Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Targets Season Finale Success at 2024 FIA WEC Bahrain
The Aston Martin Vantage GT3 is set to conclude an exceptional debut season at the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) during the climax at the Bapco Energies 8 Hours of Bahrain on Saturday, 2 November 2024.
Developed from the new Vantage road car introduced at Silverstone earlier this year, Aston Martin’s latest GT3 contender features a sturdy bonded aluminium chassis and a powerful twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 engine. This season, the car clinched its first WEC win at the Lone Star Le Mans at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in September with The Heart of Racing team (THoR). Additionally, driver teams from THoR and D’station Racing have achieved podium finishes in four other events throughout 2024.
THoR dominated at their home race at COTA in Round 5, starting from the pole position and setting the fastest lap in the LMGT3 class en route to their initial WEC victory. With another strong performance at the recent Fuji round in Japan, team principal and driver Ian James (GBR), alongside Alex Riberas (ESP) and Daniel Mancinelli (ITA), are contenders for second place in the LMGT3 Endurance Trophy for drivers’ and teams’, just seven points behind the top contenders with 39 points up for grabs in Bahrain.
Achieving this target would highlight a stellar season for THoR with the new Vantage GT3, following a second-place finish in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD Pro class drivers’ and teams’ championships at Road Atlanta earlier this month. Aston Martin works driver Ross Gunn (GBR) narrowly missed his first IMSA full series title by just five points despite claiming a win and four podiums, including a third-place at the Petit Le Mans finale.
D’station Racing has also seen significant success with the Vantage GT3 in Japan, competing for the GT300 class title in the SUPER GT Series. In June, they celebrated Aston Martin’s first victory in the championship at Suzuka.
Managed by former WEC racer Satoshi Hoshino (JPN) and SUPER GT Series class winner Tomonobu Fujii (JPN), D’station Racing aims to surpass their previous best WEC finish in Bahrain from last year. The team’s driving lineup includes Aston Martin’s most decorated active works driver, Marco Sørensen (DEN), a multiple FIA WEC champion and recent Spa 24 Hours winner, alongside fellow works drivers Nicki Thiim (DEN) and Mattia Drudi (ITA).
Adam Carter, Aston Martin’s Head of Endurance Motorsport, expressed confidence in the Vantage GT3’s capabilities. "With victories and podiums for both our US partners and D’station Racing, the new Vantage GT3 has proven itself as a highly competitive GT car for both professional and amateur drivers in WEC and other global championships," he said.
Aston Martin has a strong track record in Bahrain in the WEC, having won each of the previous three Vantage configurations in the GT class. Last year, D’station Racing achieved their best WEC result with a second-place finish, while THoR earned their first WEC podium.
The official practice for the 8 Hours of Bahrain begins on Thursday, 31 October, with the race set to start at 1400 local time (1100 GMT) on Saturday. Fans can follow the event through the official series websites and apps.
