Aston Martin #009 Valkyrie driver Roman de Angelis reflected on the moment the team secured a place in Hyperpole qualifying at Le Mans.
“It was a big morale boost,” the Canadian told Motorsport Week, “If there’s a place to make Hyperpole, Le Mans is the one.
“Of course, the real goal is the race itself, but it’s a great sign of progress for the programme.
“The main goal is race prep — getting the car ready, working on long runs, making sure everything is sorted.
“Today’s (free practices 3 and 4) essentially the last chance to do that, so we’re focusing on that rather than performance runs.
“Being part of the development of the Hypercar from the ground up has been really special.
“I’ve never had the chance to be involved in a programme from zero to race day like this.
“And doing it with the team that gave me my first shot after Carrera Cup makes it even more meaningful. I’m very grateful for that.
The Canadian driver participated in qualifying yesterday at the wheel of the #009 Aston Martin Hypercar entrant.
He finished 16th owing to his lap time of 3:24.869. After the session, however, the #6 Porsche Penske was disqualified for not meeting the minimum weight requirements, so the #009 moved up one position and into the Q2 session today at 20:00.
“You’re up against manufacturers who’ve been in this class for years,” he added, “with deep histories and top talent. It’s not easy.
“But I think we’ve been executing well, both in IMSA and WEC. Every weekend we’re getting stronger.
“The learning curve is steep, but we’re focused on our own job.
“If we keep progressing like this, I think we’ll eventually be up front.”
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