What it all meant for the #23 Heart of Racing team and crew after todays result

Vantage, the most successful racing car in the great sporting endurance history of the legendary British brand, claimed its 11th class podium in the world famous 24 Hours of Le Mans, when the Heart of Racing Team finished third in the LMGT3 class on Sunday.

Gray Newell, on his race debut, driving alongside FIA World Endurance Championship team-mates Dudu Barrichello and two-time Le Mans GT class winner Jonny Adam, raced to a fraught and fiercely contested final podium spot, finishing ahead of the rival Lexus by just 2.5 seconds in a dramatic end to the race.

This excellent result ensured the latest generation of the Vantage GT3 finished in the top three in its class at Le Mans for the first time.

“This was an outstanding performance from Vantage, another excellent weekend at Le Mans for Aston Martin, and a great result for our partners Heart of Racing Team,’ said Aston Martin Head of Endurance Adam Carter. “This generation of Vantage has been a contender at Le Mans since it made its debut in 2024, and it is satisfying to see it achieve a podium in the hands of a very competitive, well organised partner. We believe the car is capable of winning, and showed as much again throughout the race, so we will be back next year to try again. Our congratulations go to Gray who was exemplary on his debut, to Dudu who continues to impress and of course to Jonny, who has been an outstanding champion for Aston Martin and deserves this latest accolade.”

The podium was the first for the US-based Heart of Racing Team at Le Mans, which brought two Vantage GT3s to the event for the first time. The #27 THOR Vantage, driven as always by team principal Ian James, Zach Robichon and Mattia Drudi, took pole position for the second consecutive year, after Drudi set a new qualifying lap record of 3m52.433s. Sadly the trio, who led the class for several hours during the race and were one of the pace-setting cars, had their hopes dashed in the 21st hour when they suffered technical issues.

Their misfortune allowed the #23 Vantage to move into podium contention, having run in or around the top five all race. As the 94th edition of the French classic moved into the final few hours, it became a clear fight for third behind the victorious Corvette and the pursuant Lexus. The sister Japanese machine then put Barrichello under intense pressure in the final laps, which the young Brazilian calmly absorbed to record his own first podium at Le Mans.

“I gave everything I had in those last laps and took every inch out of the car.” said Barrichello. “In those situations, you trust the people around you and my engineers were giving me information and targets to hit. I just had to keep my cool and do my job and thankfully that was good enough to finish on the podium!”

For Adam, the podium means that 50% of his Le Mans starts have concluded with a visit to the Le Mans rostrum, having won his class in 2017 and again in 2020: “Aston Martin has always had a special relationship with Le Mans, so to stand on the podium here, at a race so steeped in the brand's history, means a great deal. We had some good fortune and some bad fortune with safety cars and strategy during the race, but overall it came together really nicely. I'm especially pleased for Gray because this was his Le Mans debut and to come away with a podium is huge for his confidence and a great reward for all his hard work. It could have been an incredible story for both cars today, but we'll celebrate this result.

For Newell, the result will of course be written indelibly in his memory: “More than anything, I just feel incredibly fortunate to be part of this team. These guys are the best. The culture at Heart of Racing is phenomenal and it's something that stood out to me from the moment I arrived. To come here for my first Le Mans and experience that environment, while standing on the podium at the end of it, is special. One of the biggest takeaways from this week is how encouraging it has been for me personally. To come here, compete at this level and feel comfortable gives me a lot of confidence. It shows me that the skill set is working and that I'm moving in the right direction.”

“What a 24-hour race,” added Ian James, “Those guys executed all week. I’m disappointed for the #27 car, we were in contention for the win there until we lost the gearbox. It’s a strange feeling because it obviously hurts in some ways, but I am very happy that the team took its first Le Mans podium. This place is so special and it’s a privilege to race here. Now we look forward to Brazil and see if we can get a win on the books.”

The two THOR cars were joined by Racing Spirit of Léman trio, debutants Clement Mateu and Marius Fossard, as well as Aston Martin works driver Valentin Hasse Clot in the #59 Aston Martin Vantage GT3. The trio finished a creditable 11th.

Source material - HoRT / DPPI