Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Targets GTD Glory at Watkins Glen
Aston Martin eyes GTD triumph as the newest Vantage GT3 lines up with The Heart of Racing, Van der Steur Racing and Magnus Racing. The ultra-luxury performance marque fields its most successful competition model to date, confident that the car’s speed and reliability will propel it to the front.
Sharing its mechanical architecture with the acclaimed Vantage road car, the Vantage GT3 rests on Aston Martin’s proven bonded aluminium chassis and draws formidable thrust from a twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8. Fresh from victory at last year’s 24 Hours of Spa, this machine arrives in New York carrying genuine title-winning pedigree.
Watkins Glen International has already rewarded Aston Martin and THOR with glory; the team’s 2022 double win in GTD Pro and GTD propelled a run of four podiums and sealed the marque’s maiden IMSA teams’ and drivers’ crowns. This weekend, the #27 Vantage GT3 features Britons Casper Stevenson and Tom Gamble alongside 2021 champion Zacharie Robichon, with Stevenson currently fourth in the points table.
The event marks round three of the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup, prompting Van der Steur Racing to return with the #19 Vantage GT3 that impressed on debut with sixth at the Rolex 24. Rory van der Steur and Anthony McIntosh again share driving duties, joined by Aston Martin works ace Valentin Hasse Clot, reigning Le Mans Cup LMGT3 champion.
Magnus Racing also re-enters the fray after a brief hiatus. Team owner John Potter partners with regular co-driver Spencer Pumpelly, while Aston Martin’s most decorated works driver, Marco Sørensen, strengthens the lineup for the first time.
Beyond Watkins Glen, Aston Martin tackles another iconic American test: the Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. First staged in 1916, the 12.42-mile ascent—with 156 turns and a 1,440-metre elevation gain—remains motorsport’s “Race to the Clouds.” Steve Wetterau will steer a Vantage GT4 on his event debut in the Pikes Peak GT4 Trophy by Yokohama, giving the British marque its inaugural representation on the mountain.
