Aston Martin Powers Ahead: Vantage GT3 Set to Shine at COTA’s Lone Star Le Mans
Aston Martin marks its racing return to the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) for the Lone Star Le Mans 6-hour race. Vantage has previously celebrated remarkable victories at this venue in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC). This weekend, the latest Vantage GT3, supported by The Heart of Racing (THoR) and D’station Racing, will debut in Texas.
Aston Martin stands unmatched in its victory count at the Austin circuit, which rejoins the WEC schedule for the first time since 2020—a season that also saw Aston Martin achieve a double-class win. The British ultraluxury sports car brand has clinched nine GT class wins out of the six events hosted by COTA since the series' inception in 2012, boasting a 75% win rate, with four of these being double-class victories.
The GT3 challenger, closely derived from the newly unveiled Vantage road car at Silverstone earlier this year, features Aston Martin’s signature bonded aluminium chassis and is powered by a formidable twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 engine. Despite awaiting its first world championship victory, the car has already demonstrated its competitiveness in other categories. It is making solid inroads in the fiercely competitive LMGT3 class, which includes nine manufacturers.
THoR, competing on home soil for the first time since joining WEC at Spa in 2023, secured second place at the recent 6 Hours of Sao Paulo in Brazil last month. This result propelled its drivers—team principal Ian James (GBR), Alex Ribeiras (ESP), and Daniel Mancinelli (ITA)—closer to second place in the LMGT3 points standings.
As they approach COTA, they are fourth, 20 points behind second place and 45 behind the lead, with a maximum of 91 points available in the remaining three races. This follows another second-place finish at the season opener in Qatar and a commendable performance at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 led for significant stretches.
D’station Racing, too, has celebrated a podium finish this season, coming third in Qatar. Since then, the team has consistently scored points in every round, including a top-ten finish at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, with team owner Satoshi Hoshino making a significant return to driving.
Clément Mateu (FRA) has taken Hoshino’s place for all rounds except Le Mans. He teams up with Aston Martin’s most decorated active works driver, Marco Sørensen (DEN), a three-time FIA WEC champion and recent Spa 24 Hours winner, alongside fellow works drivers Nicki Thiim (DEN) and Mattia Drudi (ITA). Erwan Bastard (FRA), winner of French and European GT4 titles, rounds out the team in car #777, currently sitting seventh in the standings, just 11 points behind THoR.
