24h Le Mans
This year’s race sees 60 teams divided into four classes: two for prototypes (LM P1 and LM P2) and two for GT (LM GTE Pro et LM GTE Am). In the run-up to the start of the 85th 24 Hours of Le Mans on 17 June, we will be presenting each team in detail.
TF Sport (GBR) #90 Aston Martin Vantage (LMGTE Am)
Owner: Tom Ferrier
Team manager: Tom Ferrier
Engineer: Ricky Martino
Location: Redhill (UK)
Website: tfsport.co.uk
2017 ELMS results:
4 Hours of Silverstone: 24th Yoluc/Hankey/Thiim (TUR/GBR/DNK), Aston Martin V8 Vantage (1st in LMGTE)
4 Hours of Monza: 22nd Yoluc/Hankey/Thiim (TUR/GBR/DNK), Aston Martin V8 Vantage (2nd in LMGTE)
Tom Ferrier founded TF Sport in 2014. The British outfit began in GT4 with an Aston Martin Vantage V8 for Andrew Jarman and Devon Modell. With two wins in the season, they came third in the Team Championship and second in the Drivers Championship.
The following year Ferrier ran two Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3s with Matt Bell paired with Derek Johnston and Jody Fannin with Andrew Jarman. Their efforts were rewarded with one race win for the first team. TF Sport finished third in the 2015 Teams Championship and went on to win the title in 2016 with two new crews: Jonathan Adam/Derek Johnston (who also win the Drivers Championship and John Barnes/Mark Farmer.
It was a great season for TF Sport. As well as the British GT title, the team entered an Aston Martin Vantage GT3 with Euan Hankey and Salih Yoluc. The pair won two rounds, Imola and Estoril, and finished second in the Drivers Championship. The team won the title and were offered an invitation to the 2017 Le Mans 24 Hours as a result. In 2016, TF Sport also took part in Road to Le Mans, the support race to the 24 Hours. Jarman and Modell finished sixth in GT3.
This year, the team has two irons in the fire. First, the Blancpain Endurance Series with an Aston Martin V12 GT3 entered in the name of Oman Racing Team with TF Sport, with drivers Ahmad Al Harthy and Jonathan Adam. The British team also ran its first European Le Mans Series campaign with the #90 Aston Martin Vantage in LM GTE. Hankey and Yoluc shared the wheel with Aston Martin works driver Nicki Thiim. Things are looking good for the team, who won Silverstone from pole position and came second at Monza.
TF Sport comes to its maiden Le Mans as leader in the ELMS. Thiim will be driving for AMR, leaving a seat for Rob Bell, an experienced Le Mans driver (8 races) and winner of the Le Mans Series in 2007 and 2008.
Photo : PASCAL SAIVET / VISION SPORT AGENCY
