Aston Martin Vantage GT3 FIA World Endurance Championship chases glory at COTA | Aston Martin Japan LLC Press Release

• New Aston Martin Vantage GT3 aims for victory on debut at FIA World Endurance Championship Circuit of the Americas (COTA)

• Aston Martin is the best-performing GT manufacturer at COTA in Austin, USA, where the WEC is being held for the first time since 2020.

• Heart of Racing ready for home race ‘debut’ in WEC

• Vantage takes second podium in IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship as Heart of Racing continues GTD winning streak

• Works driver Ross Gunn closes in on IMSA GTD Pro points leader

Austin, USA, August 27, 2024:

This weekend, Aston Martin will be fielding the latest Vantage GT3 at the Lone Star Le Mans race at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Texas, USA, alongside partner teams Heart of Racing and D’station Racing, where the Vantage has had impressive success in the FIA ​​World Endurance Championship (WEC).

No other manufacturer has had such a dominating record at COTA as Aston Martin, which is returning to the WEC calendar for the first time since 2020, with the team also taking a double class victory last time out. In fact, the British ultra-luxury sports car brand has won nine GT class victories in the six races held at COTA since the series’ inception in 2012, a 75% win rate, with four of those victories being double class wins.

Drawing heavily from the new Vantage road car unveiled at Silverstone earlier this year, Aston Martin’s new GT3 challenger is built around the company’s proven bonded aluminium chassis and is powered by a potent 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 engine. While it is yet to win at world championship level, it has already made a name for itself in other categories and is increasingly making a name for itself in the fiercely competitive LMGT3 class, which sees no fewer than nine manufacturers compete.

Heart of Racing’s first home race since joining the WEC at Spa-Francorchamps in 2023 comes after finishing second at the last 6 Hours of São Paulo in Brazil last month. As a result, team principal Ian James (GB), Alex Riberas (Spain) and Daniel Mancinelli (Italy) are catching up in the battle for second place in the LMGT3 points standings.

As of the start of COTA, Aston Martin is in 4th place, 20 points behind 2nd place and 45 points behind 1st place, but with three races remaining they have the potential to gain up to 91 points. So far, Aston Martin’s Vantage GT3 has achieved the impressive feat of coming in 2nd in the 1,812km race in Qatar, the season opener, and leading the Le Mans 24 Hours, although it did not result in any awards.

D’station Racing has also achieved a podium this season with a 3rd place in Qatar and has since continued to perform strongly, scoring points at each round, including an important 10th place in class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, with team owner Satoshi Hoshino back at the wheel.

At COTA, Hoshino will be replaced by Clément Mateu (FRA), who has competed in every round except Le Mans. Joining Mateu on the team will be Aston Martin’s most successful works driver, Marco Sørensen (DEN), a three-time FIA ​​WEC GT champion, with class wins at the Rolex 24 Hours and Le Mans 24 Hours, and the recent Spa 24 Hours win alongside fellow works drivers Nikki Thiim (DEN) and Mattia Drudi (ITA). Completing the #777 drivers is French and European GT4 title winner Erwan Bastard (FRA), and the trio sits in seventh place in the standings, just 11 points behind Heart of Racing.

Outside of the WEC, the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 is already showing signs of success as Heart of Racing heats up in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. On 25 August, the US-based team extended their consecutive podium finish to five after both cars finished in the top three in their class during the 160-minute sprint race at Virginia International Raceway.

Works driver Ross Gunn (GB), sharing the #23 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 with Alex Riberas (ESP), finished third and has closed the gap to the class points leader after recent wins at Canadian Tire Mosport Park and Watkins Glen. Gunn, who currently sits second in the standings, is just 17 points behind the GTD Pro class leader – 30 fewer points than the difference between first and second place in the race – and there are 770 points available in the remaining two races at Indianapolis and Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta.

Meanwhile, former IMSA GTD champion Romain de Angelis (CAN) and his teammate Zachary Robichon (CAN) in the #27 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 finished second in the GTD class, following their third-place finish at Road America last time out and their GTD class win at Mosport in mid-July.

Adam Carter, Aston Martin’s Head of Endurance Motorsport, said: “In a relatively short space of time, the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 has established itself as a highly competitive force on the global GT stage, with a Spa 24 Hours win, multiple class wins in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with Heart of Racing, a Japan SUPER GT class win with D’station Racing and, barring some rather unlucky events, a class win in the FIA ​​WEC as well. Aston Martin has had very successful WEC results at COTA in the past and with both Heart of Racing and D’station Racing to compete with, the new Vantage GT3 is well placed to continue this run of success this weekend.”

Official practice for the Lone Star Le Mans will begin at 12:40 local time (18:40 BST) on Friday 30 August, with the race starting at 13:00 local time (19:00 BST) on Sunday 1 September. For further details, please check the official websites and apps of each series.

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Aston Martin creates compelling performance vehicles with its ambition to be the world’s most aspirational ultra-luxury British brand.

Founded in 1913 by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford, Aston Martin is known as a global brand that represents style, luxury, performance and exclusivity. Aston Martin combines cutting-edge technology, exceptional craftsmanship and beautiful style to create a range of acclaimed luxury models, including the Vantage, DB12, DBS, DBX and the company’s first hypercar, the Valkyrie. In line with its Racing.Green. sustainability strategy, Aston Martin is also working on alternatives to the internal combustion engine with a blended drivetrain approach, including PHEVs and BEVs, between 2025 and 2030, with clear plans to have a lineup of electric sports cars and SUVs.

Based in Gaydon, UK, Aston Martin Lagonda designs, manufactures and exports luxury vehicles for sale in over 50 countries worldwide. Its sports car range is built in Gaydon and the DBX luxury SUV is built in St. Athan, Wales. The company has a target to make its manufacturing facilities net zero by 2030.

Lagonda was founded in 1899 and was acquired along with Aston Martin by the late Sir David Brown in 1947, and is now listed on the London Stock Exchange as Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings plc.

2020 sees Lawrence Stroll take over as the company’s Executive Chairman, fresh investment in key areas for the future whilst embarking on a new era for the iconic British brand, returning to the pinnacle of motorsport with the Aston Martin Aramco Formula 1® Team.