Epperstone’s Tom Gamble fails to finish in World Endurance Championship debut with Aston Martin in Qatar

Tom Gamble said it was a huge honour to be part of Aston Martin’s debut in the World Endurance Championship - despite failing to finish.

Gamble, from Epperstone, was in Qatar with his team-mates for the opening round of the series last weekend.

The gruelling 10-hour race was always going to be a steep learning curve for Aston as they debuted their Valkyrie hypercar.

And so it proved, for while the car driven by Marco Sorensen, Alex Riberas and Roman De Angelis completed 295 laps on its way to 17th place, the British trio of Gamble, Ross Gunn and Harry Tinckell withdrew with a transmission issue.

“It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster weekend,” said Gamble. “There is such a big build-up in Qatar.

“It’s actually been really positive, we have learned so much this weekend and that was our main objective.”

The second round, at Imola, will be held over six hours and takes place on April 20.