World Endurance GT Champions Aston Martin switch focus to Customer Racing for 2021

December 23, 2020 by Aston Martin The Americas

• Multiple Le Mans winning sportscar maker takes new strategic approach for 2021

•Top partner teams to receive extended factory support across GT racing platforms

•Aston Martin enjoys most successful campaign ever with Vantage GT race cars

•26 championship titles and two 24 Hours of Le Mans class victories earned in 2020

World Endurance GT Champion and 24 Hours of Le Mans double-class winner Aston Martin will switch the strategic focus of its Vantage GT motorsport programme to concentrate on customer operations from 2021 onwards, bringing an end to a hugely successful nine-year run as a manufacturer team in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC).

Concluding with its double world championship triumph in the 8 Hours of Bahrain last month, where Marco Sørensen (DEN) and Nicki Thiim (DEN) added the WEC GT Drivers' endurance crown to the Manufacturers' title that Aston Martin clinched at Le Mans, the British sportscar manufacturer has achieved every target it set for the 4-litre V8 Vantage GTE – based on the highly acclaimed Vantage road car. Aston Martin will now apply its vast experience and expertise with front-engined GT race cars to drive more success across the international GT racing landscape.

Aston Martin is one of three car manufacturers to have been a mainstay of WEC since the series' inception in 2012. In its nine years and seven seasons of WEC, Aston Martin has recorded 47 class wins and 103 podiums, nine class championships and four 24 Hours of Le Mans class victories. And there could yet be more for Vantage with Aston Martin hopeful that it will retain a WEC presence through a partner team in 2021 and beyond.

Outside of WEC, Aston Martin's Vantage GT customer race car has achieved breathtaking success in its second full season of competition. Teams recorded 62 victories and 157 podiums from 323 starts in more than 20 series around the world. One in five race starts for Vantage ended with a win, while half of them concluded on the podium. Of those starts, 14% were from the race or class pole position. In total, including Aston Martin Racing's two world championships, Vantage captured 26 GT or endurance titles internationally.

With the brand poised to return to Formula 1TM in 2021 for the first time since 1960, Aston Martin will now strive for more accolades in GT racing with Vantage. It is targeting blue riband endurance events with partner teams competing in the Intercontinental GT Challenge, the GT World Challenge, the US-based IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Championship, the Super GT Championship as well as other significant high-profile series.

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The shift in strategy for Aston Martin's endurance programme comes as a new and revised agreement with Prodrive has been concluded for the Banbury-based organisation to continue exclusively manufacturing and distributing the current generation of front-engine GT race cars in a multi-year deal for Aston Martin Racing.

President, Aston Martin Racing, David King said: 'This year has been one of unprecedented success for Vantage in international motorsport. At all levels, from GTE, through GT3 to the entry level GT4, we have experienced significant championship success, winning 26 titles across the spectrum of world, international and domestic series. But there is more to achieve, and there is more to come from Vantage, which is why we have concluded that now is the time for us to shift the weight of factory support to our partners as we go in pursuit of success in the most important events in GT racing.'

Chief Executive Officer, Aston Martin Lagonda, Tobias Moers said: 'Vantage proved it has world champion pedigree in 2020, and in its GTE variant is a 24-hour race winner. Now with the Vantage GT3 we wish to give our partners and customers the best opportunity possible to fight for victory against our closest rivals in the toughest endurance challenges GT racing has to offer.'

2020 ASTON MARTIN VANTAGE CHAMPIONSHIP TITLES

FIA WORLD ENDURANCE CHAMPIONSHIP

FIA WEC GT Manufacturers' - Aston Martin Racing

FIA WEC GT Drivers' - Marco Sørensen, Nicki Thiim

GT WORLD CHALLENGE EUROPE

Endurance Cup Pro-Am Teams' - Garage 59

Endurance Cup Pro-Am Drivers' - Alexander West, Chris Goodwin

PIRELLI GT4 AMERICA

Sprint Am Teams' - Flying Lizard Motorsport

Sprint Am Drivers' - Michael Dinan

Sprint X Pro-Am Teams' - Flying Lizard Motorsport

Sprint X Pro-Am Drivers' - Michael Dinan, Robby Foley

NEW ZEALAND ENDURANCE CHAMPIONSHIP

South Island Endurance Series - Alex Riberas, Darren Kelly (The Heart of Racing)

South Island Endurance Series, Class A - Alex Riberas, Darren Kelly (The Heart of Racing)

NZ Endurance Championship - Alex Riberas, Darren Kelly (The Heart of Racing)

NZ Endurance Championship, Class A - Alex Riberas, Darren Kelly (The Heart of Racing)

North Island Endurance Series, Class D - Aaron Slight, Daniel Gaunt, Greg Brinck (Aston Martin Auckland)

BRITISH GT CHAMPIONSHIP

GT4 Drivers' - Jamie Caroline, Dan Vaughan

GT4 Teams' - TF Sport

GT4 Silver Cup - Jamie Caroline, Dan Vaughan

GT4 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP

GT4 European Silver Cup - Valentin Hasse-Clot, Theo Nouet

GT4 European Teams' - AGS Events Racing

GT4 European Am - Nicolas Gomar, Gilles Vannelet

FFSA GT CHAMPIONSHIP

FFSA GT Pro-Am Teams' - AGS Events Racing

IMSA MICHELIN PILOT CHALLENGE

Michelin Pilot Challenge GS Manufacturers' - Aston Martin

Michelin Pilot Challenge GS Teams' - KohR Motorsport

Michelin Pilot Drivers' - Nate Stacy, Kyle Marcelli

24H SERIES EUROPE CHAMPIONSHIP

24H Series Europe GT Teams' - PROsport Racing

24H Series Europe GT Drivers' Overall - Nico Verdonck

24H Series Europe GT4 Drivers' - Nico Verdonck

About Aston Martin Lagonda:

Aston Martin Lagonda is a luxury automotive group focused on the creation of exclusive cars and SUVs. The iconic Aston Martin brand fuses the latest technology, exceptional hand craftsmanship and timeless design to produce models including the Vantage, DB11, DBS Superleggera and the new SUV, DBX. Based in Gaydon, England, Aston Martin Lagonda designs, creates and exports cars which are sold in 51 countries around the world.

Lagonda was founded in 1899 and Aston Martin in 1913. The two brands came together in 1947 when both were purchased by the late Sir David Brown.