As the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship finale approaches, the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 is poised to compete in the Petit Le Mans 10-hour race at Road Atlanta, where it aims to secure its inaugural major title.
This season has been remarkable for the Vantage GT3, showcasing an impressive performance in international competitions. In June, the car achieved a historic win at the centenary edition of the Crowdstrike 24 Hours of Spa, marking a first for Aston Martin in the modern GT era.
Additionally, June saw the Vantage earn Aston Martin’s first-ever Autobacs Super GT class victory in Japan. Throughout the summer, the car has secured class wins in various prestigious series, including the FIA World Endurance Championship, IMSA, the Nürburgring Langstrecken Series, and ADAC GT Masters.
Aston Martin, in collaboration with partner team The Heart of Racing (THoR) and works driver Ross Gunn (GBR), heads into Saturday’s concluding round of North America’s premier endurance series vying for the GTD Pro class manufacturers’, teams’, and drivers’ championship titles.
The US-based THoR team is set to field two Vantage GT3s at Road Atlanta as they strive for another IMSA GT class title this Saturday. A successful outcome would add to the GTD class drivers’ and teams’ championships secured in 2022 by Roman De Angelis (CDN) and further solidify their remarkable success with Aston Martin in North America.
For Gunn and THoR, the task is clear—they need to earn 100 points more than their nearest competitors, with 350 points available to the race winner and an additional 35 points for achieving pole position. Aston Martin must ensure it gathers 123 points more than the series leader by taking points from whichever GTD Pro Vantage finishes highest.
Gunn will partner with Alex Riberas (ESP) and 2022 IMSA GTD class champion De Angelis in the regular GTD Pro #23 Aston Martin Vantage GT3. Meanwhile, the sister #27 Vantage, which typically competes in the GTD class, has been elevated to GTD Pro status (as it was for last month’s six-hour race in Indianapolis) to potentially earn vital manufacturer points. This car will be driven by two-time Petit Le Mans class winner Mario Farnbacher (DEU), Zach Robichon (CDN), and triple FIA GT World champion Marco Sørensen (DEN).
Due to this adjustment, Magnus Racing’s new Aston Martin Vantage GT3 will be the sole entry in the GTD class. The Utah-based team, which only participates in the long-distance ‘Endurance’ rounds of IMSA, has secured podium finishes at Petit Le Mans four times since its debut in 2010.
Magnus Racing is now on the hunt for its first class victory with the Vantage, representing team owner John Potter and American drivers Andy Lally and Spencer Pumpelly.
Making its Road Atlanta debut this weekend is the new Vantage GT4, which has already celebrated victory in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge (IMPC) with the newly partnered team Rebel Rock Racing, driven by Frank DePew (USA) and Robin Liddell (GBR) during the Fox Factory 120 race.
Team TGM and driver Matt Plumb (USA) lead the GS class teams’ and drivers’ championships by 110 points, with a maximum of 350 points available for the race winner. Aston Martin also tops the manufacturers’ standings by a margin of 70 points.
If Team TGM finishes sixth or higher in Friday’s two-hour race, it will secure the title, marking the third time the previous generation Aston Martin Vantage GT4 has triumphed in the class since 2020.
The Fox Factory 120 is set to commence at 12:45 EDT local time (+4 GMT) on Friday, October 11. Official practice for the 2024 MOTUL Petit Le Mans will kick off on Thursday, October 10, at 10:40 EDT, with the race starting at 12:10 EDT on Saturday. For updates, fans can follow the event via the official IMSA website and app.