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

Aston Martin’s multiple championship-winning Vantage race car continued its strong start to the 2026 season, recording a third IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship podium finish in just two races, as the Heart of Racing Team took a superb second in the 74th Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring.

The result, which follows Vantage’s second and third places in January’s season-opening Rolex 24 at Daytona, ensured that the British ultra-luxury brand’s most successful ever racing car recorded its fourth rostrum finish in six years at the notoriously punishing Florida venue.

THOR’s Aston Martin was a victory contender all weekend, with Dudu Barrichello recording an emphatic class pole position on his 12 Hours of Sebring debut. The achievement echoed fellow THOR racer Mattia Drudi’s own pole lap at Daytona, meaning Vantage, and the Seattle-based team, have yet to be outpaced in qualifying in 2026. Barrichello’s lap also ensured Vantage is the current pole position-holder at three of sportscar racing’s most prestigious events; the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Rolex 24 and the 12 Hours of Sebring.

And, just as in Daytona, Aston Martin was in the victory fight right until the end of a gruelling, caution-filled race that required THOR to fightback from adversity twice through an event full of complexity. Barrichello, and his teammates Zach Robichon and Tom Gamble all led the GTD class comfortably at various points of a race featuring no less than six lengthy caution periods behind the Safety Car.

Barrichello led initially and delivered a flawless opening stint. But during his second run in the car, the Brazilian had to forsake a strong position with an unscheduled pitstop for a false alarm in the fifth hour. Having fought back into the top ten, the #27 Vantage then fell off the lead lap serving a penalty for a pitlane incursion in Hour 7. Undeterred, the team set out to use the pace of the Vantage and take strategic advantage of the frequent Full Course Yellows.

Inch-perfect stints by all three drivers allowed Robichon to recover the lead, handing the Aston Martin over to Gamble in a strong position for the final charge. The Briton’s path to victory looked to have opened up when his chief rival was penalised for colliding with another car, and then the class leader (on an alternate strategy) pitted, moving the Aston Martin to the front. But Gamble’s, and the team’s hopes were dashed by yet another Full Course Yellow in the final 30 minutes which neutralised the field, extinguishing Gamble’s hard-earned advantage. Ultimately, he was forced to settle for second.

“I am disappointed for us to have come so close…. Again,” said Gamble. “But second place at Sebring is something we should all feel proud of, and it underlines the strong start to the season we’re having. My teammates were outstanding all weekend, and the team put together an amazing car, and the strategy was exceptional to get us back into contention through the race. It’s been an exciting start to the year, and these points will set us well on our way, but it’s tough to lose the win at such a late moment and it will be a while before this one doesn’t hurt!”

THOR team principal Ian James said: “You have got to be happy with a podium, even if it was tough to lose the win right at the end. But Tom and his teammates did an amazing job to get us in a position to fight for the win, and in the end, we didn’t quite have the pace. There were lots of positives to take away, and we leave Sebring with the GTD Class championship lead.”

It was the second time in as many years that THOR has finished on the podium at Sebring, and the fourth time in six attempts with Vantage since 2020. The runner-up spot this weekend also marked the 14th occasion an Aston Martin crew has stepped on the podium, including three victories.

Adam Carter, Aston Martin Head of Endurance Motorsport, said: “The close, stop-start nature of the racing in IMSA means that you need a car that can be competitive in any condition, and a team that has the strategic flexibility to maximise these properties. At Sebring we saw once again how the Heart of Racing and Vantage embody those traits with another outstanding performance. The race didn’t go our way, ultimately, but the success was in the consistency of pace and the ability to be in the fight every time it mattered. Sebring is very hard on racing cars, because it is bumpy, so to be in contention through the entire weekend showcased all of Vantages wide array of attributes. Long Beach can’t come soon enough.”

Source material – Aston Martin Racing

 

This morning’s news see no surprises within the #23 car as Ian James is again joined by both Zacharie Robichon and Mattia Drudi as the Canadian and Italian look to build upon their rookie year of last season.

