Richard Westbrook will join Aston Martin Racing’s GTE Am line-up for the 8 Hours of Bahrain, replacing Augusto Farfus.
Both Farfus and Darren Turner, who raced the #98 Aston Martin Vantage AMR previously, are unable to compete in the final round of the 2019/20 FIA World Endurance Championship due to clashing commitments with the Twelve Hours of Sebring.
Westbrook has therefore been brought in to partner Paul Dalla Lana and Ross Gunn. The Bath native made his debut for the British marque at last month’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, where he finished third in the GTE Pro class alongside Nicki Thiim and Marco Sorensen.
“I’m delighted to be returning to Aston Martin for the final round of the WEC season,” said Westbrook. “The GTE Am class is phenomenally competitive nowadays and for me this is a great opportunity to fight for a victory as the season draws to a close. Racing for a brand like Aston Martin is a great honour and the experience of standing on the podium at Le Mans, wearing British racing green overalls, on such a special day for the brand is something I won’t ever forget.
“This will only be my second race in the Vantage, but after Le Mans it feels like I’ve had more than enough mileage to feel at home in the car. I’ve always enjoyed racing at Bahrain, it’s one of my favourites, and it’s actually where I won my first race in a GT car in 2005.”
Paul Dalla Lana, Westbrook’s team-mate and the man that also selected Augusto Farfus to join the team, explained the rationale behind selecting Westbrook for the final round of the season.
“When it became clear that neither Augusto or Darren were available, Richard was an obvious choice for us,” the Canadian said. “He was a star performer at Le Mans and he knows the car and the team extremely well. We’ve had the pace and the performance all season and it would be really great to wrap the year up with a win. I believe we deserve it as a team.”
“We’re really pleased to welcome Richard back for the season finale,” added David King, Aston Martin Racing President. ” His performance at Le Mans was outstanding alongside Nicki Thiim and Marco Sørensen in the #95 GTE Pro Vantage, and he fitted seamlessly into the team as you would expect from a seasoned professional. I think with the strength of these three drivers combined in the #98, the car represents a formidable threat for victory in the Vantage GTE’s final race of its debut season in the Am class.”
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