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While Harold’s European season may be at an end, he will be back behind the wheel of the Lola-Aston Martin on October 31 / 1 November during the inaugural Asian Le Mans Series which begins with a double-header at Japanese circuit Okayama.

Primat on podium on Czech DTM race debut

Aston Martin works driver Harold Primat continued his successful 2009 season with a podium in the International Czech Touring Car Championship at Brno last weekend.

The Geneva-based Primat joined fellow Aston Martin driver Stefan Mucke and Czech racer Václav Nimc at the wheel of a Mercedes Benz C-Klasse AMG in the ICTCC series which caters for DTM and GT cars.

Despite having never driven the spaceframe chassis, V8-powered, 500bhp machine before and only having completed a handful of laps at the circuit in a short test last year, Primat adapted seamlessly to the new style of racing to finish third overall in the three-hour race.

“It was a really interesting experience,” said Harold, who recently completed his Le Mans Series season with fourth place in both the Silverstone 1000kms and the overall championship. “The car is quite different to drive compared with the Aston Martin prototype I’m used to. You can play with the set-ups a little differently from the LMP1 car and you have to be quite aggressive in your driving style too.”

Primat was invited to race in Brno by Charouz Racing Systems and his result would have been even better had a late Safety Car period not assisted the strategy of the second place Audi A4 DTM of Daniel La Rosa and Thomas Bjork.

“We were running behind them in third but we knew they had to make an extra pit stop to us,” explained Harold. “Unfortunately the Safety Car came out and they were able to save enough fuel behind it so that they didn’t have to come in again.

“That was slightly frustrating, but I’m happy to have another podium. The standard was quite high and it’s been a very positive weekend. My lap times were good compared with some of the guys with previous experience in the DTM.

“I’d like to thank the team for inviting me to join them for the race and if the opportunity arose again then I would definitely be interested.”

Fourth at Silverstone as Primat completes best-ever Le Mans Series campaign

Geneva-based racing driver Harold Primat ended the 2009 Le Mans Series season with a fourth place finish at Silverstone to clinch fourth in the standings and complete his best-ever campaign. 

The Aston Martin works driver and team-mate Darren Turner were in the midst of the battle for the race win throughout the 1000km event in the #009 car before a late pit stop to top up on fuel, necessary because of a forced strategy change due to a mid-race puncture, cost them a place on the podium. 

Coming on the back of a superb second place finish in the last round at the Nurburgring, the British race again showed the competitiveness of Primat, Turner and the Aston Martin LMP1 prototype. There were also post-race celebrations for Aston Martin Racing at the chequered flag as the team clinched first and fourth positions in the Le Mans Series standings. 

“It’s been a very strong finish to the season for us,” said Primat. “The last two races have seen Darren and I up there fighting for the race win. We led for a while at Silverstone and without the splash and dash near the end we would definitely have finished on the podium. 

“Unfortunately that came about because I had a puncture during one of my stints. By the time I had got back to the pits and the team had got me out again, we’d lost a lap. Without that and the late stop then we would have had a genuine shot at the win.” 

Despite his frustration at missing out on silverware at the final race, Harold admitted he was proud to have helped Aston Martin to the Le Mans Series title in the prestigious British marque’s debut season in the premier LMP1 class. 

“It’s great for the team and I am proud to have played a part in it,” he said. “The 007 car won the title and we finished fourth in 009 by just one point and I think we would have taken that at the beginning of the season. The team has done a great job and all the drivers have contributed to our success. 

“Fourth equals my best ever placing in the championship and without a couple of problems earlier in the year we could have been fighting for the title ourselves. I view every year as a learning process and every year I have moved forward. I’m always looking to continue that improvement though so the winter will require even more hard work. Next season is a long way away, but I am very happy at Aston Martin. There’s a good atmosphere and a strong will to do well and win races and championships.” 

Nurburg podium worth the wait – Primat

Harold Primat finished second in the latest Le Mans Series round at the Nurburgring 1000km on Sunday, securing what was his first podium for Aston Martin Racing. Here, the Swiss driver offers his thoughts on both the race and how his season has gone so far.

Harold: “Well, that was certainly worth waiting for! My first podium with Aston Martin Racing at the Nurburgring last weekend has been a long time coming.

“For me personally it was a very important result because when you drive for Aston Martin you naturally want to do well. To be honest, there’s been a little bit of frustration creeping in due to the missed opportunities at the first couple of rounds. It’s great to finally put that right and reward the team’s hard work.”

Harold felt comfortable in the car all weekend, setting competitive times straight away during Friday practice, before leading Sunday’s race, following changes made inside the cockpit in the fortnight between Portuguese and German rounds.

“We resolved the problems with my seating position after Portugal when I went to the factory and the guys re-moulded my seat which definitely helped in Germany.

“I was fast in all of the practice sessions on Friday, both in the wet and dry conditions. My race pace was also good and we were fighting for the win with two hours to go. It was definitely our strongest weekend of the season so far. The second position moves us up to third in the championship which, being realistic, is an excellent effort after the frustrating start to the year.”

Following his 2008 Le Mans result, where he won the prototype petrol class, Harold was looking forward to his return to the 24 Hours with Aston Martin Racing. Events didn’t exactly go according to plan however.  

