• Aston Martin begins landmark year aiming for glory in North America's most famous endurance race – the Rolex 24 at Daytona
•Four Vantage GT3s in contention for Rolex 24 class supremacy
•The Heart of Racing Team targets success in both GTD Pro and GTD classes
•Aston Martin champions Marco Sørensen, Ross Gunn, Nicki Thiim, Mattia Drudi, Roman De Angelis and Valentin Hasse Clot all set for Florida classic
•Van der Steur Racing to make IMSA GTD debut in Rolex 24 at Daytona
•Magnus Racing aiming to add to 2023 GTD class podium finish
•Four new Vantage GT4s entered for the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge race as Aston Martin and Team TGM begin title defence
Daytona International Speedway, USA: The new Aston Martin Vantage GT3 targets victory in North America's most famous endurance race, the Rolex 24 at Daytona, as the 2025 edition of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship begins at the world-famous Florida venue this weekend.
The Heart of Racing THOR and Aston Martin are preparing the all-new works Valkyrie hypercar for its IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTP class debut at the 12 Hours of Sebring on 15 March, three weeks after the car makes it global race debut at the FIA World Endurance Championship Qatar 1812km opening round at Lusail. So, the 2024 Spa 24 Hour-winning Aston Martin Vantage GT3 will spearhead the charge for glory in the GTD Pro and GTD categories at Daytona International Speedway in what is set to be a landmark year for the British ultra-luxury sportscar brand in global endurance motorsport.
THOR will be represented in both classes by a star-studded line-up of drivers all aiming to add to the team's 2022 title-winning success and its 2023 Rolex 24 victory. They are joined by multiple IMSA championship-winning team Magnus Racing, and IMSA GTD class debutant van der Steur Racing.
All will campaign the Vantage GT3, which triumphed in its most recent major international 24-hour race, last year's 24 Hours of Spa (BEL), and recorded class wins in all the key global endurance series in its debut season in 2024. The Vantage GT3 shares the mechanical architecture of the ultra-luxury Vantage road car. Built around Aston Martin's proven bonded aluminium chassis and powered by its fearsome twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 engine, the Vantage GT3 is armed with world-beating potential.
Seattle-based partner team THOR, which claimed IMSA GTD title success with Vantage in 2022, returns with one car in GTD Pro and one in GTD as it hunts victory in two different classes. The 2022 IMSA GTD Drivers' champion Roman De Angelis (CDN) and three-time FIA World Endurance champion Marco Sørensen (DEN), both of whom were part of the team's 2023 Daytona GTD-winning line-up, will this time drive the GTD Pro class #007 Vantage and will be joined by IMSA race-winning team regulars Ross Gunn (GBR) and Alex Riberas (ESP).
Behind the wheel of THOR's #27 GTD entry will be Zacharie Robichon (CDN), a champion in both IMSA and the European Le Mans Series, British duo Tom Gamble and Casper Stevenson and AMR works driver Mattia Drudi (ITA), the 2023 GT World Challenge Europe Sprint title winner; the latter pair make their IMSA debuts this weekend.
Once again in 2025, the Rolex 24 GTD class will be buoyed by Aston Martin partner Magnus Racing. The two-time Rolex 24 class-winning team recorded a brilliant second-place finish with Vantage at Daytona in 2023 and added a podium at the Six Hours of the Glen last year. Team regulars John Potter (USA), Andy Lally (USA) and Spencer Pumpelly (USA) are joined by AMR works star and double FIA WEC GT world champion Nicki Thiim (DEN).
Finally, the fourth Vantage to feature in this year's Rolex 24 will be manned and run by van der Steur Racing. The team, which will contest the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup (encompassing the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship rounds taking place at Daytona, Sebring, Watkins Glen, Indianapolis and Road America) embarks on its first race with the Vantage GT3 following a successful year with the GT4 version in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge IMPC, in 2024, in which it finished third in the Teams' Championship. The #19 Vantage will be driven by Aston Martin works driver Valentin Hasse Clot (FRA), the 2024 Michelin Le Mans Cup GT3 champion, fellow Frenchman Maxime Robin, reigning Lamborghini Super Trofeo Pro-Am world champion Andrew McIntosh (CDN) and Rory van der Steur (USA).
Four new Aston Martin Vantage GT4s will also feature in the four-hour IMPC opener at Daytona on Friday at 1345 ET (-5 Hours GMT). The British luxury sportscar brand, which claimed Drivers', Teams' and Manufacturers' title success in 2024, goes into the IMPC kick-starter with three teams entered. Last year's title-winning outfit, Team TGM, returns with Drivers' champion Matt Plumb (USA) sharing the #46 entry with Paul Holton (USA) while team owner Ted Giovanis (USA) is joined in #64 by Hugh Plumb (USA) and Kris Hilton (USA). They are accompanied by van der Steur Racing's Christine and Ben Sloss (both USA) and by Rebel Rock Racing. Drivers Frank DePew (USA) and Robin Liddell (GBR) scored the first global victory for the latest version of the Vantage GT4 at Sebring last March are joined at Rebel Rock Racing by former series champion Andrew Davis (USA) for Daytona.
Adam Carter, Aston Martin Head of Endurance Motorsport, said: 'The Rolex 24 at Daytona is the most famous endurance race in North America and one of the most prestigious in the world so it's extremely fitting that Vantage, a front-runner in leading series globally, is in fantastic shape to once again fight for victory in multiple categories this weekend. The strength of our line-ups – including many championship-winning AMR works drivers – coupled with the depth of the engineering support we provide to our partner teams in North America is a source of immense pride and sends a clear message as to how important adding more successes on this continent is to Aston Martin. Daytona is set to produce a thrilling event and we intend to finish it with something to celebrate as we look forward to the advent of the Valkyrie's IMSA debut at Sebring in March.'
The 63rd Rolex 24 at Daytona will begin at 1340 ET (-5 Hours GMT), on Saturday, 25 January 2025.
Photo credit: Ram posted on conceptcarz.com
