DHG Racing enjoyed a sensational weekend at the Grand Prix de L’Age D’or in Dijon. On the former French Grand Prix track David Hart, Oliver Hart and Bram Bontrup proved to be extremely competitive and took home 4 top step trophies!
A two-hour race was on the billing for the Sixties Endurance and DHG Racing entered two Cobras for the event, catering to GT cars from the golden age of endurance racing. Olivier Hart pulled double duty by sharing the Shelby Cobra Daytona with David Hart and sharing the Shelby Cobra 289 with Bram Bontrup. This meant that during the opening hour of the race, David and Olivier were together on track, and the DHG teammates played it perfectly, meaning both cars were able to help each other in moving forward from their starting positions just outside the top 3. Olivier pitted first and handed over to Bram while leading the race. On the superfast French track, Bram once again showed his speed and skill on the way to sixth in the hotly contested race. A few laps after vacating one Cobra, Olivier took over from David while in second, underlining David’s race pace in the Daytona. From this excellent position, Olivier closed a 24-second gap and moved swiftly up to P1. He survived a late race rain shower and a red flag to take another win for DHG Racing.
David and Olivier shared the Lola T70 MK3B in the Classic Endurance Racing 1, the championship for Le Mans prototypes built primarily in the seventies and boasting a field of over forty entries. David started the race in fourth and fought for the top spots throughout his stint. The level of the top ten was so high that no one could break away from the pack. The DHG team opted to stay out one longer for the mandatory pit stop and driver change. This worked a treat as the team could take full advantage of a virtual safety car, meaning that Olivier came back on track in second position. A few laps later, he took the lead and needed to make a 15-second gap due to track limit penalties. Slicing through traffic and crossing the line with a 17-second gap made the win once again for DHG.
The rare Lister Costin made a successful outing in the Gentleman Challenge and was driven by David and Olivier. The team dominated the first race, but a final-minute failure of the differential meant that a certain victory eluded the duo. The DHG Racing crew put in an almighty effort to get the Lister ready for the second race and were rewarded by David and Olivier with another dominant display and a well-deserved victory.
Bram Bontrup took on thirty of Europe’s best historic touring cars in the Classic Touring Car Challenge. In his trusty Ford Mustang, Bram qualified a strong second, putting himself in the perfect position for the sixty-minute race. A fantastic battle with Kyle Tilley, a well-known modern Le Mans LMP2 racer, ensued, with the lead moving back and forth during the race. Bram proved the stronger, however, and retook the lead with a few laps to go and never looked back. With a winning margin of less than two seconds, the Mustang crossed the line first, sealing an amazing weekend for DHG Racing at Dijon.
