Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Conquers Watkins Glen, Spa and More
The Heart of Racing’s Aston Martin Vantage GT3 seized a last-lap triumph in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen, granting Tom Gamble, Zach Robichon and Casper Stevenson their maiden GTD victory of the season. The classic Watkins Glen circuit has served the US squad well, as the result marked their fourth IMSA GT success since 2022, across both GT Pro and GTD.
“What a day! The GTD car, the crew, the drivers, everybody just executed,” said team principal Ian James. “I’m so happy for us to get back to Victory Lane. Watkins Glen is our happy place, and it continues to be that way.”
Robichon controlled the early stages from pole despite torrential rain and nine full-course yellows. He handed the Vantage to Stevenson, who battled back after contact while intense caution periods shuffled the order. Gamble climbed aboard with two hours remaining, carved through from eighth, and pressed the Aston Martin’s pace and a shrewd fuel-saving plan. When a final caution bunched the field and the leading Lexus spluttered dry on the final tour, Gamble swept through to win. “I’d settled for second at that point,” he admitted. “I can barely believe we’ve won the race. I was feeling a little disappointed because I knew how fast the Vantage was this weekend; it’s been strong all weekend. It was quite hard to hold it all together on the last lap once I saw the Lexus slowing, but it feels great to have finally won in IMSA”.
For Gamble and Stevenson, the breakthrough was built on earlier podiums at the Rolex 24 at Daytona and the Sebring 12 Hours.
Across the Atlantic, Jonny Adam became the most decorated driver in British GT Championship history when he and Blackthorn team-mate Giacamo Petrobelli turned pole into victory in the three-hour race at Spa-Francorchamps. The win marked Adam’s 20th in the series and his first with the latest Vantage GT3, moving the crew to within two points of the standings lead. Beachdean Motorsport, with whom Adam claimed his inaugural British GT crown, added a GT3 Silver Am success thanks to Andrew Howard and Tom Wood.
In Germany’s ADAC Ravenol 24h Nürburgring, PROsport Racing guided its earlier-generation Vantage GT3 to seventh overall and second in SP9 Pro-Am, the best finish for an Aston Martin since 2019. Walkenhorst Motorsport’s works-crewed Vantage showed outright podium pace before technical issues struck, though the sister #30 entry secured second in SP9 Am.
A specially prepared Aston Martin Vantage GT4 conquered the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, where Stephen Wetterau dominated the GT4 Trophy by Yokohama. Guided by Aston Martin Racing engineers, the American rookie earned pole and then climbed the mountain ten seconds clear of his nearest rival, securing 27th overall against more powerful machinery.
“This has been a stellar weekend for Vantage all around. The Nürburgring 24 Hours is always challenging; even so, it’s impressive that the brand came away with two class podiums. We were encouraged by the Pro car's performance in the first half of the race. I want to congratulate Johnny Adam on his British GT record. He has been a fantastic ambassador for Aston Martin and remains an outstanding works driver. Jonny deserves this accolade. The Heart of Racing has become a dependable source of results in IMSA, and the team always seems to shine at Watkins Glen – and this year’s race was another case in point. Finally, I’d like to note Steven Wetterau’s class victory in Pikes Peak. Winning on such an event with Vantage demonstrates both its versatility and usablity,y and we’re delighted to see it succeed in such an endeavour.”
