Beechdean Aston Martin Racing (AMR) collected a potentially vital haul of championship points from the third round of the 2016 European Le Mans Series (ELMS) on Sunday.

The team battled hard against a field full of Ferraris and Porsches to ensure they left the Styria Mountains just a point behind the championship leaders in second.

Wycombe Wanderers chairman Andrew Howard was at the wheel for large sections of the race and enjoyed being involved at the Red Bull Ring.

“The circuit was a fast flowing track and once the traffic settled down I really enjoyed the chance to drive at a constant pace,” he said.

“A circuit like Red Bull Ring allows drivers the time to develop as the tyre degradation is quite consistent and the times could be improved. I really enjoyed this factor of the race.”

Howard was joined by fellow Beechdean drivers Darren Turner and Alex MacDowall and they all produced competitive drives to finish the four hour endurance race in fourth.

In fact, their efforts, combined with a carefully planned strategy from the Beechdean engineers, kept them in contention for a podium finish throughout the race.

However, a full course yellow flag (FCY) allowed their rivals to refuel and gain an advantage in the closing stages.

The disruption frustrated Turner, but he was otherwise content with the final outcome and his own race performance.

“I had a really fun stint and a fair battle with [Andrea] Bertolini in the winning Ferrari,” Turner said.

“Our strategy was good but the last FCY played into our competitors hands. The championship is still very close and it is there for the taking.”

The FCY complicated the conclusion of the race for Beechdean but MacDowall fought on gamely to keep his team at the business end of the race.

The 25-year-old was pleased with his efforts and praised the equally important work of both Howard and Turner.

MacDowall said: “I’m really happy with how the team performed this weekend. We nailed every pit stop and Darren and Andrew drove the best I have seen them so far.

“I’m satisfied with how I drove and it wasn’t an easy job to take a double stint at the end. I did everything I could to defend and not lose time.

“The full course yellows meant we came away with fourth which is disappointing but we’re still in the battle for the lead.”

The ELMS goes into hibernation for the next six weeks before returning for the fourth round of the championship at Circuit Paul Ricard in the south of France.

In the meantime, Beechdean AMR’s attention turns to the penultimate meeting of the British GT Championship which takes place at Snetterton on the weekend of Saturday, August 6.