A '˜special' win as Jonny Adam claims first place at famous Italian circuit

The Kirkcaldy driver produced a blistering final stint in the Aston Martin V12 Vantage to help TF Sport to a Pro-Am victory in round one of the Blancpain Endurance Championship.

“It was a mega weekend and awesome to win at Monza,” he told the Press. “Of all the circuits, it’s one that everyone wants to get a result at.

“It’s steeped in history, has a great heritage, and to stand on that F1 podium was pretty special.”

Adam’s team mate in this year’s Blancpain series is Ahmad Al Harthy and the pair were seventh overall in qualifying and quickest in the class.

The three-hour race saw Al Harthy compete a double stint, surviving a dramatic first lap incident whilst fending off the attentions of the #911 Porsche.

The team battled a small fuel rig issue which allowed the #11 Kessel Racing entry to pass in the second stop, before Adam took over for the final stint and with a ten second deficit to the leading Pro-Am #11.

With a flurry of fastest laps, Adam closed the gap and in a late race shoot out, gained the position and with it the Pro-Am race win and eighth position overall.

“The last hour was probably one of the best races I’ve driven in my life,” Adam said.
“For the 58 mintues I was in the car it was literally qualifying laps. Every single lap was on the limit just to try to hunt down the class leader.

“I managed to chip away every lap and catch up and pass him with three minutes to go.

“I’ve been in this Championship for three years now and to win at that level is something I’ve wanted to achieve.

“But to do it in the manner we did at the end of the race was pretty special.”

The next Blancpain event is at Silverstone on May 11-12. This weekend, Adam returns to the British GT Championship with TF Sport at Rockingham.