- Aston Martin Vantage returns to happy WEC hunting ground at Spa
- The Heart of Racing seeks to rebound after 6 Hours of Imola heartbreak
- Racing Spirit of Léman aiming high at Spa with Vantage GT3
- Darren Turner returns to IMSA and Laguna Seca with the Heart of Racing
- Walkenhorst Motorsport looking to build on NLS podium at the Nürburgring
Aston Martin’s Vantage GT3 will be in action at three of endurance motorsport’s most iconic venues over the weekend; Spa-Francorchamps (BEL), Laguna Seca (USA) and the fearsome Nürburgring Nordschleife (DEU).
The FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) returns to Spa-Francorchamps for the 14th time in its history and in that period Vantage has recorded six class wins and a further 14 podium finishes. The Heart of Racing (THOR) team and the Spirit of Léman aim to add to that tally with the latest iteration – the Vantage GT3 – in the LMGT3 class of the 6 Hours of Spa on 10 May.
Regular class frontrunners, THOR team principal Ian James (GBR), Zach Robichon (CDN) and Mattia Drudi (ITA) are looking to bounce back from a tough race at Imola, after the team suffered a rare non-finish in Italy. James was punted off the track during the 6 Hours of Imola, making heavy impact with the barriers. While his Vantage sustained significant damage in the accident, it protected its driver well, and both return ready to charge back on to the podium in Belgium.
They will be joined by Racing Spirit of Léman trio Derek De Boer (USA), Eduardo Barrichello (BRA) and Aston Martin works driver Valentin Hasse-Clot (FRA) in the #10 Aston Martin Vantage GT3. The trio, new to WEC for 2025, aim to build on the ninth place they scored in the opening round at Lusail, the Qatar 1812km.
THOR is also in action in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (IMSA) with the latest version of the Vantage GT3. Having finished on the podium in both of the opening IMSA rounds (third in the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring) and ninth at Long Beach, regular British drivers Tom Gamble and Casper Stevenson are third in the standings, just 95 points off the GTD class championship lead. Gamble is otherwise engaged with Valkyrie at Spa this weekend, so THOR has drafted in Aston Martin’s longest-serving works driver, three-time Le Mans winner Darren Turner, to race alongside Stevenson. Turner, who races for THOR in the GT World Challenge America, last contested an IMSA race in 2023 when he was part of the winning Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona GTD line-up, alongside James, Marco Sørensen and Roman De Angelis.
Meanwhile Vantage returns to the Nürburgring Langstrecken Serie – the Nordscheife-based championship – for NLS3 with partner team Walkenhorst Motorsport – whose #34 Vantage GT3 finished second in the previous race. This time around works drivers Nicki Thiim (DEN) and 2023 Nürburgring 24 Hours overall winner David Pittard (GBR) aim to record the latest Vantage variant’s first overall victory on the fearsome Nordschleife configuration.
“Vantage GT3 has made a strong start to the season with podiums in IMSA, the Nürbrurging Langstrecken Serie and national series around the world,” said Aston Martin Head of Endurance Motorsport Adam Carter. “It feels as though it’s only a matter of time before it adds a similar result in WEC, and Spa has been kind to Vantage over the years. The car performed very well at the Nürburgring in NLS2 recently and clearly is a contender. I’d also like to extend our best wishes to Darren Turner in his cameo turn on board the THOR Vantage in the IMSA round at Laguna Seca. We have an exciting weekend coming up for Aston Martin.”
Sharing the mechanical architecture of the ultra-luxury performance brand’s most focused sportscar, the Vantage GT3, which triumphed at last year’s 24 Hours of Spa, is built around Aston Martin’s proven bonded aluminium chassis and powered by its fearsome twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 engine.
