Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Continues Podium Success at Circuit Paul Ricard
The Aston Martin Vantage GT3 secured another podium finish last weekend as the GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS kicked off at Circuit Paul Ricard in France. The 2Seas Motorsport-operated Verstappenracing.com Vantage contended for Gold Cup honours throughout the event, recording the fastest overall time in the opening practice and demonstrating consistent performance during the six-hour race.
Harry King (GBR) steadily advanced from fourth place in the Gold Cup standings, closing in on the #31 car in the final 20 minutes to grab second place for himself and co-drivers Thierry Vermeulen (NED) and Chris Lulham (GBR). Meanwhile, the best overall Vantage result came from the Pro-class Comtoyou Racing entry, featuring Aston Martin works drivers Marco Sørensen (DEN), Nicki Thiim (DEN) and Mattia Drudi (ITA). They recovered from a 19th-place start by leveraging the Vantage GT3’s impressive long-stint pace to secure fifth.
Walkenhorst Motorsport’s works-driver trio of David Pittard (GBR), Henrique Chaves (POR) and Christian Krognes (NOR) finished eighth. At the same time, the Comtoyou Vantage GT3 entry – including Aston Martin Aramco Formula One® Team Driver Ambassador Jessica Hawkins (GBR) – claimed 11th in the Bronze Cup.
Over in the United States, the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship moved from its gruelling 12 Hours of Sebring to a rapid-fire 100-minute sprint on the streets of Long Beach. Tom Gamble (GBR) qualified his Vantage GT3 third for The Heart of Racing (THOR), missing pole position by less than one tenth of a second and seizing second place on the opening lap. Alongside Casper Stevenson (GBR), he eventually finished ninth after contact with a GTP machine, but they remain third in the Drivers’ Championship standings with three rounds completed.
In Japan, D’station Racing’s Tomonobu Fujii (JPN) and Charlie Fagg (GBR) launched their AUTOBACS Super GT Series assault at Okayama in the GT300 category from the front row with their Aston Martin Vantage GT3. Fujii led the race until a rival’s spin forced him off a wet track at quarter distance, knocking the #777 Vantage out of serious contention.
