was going to unfold at the end. We knew Porsche was strong, but they tried to do the full race without a brake change, so they struggled at the end for performance.
“By the end, we came out nose to tail in the final 45 minutes after the final stops, and Corvette made a driver change. I don’t know if they had an issue with cooling or driver fatigue, but they did a driver change back to Jordan (Taylor).
“I knew he was fresh in the car when you had I had done a stint prior, so I was obviously clear on what I needed to do. But the cars were so evenly matched for the last hour and there was nothing between us. They were two front-engined GT cars with similar power outputs, and I knew when I caught him I couldn’t sit there. I had to pounce.
“So I went for it, at Arnage. It’s not the easiest place to get it done but we were strong in that section. Unfortunately, I locked up, and we made a small bit of contact as he went back past me on the exit. But in the end that little bit of pressure made him make a small mistake on the next lap and then all of a sudden it looked like they had a puncture and splitter damage. He was vulnerable after that.”
Did the team tell you about the puncture?
“No actually, so after I tried to get by at Arnage, I saw him have a massive lockup into the second Mulsanne chicane, he skipped through the gravel and pulled a big distance. Typical driver, I was straight on the radio complaining that he was getting an unfair advantage.
“But actually, that lock up caused most of the issue which was damage and a slow puncture. But I knew he was struggling because when I got to him and got a run out of the Ford Chicane, he was struggling through the Porsche Curves when turning right. I knew there was a problem.
“I will always remember this, I will never forget it. When you’re in a car, you see the crowd, but you never hear the crowd in the cockpit. But genuinely, hand on heart, I heard the cheer as I passed him before the start-finish line, and that was in a normally aspirated V8 engine. I genuinely heard the crowd, it was a moment in my life I will never forget.
“And we had a comfortable last lap, we had a bit of a margin, but I was just so happy in the end. I always wanted to achieve the win but I didn’t know how quickly it would come. I was so happy for the team, they put in so much time and dedication and had so many guests with the final year of that car. They actually made a Le Mans edition of the road car afterwards.
“It was a special win, it was the highlight of my career, a real milestone with AMR. I’ve been with them 12 years now and that’s the highlight.
I genuinely heard the crowd, it was a moment in my life I will never forget.
“And since then I’ve won the race again with TF Sport, but it will never top that first win. Nothing can.”
Tell me more about that duel. What’s the mentality like from behind the wheel when you are up against someone like Jordan Taylor?
And what was harder: Catching and passing him, or bringing it home when you had that final lap and you knew you just had to keep it clean?
“It’s all instinct. As a driver, I like to lead from the front, because I know that if I have the speed then the pressure is just to deliver the laps and be inch perfect. Coming from the attack side, there’s more risk. I could have hit him and ended up in the tyres at Arnage. I had to show respect to him and I knew it was going to be tough because it was Corvette vs AMR.
“I was so close to him. I saw a few times the gap close to eight-tenths and then drop to three seconds, and I knew I would regret it if I sat behind him. I had to have a look, I had to make it stick. There was so much pressure.
“The team said to me, that if I could get to him I had a free pass to do whatever it took. But the performance was so marginal. We actually turned the air con off for the final lap and a half to give us the maximum amount of power. That’s how close, it was tenths, on a 3:50 lap.
“We knew it was going to be like this, the BoP was great, Ferrari and Ford were strong, but we got everything right, we were clean and tidy. The #95 looked like they had it, they had a minute lead before making a mistake, took damage and fell back. We played it safer to get us into that situation.
“From Darren’s pole lap to Daniel Serra’s lap record during the night, and me doing what I needed to do in the end, we all played a big part in the end. It’s all about the team.”
Was the plan always for you to be in the end?
“The plan evolved. It was a rotation. DT wanted to start because of his experience, we needed him as a leader. It was always Darren, Daniel then me, and we rotated on double stints all the way through.
I would have loved to have been in that garage to soak up the atmosphere, even just for a moment
“We shared the same seat inserts, we were similar heights, so we fitted the bill. We wanted the same from the car too and got on well outside of the car.
“They’re two really good friends now, those memories stick with you.”
And I’d bet you were happy to be in the car at the end, rather than watch someone else fight for the win?
“The stress out of the car would have been awful. Darren didn’t enjoy those final laps in the garage. But, I would have loved to have been in that garage to soak up the atmosphere, even just for a moment, as there were so many people in the garage in the final hour.
“But, it was mega, it was the end of the model, we knew a new car was coming, and it was fitting that we made it happen after so many attempts.”
Have you ever spoken to Jordan Taylor about the end of the race?
“No. He looked absolutely distraught and broken in terms of fatigue.
“I don’t know if they had issues with cockpit temperature. But it was strange that they had to rotate a driver for the final 45 minutes of a race. Normally you’d keep someone in if they’re in the groove.
“He was in at the end, he was a GM guy, he was great to race with, and has a great career. I think every driver in GTE at that time deserved to be there, from Ferrari, Ford, Porsche, everyone. It really was mega.”
There really were no dud drivers back then. You’re right. And they’re all still racing now!
“Everyone was world-class, and many of them have gone on to show off what they can do in the top class.
“It’s a shame there isn’t a premier GT3 pro class in WEC going forward now, that would be awesome to see. But times have changed, everyone wants Hypercar, and that’s where the money is.
“These things come and go, and it was nice to be a part of that era.”
So after the race, tell me about the celebrations. What’s it like to win for a factory in circumstances like that?
“It was mega. It was nice for a couple of weeks after the race. We had a small celebration on Sunday night, nothing too heavy, but we had a nice get-together at Prodrive with the whole team on the Tuesday or Wednesday.
“Then we had a nice night at Gaydon and then the week after we went to the Goodwood Festival of Speed and took the car up the hill. I was the first to drive the car up the hill on the Friday, and that was special too.
“We were also in the media, on the back of the Sunday Times, it felt like everyone knew about it. People got behind it in the UK, it was an iconic win for Aston Martin.
“We didn’t win by two laps, it was a hard win, and I still get people now at British GT races at autograph sessions who will come up and tell me about their experience watching it.
“It’s great for Aston that it’s a win that was remembered that way.”
