• Spectacular GTD podium for Aston Martin in North America's most famous endurance race – the Rolex 24 at Daytona
• First Daytona podium for new Vantage GT3 scored by The Heart of Racing
• Fourth Rolex 24 at Daytona podium finish in four years for British ultra-luxury high performance brand
• Van der Steur Racing achieve top-six finish on IMSA GTD debut
Daytona International Speedway, USA: Aston Martin's multiple race-winning new Vantage race car scored a podium finish in North America's most famous endurance race, the Rolex 24 at Daytona, as the 2025 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship IMSA began at the world-famous Florida venue last weekend.
The Heart of Racing (THOR) finished third in the GTD class with its #27 Vantage GT3 after a stirring fightback in the closing hours while series newcomer Van der Steur Racing made it two Aston Martins in the category's top six positions. These results were achieved in the final IMSA event before the debut in the top GTP category of the all-new Aston Martin THOR Team Valkyrie at the 12 Hours of Sebring, in March.
The Phoenix-based Aston Martin Racing partner team, which will lead the works Valkyrie programme when it embarks on its dual FIA World Endurance Championship WEC and IMSA campaign in 2025, was among the GTD pace-setters throughout the 24 hours. From seventh on the grid, Zacharie Robichon (CDN), Tom Gamble (GBR), Mattia Drudi (ITA) and Casper Stevenson (GBR) led by the fourth hour as they ran a different pit sequence to most of their class rivals.
This, coupled with excellent speed on-track and execution in the pits meant that the car was still in a podium position when it was spun off the track by a rival with three hours to go and fell to sixth. Buoyed by Aston Martin works driver Drudi, who drove a masterly final stint in the closing hours of the race, #27 Vantage relentlessly climbed the order and with half an hour left was part of an intense three-way fight for victory.
After swapping the lead several times in a dramatic final 20 minutes, Drudi took the chequered flag in third place on his IMSA debut; his result giving the newest version of Aston Martin's most successful racing car – the Vantage GT3 – its first podium finish at Daytona.
This also meant a fourth podium in four years for the Vantage GT3 (including the previous iteration), which 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.
Joining THOR in the top six at Daytona was Van der Steur Racing, which made its GTD debut following two impressive seasons with the Vantage GT4 in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge. Aston Martin works driver Valentin Hasse Clot (FRA), Maxime Robin (FRA), Anthony McIntosh (CDN) and Rory van der Steur (USA) were contenders for a strong result throughout the 24 hours. Remaining around the top-10 positions from the third hour, the foursome gained pace and momentum in the final quarter of the race. Hasse Clot crossed the finish line sixth, just eight seconds from victory.
Ian James, The Heart of Racing Team Principal, said: 'What a great way to end the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona. It's a special place for the team and to get on the podium is an amazing achievement. Everybody on both our car crews really joined together and we executed as well as we possibly could. The team did 100 per cent what they needed to do and to be leading with 15 minutes to go. We dared to believe for a while, but a podium is a great way to start our IMSA season.'
Adam Carter, Aston Martin Head of Endurance Motorsport, said: 'We're delighted to see Vantage on the podium for the fourth time in four years at the Rolex 24 at Daytona and for the first time with the new model. The Heart of Racing was one of the fastest and best-prepared teams in the race and adapted its race strategy brilliantly to fight back to the front despite some setbacks. Van der Steur Racing's top-six finish is remarkable for a team on its category debut against such a deep GTD field. That it achieved this is a testament to the job it has done, but also reflects the depth of the engineering support we provide to our AMR partner teams and the strength and accessibility of the Vantage platform. We congratulate both teams and hope to share more successes in future rounds of this year's championship.'
The IMSA season continues with the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring – featuring the series debut of the Aston Martin Valkyrie – on Saturday, 15 March 2025.Photo credit: Ram posted on conceptcarz.com