“Le Mans was one of those races where nothing seemed to work out. We still had 14 hours to go when my co-driver Stuart Hall was disqualified, leaving just myself and Peter Kox to drive. We ended up doing double stints, meaning we’d be in the car for two hours, come out, get something to eat and drink, sleep for 30 minutes and then get back in again. It certainly required a high level of fitness. 

“I’m sure we would have reached the finish no problem at all if we’d not had the technical problem. All in all it was a good experience because I now know what to expect should it happen again. I think it will also make me a better driver when there are three of us sharing.”

Le Mans week was of particular significance to the Aston Martin squad this year with the manufacturer celebrating the 50th anniversary of its last victory at La Sarthe in 1959.That, confirmed Harold, carried with it added pressure.

“Naturally you want to do well because you feel privileged to be part of that story. But you do feel a bit tenser because of it, although much of that is positive energy. It’s also very rewarding driving for such a prestigious manufacturer, especially one with the racing heritage of Aston Martin. It still feels special every time I get in the car.”

2009 was also the first season for Harold driving a prototype coupé.

“Aston’s coupé has definitely got an aerodynamic advantage in a straight line, which helped on the long straights at Le Mans. The vision is a little less compared to the open top cars that I’m used to which is more important on the tighter circuits when you’re looking out for traffic. There also isn’t the constant stream of air to refresh you.”

With the Nurburgring done and dusted, Harold turns his attention to Silverstone and the final Le Mans Series round of 2009. With the season almost at its end, he wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who has supported him this year.

“I just want to take this opportunity to thank my partners, who have followed me every year, and the people who have supported me from the start. Hopefully this is an opportunity to go from strength to strength into next year when we’ll definitely be targeting victories. It’s not going to be easy racing against the likes of Peugeot and Audi but we’re quite optimistic of continued improvement.

“We’ll have another test before Silverstone where hopefully we can round off the year with another positive result for Aston Martin Racing.”    

A tough 24 Hours for Primat at Le Mans 

Harold Primat discovered just how tough the Le Mans 24 Hours can be on both driver and machine last weekend having endured a frustrating 2009 race thanks to a catalogue of issues that plagued the #009 Lola-Aston Martin throughout.

Handed the honour of starting this year’s event, Primat made progress early on but was soon forced in for an alternator change after less than an hour’s running. The stop cost the car several laps and eventually returned to the track with co-driver Peter Kox at the wheel. It wasn’t long however before the Dutchman was back in, this time to serve a one minute stop-and-go penalty handed down by race officials – the punishment a result of work that had taken place on the car whilst on the grid to repair an electrical problem immediately before the start.

Further problems would result in yet more lost time for 009 during team mate Stuart Hall’s first stint thanks to a water leak costing around 15 minutes. With Harold back in the car however, the team’s luck began to change and all three drivers enjoyed trouble-free runs.

In fact, by the time Harold pitted just before midnight at the end of a long three hour stint, the Swiss had climbed 16 places. In typical fashion though, bad luck was about to return when word came through that Hall had been excluded from the race for his part in an accident with the LMP2 Radical which had subsequently crashed heavily. The penalty, considered harsh by the majority of the paddock, left Primat’s task all the more difficult, with only himself and Kox now eligible to drive the Aston Martin.

As if that wasn’t enough, the 009 crew were about to encounter yet more mechanical woes. At 2:20am the car stopped out on the circuit. It took ten minutes before Harold could return to the pits where the water pump controller was changed in a quarter of an hour. Kox then took over, only to lose electrical power just one lap later, prompting another unscheduled stop.

Finally, after so many issues, the duo were able to string together a series of stints without interruption, and the pair’s exploits saw the car running in 26th overall by the morning. With 18 hours gone however, disaster was about to strike.

The cooling issues which accompanied the car for much of the race had largely been contained. But, whilst busy continuing the car’s fight back, a warning light appeared on the dash before the temperature inside the cockpit began to noticeably increase. Harold informed the team immediately, but before he had a chance to pit, fluid spilled out onto the rear tyres on entry to the Porsche Curves – the fastest and most dangerous section of the circuit. Devoid of grip, he lost control and crashed heavily into the barriers.

The huge impact with the tyre wall destroyed the rear of the car, although Primat was able to climb unaided from the wreckage. It was the end of what had been a frustrating weekend for 009 and its crew.

Harold said: “I am a bit stiff and I will take it easy for the next couple of days but I am fine. I had an alarm on the dash for the cooling system and then I experienced some heat in the cockpit so I radioed the team to let them know. My initial suspicions of a water leak were confirmed when we studied the data afterwards.

“It was a shame for Peter and I. We were moving up the field after our earlier problems and we are both frustrated at not finishing. At Le Mans what you want first is to finish but sometimes you have a car which has most of the trouble in the team and unfortunately at this race it was our car.

“I have mixed feelings, it would have been great to bring all three cars home but at least the 007 car finished in the top four and the best of the petrol runners, beating several of the diesel cars, which was a great result for the team.”

Primat will return to sportscar action with Aston Martin at the upcoming Le Mans Series round in Portimao, Portugal this August.