Aston Martin Vantage Secures Dazzling Fourth GT Podium at the 12 Hours of Sebring
The Aston Martin Vantage achieved its fourth GT podium in the Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring, thanks to a spectacular late surge by The Heart of Racing (THOR). In the closing hours of one of motorsport’s most demanding endurance events, THOR turned a challenging situation into a remarkable recovery.
Zacharie Robichon (CDN), 2023 European Le Mans Series GTE champion and 2021 IMSA GTD title-winner, joined forces with Aston Martin THOR team WEC Valkyrie driver Tom Gamble (GBR) and FIA WEC LMGT3 podium finisher Casper Stevenson (GBR) to earn third place in the GTD class. This marked THOR’s second consecutive podium finish, following their third-place result in January’s Rolex 24 at Daytona, where Aston Martin works driver Mattia Drudi (ITA) also shared driving duties.
After starting sixth in class, Robichon swiftly moved the Vantage into the lead group and secured second place in the opening hours. A sensor issue forced Gamble to make an extra pit stop during his first stint, momentarily dropping the crew down the order. Undeterred, THOR methodically worked their way back into contention, frequently running in either the class lead or around tenth place, depending on the chosen fuel strategy.
A full-course yellow in the eighth hour brought the trio back on schedule. Soon after, Stevenson suffered an untimely spin at Turn 17 just before sunset. Fortunately, the Englishman recovered without damage, returning the car to Gamble at the head of the class. Gamble later resumed in seventh place for the final stints and embarked on a determined drive to the front. With help from another full-course yellow in the last half-hour, the Briton joined a fierce eight-car tussle for the GTD victory. When two rivals encountered problems inside the final 10 minutes, Gamble seized the opportunity and crossed the chequered flag in third place.
“The crew in the #27 Vantage performed brilliantly,” said THOR Team Principal Ian James. “Everyone worked flawlessly throughout the race. We faced several challenges, but a strong team continues fighting despite setbacks. We have two consecutive podium finishes and remain firmly in the championship hunt.”
This success at Sebring marks the third time THOR has claimed a podium at the circuit. In 2020, James, Roman De Angelis, and Darren Turner (GBR) finished second in GTD, while James, De Angelis, and Ross Gunn (GBR) repeated that performance in 2021.
The next round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship takes place in Long Beach (CA) on 11-12 April.
