Banbury-based Aston Martin have secured a double pole position for the classic 24 Hours of Le Mans race which starts today (3pm). They will be at the front of the grid in both the GTE Pro and the GTE Am races.

The fastest GTE Pro lap time of the three qualifying sessions – 3mins 54.635 secs – was set by Frederic Makowiecki in the final moments of the third qualifying session, following a close battle with teammate Stefan Mucke, who took second position.

Makowiecki will compete with Brazil’s Bruno Senna and Great Britain’s Rob Bell from the front of the grid of 26 GT cars for the legendary 24-hour endurance race.

Mucke will be joined in Aston Martin’s second car by Darren Turner, from Chacombe, near Banbury, and Peter Dumbreck, who lives at nearby Shenington.

In the GTE Am class, Allan Simonsen put his Aston Martin at the top of the timesheets at the start of first qualifying.

His car held that position right until the end of session three when he bettered his own time with 3.57.776.

The Aston Martin driven by Jamie Campbell-Walter clinched third place.