Qualifying report
WEC Shanghai
Pole position for Aston Martin in GTE Am
Qualifying session for the Six Hours of Shanghai saw an incredible inter-team fight.
Edited: Nov 1, 2015, 11:46 AM
Copy link
Share on Viber









Shanghai - Aston Martin Racing will have a front-row lock-out in the GTE AM class of tomorrow’s FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) Six Hours of Shanghai after a close qualifying session that saw an incredible inter-team fight.
In just his second WEC event, British driver Liam Griffin (GB) took the #96 Vantage GTE from team-mate Stuart Hall (GB) and, on his second flying lap, went quick enough take pole position. However, Paul Dalla Lana (CA) in the #98 Vantage GTE put his three years of WEC experience into play and, on his final lap, snatched the number one spot away to claim his team’s fourth pole of the year.
Qualifying went well with an exciting fight inside the team in GTE AM
John Gaw
“We had a good car and that enabled me to do a lap I was happy with,” Dalla Lana’s team-mate Pedro Lamy (PT) commented. “Paul did some great laps but I don’t think we were expecting that right at the end. He did a great job and that’s an incredible start to our weekend.”
In the GTE PRO class, it was the #99 Vantage GTE of Fernando Rees (BR) and Alex MacDowall (GB) that took the team’s best result. The Hanergy-liveried car will start the race from third.
The #97 Vantage GTE of Darren Turner (GB) and Jonny Adam (GB) will start from sixth. The pair held back a set of tyres in qualifying to improve their race strategy.
“Qualifying went well with an exciting fight inside the team in GTE AM and, like others in GTE PRO, there were different strategies at play,” commented Team Principal John Gaw. “Each of the teams did a great job in qualifying but tomorrow will bring with it its own challenges and we are very much looking forward to the race.”
The Six Hours of Shanghai starts at 1100hrs local time on Sunday 1 November. Follow the team on social media using #teamAMR.
Driver line-up
96: Francesco Castellacci, Liam Griffin, Stuart Hall
97: Darren Turner, Jonny Adam
98: Paul Dalla Lana, Pedro Lamy, Mathias Lauda
99: Alex MacDowall, Fernando Rees, Richie Stanaway
Aston Martin Racing
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Ferrari takes first and second in Shanghai qualifying
Next article Shanghai WEC: Porsche leads Audi after sensational first three hours
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment

More from
Darren Turner

Farfus replaces Turner at Aston Martin for final WEC races
WEC
WEC
Farfus replaces Turner at Aston Martin for final WEC races

Turner appointed as BTCC's hybrid test driver
BTCC
BTCC
Turner appointed as BTCC's hybrid test driver

Aston Martin refreshes WEC GTE Am line-up
WEC
WEC
Aston Martin refreshes WEC GTE Am line-up

More from
Aston Martin Racing

Why F1's new regulations make the Mexican GP an even bigger challenge
Formula 1
Formula 1
Mexican GP
Why F1's new regulations make the Mexican GP an even bigger challenge

Fernando Alonso blasts driving standards of bottom half of F1 grid
Formula 1
Formula 1
United States GP
Fernando Alonso blasts driving standards of bottom half of F1 grid
Latest news

How Marc Marquez could wrap up the 2026 MotoGP title in Qatar GP
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Malaysian GP
1 min
How Marc Marquez could wrap up the 2026 MotoGP title in Qatar GP

Kyle Busch Remembered: Rowdy's top Martinsville moments
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Martinsville II
50 min
Kyle Busch Remembered: Rowdy's top Martinsville moments

MotoGP responds to Yamaha’s Qatar GP withdrawal
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Malaysian GP
1 h
MotoGP responds to Yamaha’s Qatar GP withdrawal

Yamaha boycotts Qatar Grand Prix amid ongoing Middle East war
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Malaysian GP
1 h
Yamaha boycotts Qatar Grand Prix amid ongoing Middle East war
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe




