Aston Martin’s new Vantage GT3 achieved its second consecutive class win in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship at the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. The Vantage GT3 was raced by The Heart of Racing (namely THoR, we see what you did there) team and it dominated the GTD category.
Victory at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park
The THoR team, led by 2022 IMSA GTD champion Roman De Angelis and Spencer Pumpelly, secured an impressive win in the #27 THoR Aston Martin Vantage GT3. This victory marked De Angelis's second triumph at his home event in three years. That feeling of winning your home race is something else…
Ross Gunn and Alex Riberas’s maiden victory with the car in the GTD Pro class in the previous round at Watkins Glen means that the Aston Martin works driver team is within 60 points of the class lead, with four rounds remaining in the season.
Aston Martin’s IMSA Milestones
This latest win is the 13th IMSA victory for the Aston Martin Vantage in the GT classes and the eighth GTD class win for THoR since its IMSA debut in 2020.
In addition to their IMSA success, The Heart of Racing team matched their best result in the FIA World Endurance Championship, finishing second in the LMGT3 class at the 6 Hours of São Paulo.
Ian James, team principal and WEC driver, expressed his excitement over the team's achievements. He praised the efforts of the #27 crew and looked forward to more podium finishes in both IMSA and WEC events. James stated, “This was a great day for the Heart of Racing team and another fantastic win for Vantage. Winning in IMSA at the Canadian Tires Motorsport Park was an awesome way to start the day and a well-deserved reward for all the hard work this year from everybody on the #27 crew.”
“Then we finished second equalling our best result in the WEC. It’s a great feeling to be on the podium again and hopefully there will be many more moments like this to come!”
Adam Carter, Head of Endurance Motorsport, commended the new Aston Martin Vantage GT3 for its impressive performance. He expressed optimism about the team's prospects for future victories, especially with the competitive pace demonstrated in recent races.
Carter remarked, “The new Aston Martin Vantage GT3 is really hitting its stride now and to see it win its class with The Heart of Racing for the second successive IMSA race is extremely satisfying. The team also came very close in WEC once again demonstrating race-winning pace just as it had in the 24 Hours of Le Mans last month. It feels like if the competitive level can be maintained a first WEC victory with Vantage is within our grasp in 2024.”
Upcoming Races
The next round of the 2024 IMSA Weathertech SportsCar Championship will take place at Road America on August 4. The WEC will return on September 1 at the Circuit of the Americas after a summer break.