The team’s new for 2026 #27 car entry is confirmed with Newell as he takes another massive step up the GT racing ladder from his GT4 days within the GT America/GT4 America Series earlier and his GT3 experience from within the GT World Challenge America Series which he shared under the tutelage of AMR factory driver Darren Turner.

 

 

Joining him will be the familiar face of Eduardo Barrichello as the Brazilian goes double duty with the team within their WEC and IMSA race programmes this season with both drivers this year operating under the overall guidance of AMR factory driver Jonny Adam.

Two times Le Mans 24hr GTE class winner and multiple British GT Champion, the Scot needs no further introduction as Barrichello is himself only entering his second year of GT racing having competed within the championship last season with the Racing Spirit of Leman team.

 

 

“I am super excited to be joining The Heart of Racing in 2026 and returning to WEC,” said Adam. “Teaming up with Dudu, who had some awesome performances last season in LMGT3, alongside supporting Gray’s first year in WEC and the Le Mans 24 Hours is something that I’m really getting fully involved in. The goal is to gain experience along the way and hopefully have some successful results for the team with the Aston Martin Vantage. I believe that’s entirely possible with this line-up.”

Although probably already testing together somewhere around the world, the more official track action isn’t that far away with the Prologue Test which precedes the opening round to the season in Qatar just over three weeks away.

 

The Heart of Racing team will be the sole runners of both Aston Martin and Aston Martin Racing powered machinery this season.

Photo credits – Team / Series / Blackthorn

 

 

He in turn was joined by the son of the team owner, Gray Newell who stepped up from the teams GT World Challenge America and his true Vantage GT3 variant of car and up to the Vantage LMGT3 as used by the team throughout the season just complete. Lead by Darren Turner back in the States, his progression into the LMGT3 variant was this time overseen by the car regular Zacharie Robichon.

Split over both morning and afternoons sessions, saw Drudi post the nineth fastest Hyperclass class time with a 1:50:985 before going slightly faster in session two to finish thirteenth overall whilst Newell started his LMGT3 account 2:04:805 in the morning before improving massively with a 2:03:554 in the afternoon.

The #10 Racing Spirit of Leman AMR Vantage LMGT3 also ran for a few laps in the afternoon with Jonny Adam behind the wheel before he returns to the international stage again within the forthcoming Asian Le Mans Series. Adam was there as part of the ongoing AMR Drivers Academy test.

Then at the end of season awards night, there was one last AMR powered success as Eduardo Barrichello cemented his mark on the championship by winning the Revelation of the Year Award for his efforts in what was his debut season in GT racing.

Photo credits – Teams / Championship / social media

A magnificent performance in Hypercar qualifying was the highlight of Saturday’s on-track action as the #007 entry of British trio Harry Tincknell, Tom Gamble and Ross Gunn led the #009 in an all-Valkyrie one-two; ensuring that both Aston Martin THOR Team cars would progress to the Hyperpole session and challenge for pole position for the first time. Sixth and ninth positions on the grid marked the first time two Valkyries had qualified inside the top 10 in the WEC.

Aston Martin’s first ‘Le Mans Hypercar showed more potential during the eight-hour race as, following a mid-race safety car period that bunched the field, Riberas charged from fifth place into the lead – the first time Valkyrie has headed a WEC race. It was a fitting end to a trail-blazing debut season that featured the car’s maiden podium finish in North America’s IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship in October’s gruelling Motul Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.

Raced by the works Aston Martin THOR Team, it is the only car in WEC’s premier category derived from a road-legal hypercar and made its global debut in the Qatar 1812km in February over a grueling season that has covered more than 22,000 racing miles, and eight rounds of WEC (including the 24 Hours of Le Mans) for the two stunning, green Aston Martins.

“The aim for Aston Martin in Hypercar in 2025 was to compete in endurance racing at the very highest level of competition, both globally in WEC and in North America in IMSA,” said Adam Carter, Aston Martin Head of Endurance Motorsport. “Both are magnificent series with manufacturers, teams and drivers that have been at the pinnacle of the sport for, in some cases, decades. To have brought such a unique car as Valkyrie to the stage, to start where we did, and to consistently improve our performances to the point where we’ve come to the WEC finale in Bahrain and perform the way we have, shows the ability and desire of everybody that is a part of this programme. We have made satisfying progress in 2025 and will continue to build on this next season.”

Aston Martin’s most successful sportscar of all time, the Vantage meanwhile finished the FIA World Endurance Championship season with a podium finish in the LMGT3 class in Bahrain.

The Heart of Racing Team drivers Ian James, Zacharie Robichon and Mattia Drudi finished third in an action-packed race to claim the team’s first top-three finish of the season for the ultimate racing version of Aston Martin’s most focused sportscar.

The trio ran inside the top six throughout the race with Aston Martin works driver Drudi closing down a 30-second gap to the leaders with two hours to go to put himself in the hunt for victory in the closing stages.

THOR’s result was the second WEC podium finish of the season for Vantage, after Racing Spirit of Léman finished third in Brazil during the summer. It was also a 14th WEC rostrum finish for Vantage in Bahrain; those results scored across the LMGT3 class and its predecessors, LMGTE Pro and LMGTE Am. RSL’s Anthony McIntosh, Eduardo Barrichello and Aston Martin works driver Valentin Hasse-Clot finished 14th in LMGT3 aboard their #10 Vantage.

“The ultra-close nature of the competition in WEC means that to fight at the front, you must have first-rate machinery and partner teams capable of delivering when it counts,” said Adam Carter, Aston Martin Head of Endurance Motorsport. “In The Heart of Racing Team and Racing Spirit of Léman we have two outstanding partners, who have both scored pole positions and podium finishes this year. This is a testament to the strength of both organisations, to the accessibility and robustness of Vantage to drivers of all levels of experience, and to a set of regulations that keeps the competing machines close. We are already looking ahead to a 2026 season.” 

Source material – Aston Martin

Running of course parallel race programs with their IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Championship sister car, recent results have seen at least one of these Valkyries first break into Hyperpole qualifying within the WEC before securing their first ever podium finish at the season finale of the IMSA Championship.

Having had many of the team and crew get in some last minute R&R on the Galapagos Islands before this week’s finale, that investment have proved worthwhile for the team as the #007 Valkyrie of Harry Tincknell, Tom Gamble and Ross Gunn topped the qualifying timing screen for the first time, narrowly beating the sister #009 car of Marco Sorenson, Alex Riberas and Roman De Angelis for a well-deserved 1-2 in class.

Moving into the later Hyperpole session, the fairytale season ending wasn’t quite there unfortunately as the #009 eventually finished sixth fastest with the #007 nineth ahead of tomorrow’s eight-hour race. Compare and contrast that to the distant P18 and P16 positions at the opening round in Qatar!!

It was harder work for the two Aston Martin Racing Vantage LMGT3 crews however, as both the #27 Heart of Racing AMR of Ian James, Mattia Drudi and Zacharie Robichon and the #10 Racing Spirit of Leman AMR of Anthony McIntosh, Eduardo Barrichello and Valentin Hasse-Clot struggled within the mid table of their class during the three earlier Free Practice sessions after another swathe of Balance of Performance adjustments across the class.

As always, one hot lap is never enough for any endurance race as (like all), both crews will have another eight hours to improve upon their P4 and P15 qualifying positions (for the #27 and #10 cars respectively) after their own Qualifying and Hyperpole sessions.

The final race of the FIA WEC season will be waved off at 14:00hrs local before finishing under the veil of darkness (although the circuit is mostly floodlit) where all four crews could seriously improve upon their final championship positions in class with thirty eight points being again on offer to each class winner.

Photo credits – Teams / Series / social media