Aston Martin’s new Vantage GT3 continues its hunt for glory in the world’s two most prestigious endurance racing series, as the FIA World Endurance Championship [WEC] and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship [IMSA] resume this weekend.
The WEC begins its European leg on Sunday with the 6 Hours of Imola (ITA), and an inaugural visit to one of the continent’s best-known circuits, before heading to Spa-Francorchamps (BEL) on 11 May, and then the 24 Hours of Le Mans on 15-16 June. Meanwhile IMSA heads to the world famous Long Beach street track for its first sprint race (100 minutes) of the season. A second-place finish in the brand-new LMGT3 class for the Heart of Racing (HoR), and third for D’station Racing, made Aston Martin the only one of the nine GT manufacturers present to score a WEC double podium finish at the season-opening 1812km of Qatar in March. It means both teams arrive in Italy in strong form.
Those results provided an excellent WEC debut for the new Vantage GT3, which descends from a succession of multiple world championship-winning predecessors and shares the mechanical architecture of the new ultra-luxury Vantage road car, unveiled earlier this year. Built around Aston Martin’s proven bonded aluminium chassis and powered by its fearsome twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 engine, the Vantage GT3 features all-new nose-to-tail aerodynamics, comprehensively revised suspension and state-of-the-art electronics, endowing this latest-generation Aston Martin GT racer with world-beating potential.
Aston Martin’s WEC partner teams are amid a hot streak, with HoR and D’station Racing having enjoyed a successful spell in the Middle East. The US-based HoR took its maiden podium finish with third in the last ever LMGTE Am race in Bahrain in 2023, and then went one better to begin the LMGT3 era with second in Qatar.
HoR team principal and driver Ian James (GBR) is partnered by Daniel Mancinelli (ITA), who is competing on home soil, and IMSA race winner Alex Riberas (ESP) as the trio goes in hunt of its first victory at WEC level, and also a maiden win for the new Vantage GT3; having participated in the car’s global debut in January’s Rolex 24 at Daytona.
Success is also the target for D’station Racing, which finished second in Bahrain to close the 2023 campaign and began the new season with third in Qatar. Aston Martin works driver Marco Sørensen (DEN), a three-time FIA WEC champion in the GT classes, is joined by Erwan Bastard (FRA) a French and European GT4 title-winner and by Clément Mateu (FRA), a 24 Hours of Spa class winner.
HoR has shuffled its driver line-up for the IMSA race at Long Beach, where it will run a single new Vantage GT3 in the GTD class (GTD Pro does not contest the Californian street circuit round). Joining 2022 IMSA GTD champion Roman De Angelis (CDN) will be Magnus Racing regular Spencer Pumpelly (USA). He replaces Zacharie Robichon (CDN) who is also participating in the WEC event at Imola.
Another partner team, Flying Lizard Motorsports, will make a one-off return to IMSA at Long Beach – one of its local circuits. Elias Sabo (USA) will be joined in the multiple IMSA-title winning team by Andy Lee (USA), as the team enters its brand new Aston Martin Vantage GT3 in the GTD class.
D'station Racing is also on multiple duties this weekend, with team owner Satoshi Hoshino (JPN) and team principal Tomonobu Fujii (JPN) contesting the opening round of the SRO -run Fanatec GT World Challenge Asia at Sepang, in Malaysia.
Adam Carter, Aston Martin Head of Endurance Motorsport, said: “The new Aston Martin Vantage GT3 enjoyed an encouraging start to its WEC career and there is no reason to expect it to be any less competitive in Imola than it was in Qatar. Equally, we have seen promising signs from the car in the opening races at IMSA, so we’re looking forward to seeing what Vantage can achieve on both sides of the Atlantic this weekend. I’d also like to wish Flying Lizard Motorsports good luck on its return to IMSA, and similarly D’station Racing as it embarks on its Fanatec GT World Challenge Asia campaign.”
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Formula E and the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) have today revealed the next generation of race car, the new all-electric GEN3 Evo, capable of 0-60mph in 1.82s.
Leveraging a roster of innovative technical upgrades, the GEN3 Evo unveiled at H.S.H Prince Albert II’s Private Car Collection will debut in Season 11 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship where some of the world’s greatest manufacturers and drivers race wheel-to-wheel in iconic locations around the globe.
Developed by specialists from Formula E and the FIA, the latest GEN3 Evo edition marks a significant leap in electric racing technology, with acceleration 0-60mph 30% faster than a current F1 car, and 36% faster than the GEN3 car.
Capable of accelerating nearly a full second faster than its predecessor – the GEN3 – that was the world’s first race car designed for street racing, it sets an even higher standard in performance, sustainability, and efficiency. The GEN3 Evo serves as a formidable ambassador for the future of motorsport, embodying cutting-edge advancements and a commitment to environmental responsibility.
On Saturday, April 27th, Abu Dhabi will host a groundbreaking event, welcoming 10,000 spectators to witness the inaugural ASPIRE Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League (A2RL) at the iconic Yas Marina Circuit. This brand-new autonomous racing competition marks a significant milestone in motorsport history, billed as the largest league of its kind globally.
Eight teams will compete: Code19 Racing (one of the first independent autonomous racing entity from the USA), Constructor University (based in Germany and Switzerland), Fly Eagle (representing Beijing Institute of Technology from China and Khalifa University from the UAE), HUMDA Lab (a member of the Széchenyi István University Group from Hungary), KINETIZ (a collaboration between Singapore Nanyang Technological University and Kintsugi based in the UAE), PoliMOVE (representing Politecnico di Milano from Italy), UNIMORE (also from Italy - University of Modena and Reggio Emilia), and Technical University of Munich - TUM (from Germany), vying for a substantial prize purse of US$ 2.25 million.
From the neon nights of Tokyo to the glitz and glamour of Monaco, get ready to experience the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship like never before. As part of a special collaboration with Nissan Formula E Team for the 2023/24 Formula E season, German contemporary composer Mathias Rehfeldt will infuse the essence of Formula E into a series of vibrant music tracks titled “Electric Legacy” .
The perfect soundtrack for anyone’s pre-race rituals, Nissan Formula E Team and Rehfeldt have utilised AI-generated sounds from electric racing, combined with electronic synth and instrumental melodies, to ingeniously craft a track that captures the electric motorsport like never before. In addition, authentic radio excerpts between the pit crew and the Nissan Formula E Team drivers were woven into the soundtrack, adding a layer of realism. Often called the ‘universal language’, Nissan Formula E Team aspires to use music to reach newer, younger audiences and showcase the excitement, culture and sharp innovation behind Formula E – a sustainable motorsport that’s skyrocketing in popularity.
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