Bryant and Beechdean AMR Storm to fourth at 2017 Le Mans 24 Hours

On his second attempt of the twice-around-the-clock event, the Buckinghamshire-based star quickly adapted to his new machinery and produced a clean and consistent drive to better his 2016 result of ninth.

The 31-year-old successful GT racer used the practice and qualifying sessions to reacclimatise to the Circuit de la Sarthe and get a feel for the #99 car, with help from team-mates Aston Martin protégé Ross Gunn and team owner Andrew Howard.

Temperatures remained high throughout the week and soared on race day, as the Beechdean AMR trio geared up for the French endurance classic, starting eighth on the grid in an incredibly tight LMGTE Am class.

Gunn took the start in his Le Mans debut and had a clean getaway to remain inside the top 10, before handing the #99 to Howard.

The two-time British GT champion completed another clean run, with Bryant taking over to keep the Beechdean AMR outfit well in contention with an error-free double stint, as the evening sun hung low over the 13.629km circuit.

With the darkness settling around La Sarthe, the 2016 European Le Mans Series champions climbed the order and were on the brink of the top five when Bryant jumped behind the wheel to complete a triple-stint during the night.

The British ace demonstrated his experience and was consistently amongst the quickest in class in one of the most challenging periods of the gruelling 24-hour event.

The #99 continued to rise through the order in the hands of the three drivers, and by Sunday morning the Beechdean AMR squad was in a solid fourth place.

A close top-five battle followed in the final quarter of the race, with the British team getting the better of the #61 Ferrari and taking the chequered flag on the cusp of a podium position in fourth.

Oliver Bryant: “It was great! Even to finish the race is an incredible achievement in itself. This year it just ran like clockwork. We didn’t have any excursions and the car is in mint condition, it was a fantastic effort from the team.

“This was my first event driving the Aston Martin, so I started on the back foot, but when it came to the race I was doing some good average lap times and kept out of trouble.

“It was hot, but the car has air conditioning and it really wasn’t that bad! Driving alongside Ross was great, he’s only 20 years old and has a promising future ahead of him. Andrew didn’t put a foot wrong during his stints, it was a great performance.

“We were close to a podium finish, which is fantastic. I absolutely want to come back and do it again!”