New Aston Martin Vantage wins again in IMSA as The Heart of Racing stars in North and South America

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Aston Martin’s new Vantage GT3 recorded its second win in as many races in the IMSA WeaterTech SportCar Championship –

North America’s most prestigious endurance series – thanks to a brilliant GTD class victory at the Canadian Tires Motorsport Park [Mosport] for partner team The Heart of Racing [THoR].

The 2022 IMSA GTD champion and former Aston Martin Racing Driver Academy graduate Roman De Angelis (CDN), along with Spencer Pumpelly (USA), delivered an accomplished victory in the #27 THoR Aston Martin Vantage GT3, at Mosport. It was the second time in three years that De Angelis had won his home event. The team led most of the race and maintained a healthy advantage over rivals, even withstanding the pressure of a late-race Full Course Yellow to bring home THoR’s and the British ultraluxury sportscar manufacturer’s first GTD class win with the new Aston Martin Vantage GT3.

This follows Ross Gunn (GBR) and Alex Riberas’s (ESP) maiden victory with the car in the GTD Pro class at the previous round, three weeks ago, at Watkins Glen. The Briton, this time partnered by Mario Farnbacher (DEU), finished fifth in the GTD Pro class at Mosport, bringing the Aston Martin works driver within 60 points of the class lead (350 are awarded for a win), with four rounds left to race this season.

The win marked the 13^th IMSA victory for the Aston Martin Vantage in the GT classes and was the eighth time THoR had won the GTD class since it first entered IMSA with the famous Wings in 2020. In total, THoR crews have raced Aston Martins to IMSA podium positions no less than 26 times in four and a half years, while another partner team Magnus Racing, has added a further three podium finishes from its exclusive Endurance Race programme.

“This was a great day for the Heart of Racing team and another fantastic win for Vantage,” said team principal Ian James, who was racing the team’s FIA World Endurance Championship [WEC] Vantage LMGT3 in Brazil. “Winning in IMSA, at the Canadian Tires Motorsport Park, was an awesome way to start the day, and a well-deserved reward for all the hard work this year from everybody on the #27 crew. Then we finished second, equalling our best result, in WEC. It’s a great feeling to be on the podium again and hopefully there will be many more moments like this to come!”

James and his WEC THoR co-drivers Riberas and Daniel Mancinelli (ITA), so nearly made it a glorious double for the brand and the team in the 6 Hours of São Paolo, after a fiercely competitive performance brought them closer than ever before to claiming a maiden win in the series.

Starting ninth in the LMGT3 class, James raced up to third by the end of his opening double-stint, handing over to Mancinelli, who fought past rivals on track to place the Aston Martin firmly in second place. When the leading Lamborghini retired, the race became a straight fight between the #92 Porsche and Riberas, now in the #27. But a late-race Full Course Yellow meant the Spaniard ran out of time and was forced to settle for second place.

The D’station Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 also performed well, having started 14^th in the LMGT3 class. The Japanese team charged through the pack to record another points finish with ninth place, thanks to strong stints from its drivers Clément Mateu (FRA), Erwan Bastard (FRA) and triple FIA World Endurance GT champion Marco Sørensen (DEN).

Adam Carter, Head of Endurance Motorsport, said: “The new Aston Martin Vantage GT3 is really hitting its stride now, and to see it win its class with The Heart of Racing for the second successive IMSA race is extremely satisfying. The team also came very close in WEC, once again demonstrating race-winning pace just as it had in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, last month. It feels like if the competitive level can be maintained, a first WEC victory with Vantage is within our grasp in 2024.”

The next round of the 2024 IMSA Weathertech SportsCar Championship takes place at Road America (USA) on 4 August, while WEC now takes a summer break before returning to the Circuit of the Americas (USA) for round six of the championship on 1 September.