At the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium, the Racing Spirit of Leman trio of Clement Mateu, Erwan Bastard, and Aston Martin factory driver Valentin Hasse Clot took their Vantage GT3 to victory in the ELMS LMGT3 class. Qualifying third in tricky wet conditions, Mateu handed the race baton to Bastard and Hasse Clot in what turned into a flawless four-hour effort. This win put the French squad at the top of the ELMS LMGT3 points table with just two rounds remaining in the season, setting up an exciting championship showdown.
Across the Atlantic, The Heart of Racing (THOR) team battled back from early setbacks in the IMSA GTD class at VIR. British driver Casper Stevenson qualified fourth but dropped to 11th after contact at the second corner. Stevenson’s determined recovery saw him climb to sixth by the end of his opening stint. Fellow Aston Martin works driver Tom Gamble then pushed the Mustang Vantage GT3 further up the pack during his two-hour run. The team secured a gritty third-place finish, less than three seconds shy of the win.
This strong finish edged Stevenson into second in the IMSA Drivers’ points and moved THOR up to second in the team standings with the championship heading towards its final endurance races at Indianapolis and Petit Le Mans. The fight for the GTD crown is heating up, and Aston Martin is meaningfully in the hunt.
Meanwhile, in Britain’s GT scene, Beechdean Motorsport celebrated a win in the Silver-Am category at Brands Hatch. Drivers Andrew Howard and Tom Wood extended their championship lead with just one race left on the calendar. This marked the second consecutive year the team has won Silver-Am at the circuit with their Vantage GT3.
Beechdean’s Vantage impressed again by finishing fifth outright. It wasn’t the only Vantage in the top five either, as Blackthorn Racing’s #7 car, driven by Giacomo Petrobelli and Aston Martin’s Jonny Adam, qualified second and finished fourth. Adam is currently chasing an unprecedented fifth British GT Championship.
Aston Martin’s Head of Endurance Motorsport, Adam Carter, summed up the weekend: “It’s been a very good weekend for Vantage with wins and podiums in three key series. ELMS and IMSA are leading championships in their continents, while British GT remains special for us as an iconic home series. These results prove the adaptability and performance of the Vantage GT3 across all kinds of tracks. Our partner teams have done a fantastic job and deserve huge credit. We’re fully behind all AMR partner teams as they push for titles in their championships.”
Between Europe and America, and on home soil, the Aston Martin Vantage continues to roar loud in the GT racing world, showing why it’s one of the most successful racing cars in Aston Martin history.