Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Takes Centre Stage at Long Beach and GT World Challenge Europe
Aston Martin adds even more excitement to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship at Long Beach (CA) by fielding its latest Vantage GT3 alongside the Valkyrie. The new Vantage GT3, raced by former series champions The Heart of Racing (THOR), has already earned podium finishes in the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring. These impressive results place British drivers Tom Gamble and Casper Stevenson second in the GTD class standings, a mere 41 points behind the leaders.
This weekend also marks the GT World Challenge Europe launch Powered by AWS at Paul Ricard (FRA), where six Aston Martin Vantage GT3s will compete in the fiercely contested GT-only endurance series. The three-hour race opens the five-round GT World Europe Endurance Cup and boasts 59 entries from 10 leading manufacturers, including Aston Martin.
The 2024 Spa 24 Hours-winning team, Comtoyou Racing, returns to the PRO class with Aston Martin works drivers Mattia Drudi (ITA), Marco Sørensen (DEN) and Nicki Thiim (DEN) in the #7 Vantage GT3. The Belgian squad also campaigns a Silver Class #21 Vantage for Nicolas Baert (BEL), Kobe Pauwels (BEL) and Aston Martin Racing Driver Academy winner Jamie Day (GBR). Rounding out the team’s roster is the Bronze Class #270 car, featuring Aston Martin Aramco Formula One® Team Driver Ambassador Jessica Hawkins (GBR) in her series debut alongside Belgian duo Alexandre Leroy and Antoine Potty.
Walkenhorst Motorsport makes its championship return with two Aston Martins. In the #34 Pro car, the German team fields an all-works driver lineup of David Pittard (GBR), Henrique Chaves (POR) and Christain Krognes (NOR). Its #35 Silver entry unites Romain Leroux (FRA), Mateo Villagomez (ECU) and Oliver Söderström (SWE).
Meanwhile, 2 Seas Motorsports unveils a fresh team name – Verstappen.com – and races a Gold Class #33 Vantage GT3 for Thierry Vermeulen (NED), Chris Lulham (GBR) and Harry King (GBR).
Over in Japan, D’station Racing returns to the AUTOBACS Super GT Series for 2025 in the GT300 class, running the Aston Martin Vantage GT3. The Fuji-based outfit, which delivered the new Vantage its maiden international victory at Suzuka last June, aims to become the first crew to capture a Super GT class title for Aston Martin. Team principal Tomonobu Fujii (JPN) partners with 2024 teammate Charlie Fagg (GBR), and they kick off their challenge at Okayama on Sunday.
“In its second season of competition, Vantage GT3 is a highly competitive platform, both in terms of performance and driveability, as demonstrated by the depth and quality of our partner teams worldwide,” said Aston Martin Head of Endurance Motorsport Adam Carter. “Comtoyou Racing came close to clinching the new Vantage GT3’s first international title in its debut year. Now that we have a full season of data across many championships, we can extract even more performance from this outstanding car.”
The Vantage GT3 builds on Aston Martin’s proven bonded aluminium chassis and a twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 engine, sharing the same mechanical architecture as the ultra-luxury performance brand's highly focused production sportscar. Victorious at last year’s 24 Hours of Spa, this formidable racer continues to raise the bar in global GT competition.
