Aston Martin and Austin Set for Welcome Reunion

27 August, 2024 — Among the bevy of prominent brands present within the FIA World Endurance Championship, Aston Martin stands out as one of the series’ stalwarts. The British ultraluxury sportscar brand is one of only three to have been in the championship since it was founded in 2012, while of the existing manufacturers, only Peugeot raced in the 24 Hours of Le Mans earlier, having entered two years before Aston Martin, in 1926. Right now Aston Martin  going through a significant evolution as it returns to a track where it had unrivaled success in its GT period.

The Aston Martin Vantage GTE and Circuit of The Americas bonded together famously well with nine class wins achieved in six previous FIA WEC races at the venue.

An Aston Martin won at least one GTE class in five of those six years, with a victory sweep of both GTE PRO and GTE AM completed in four of those five (2013, 2014, 2016, 2020).

Aston Martin won’t have the opportunity to double up class victories in 2024, but that’s only because there’s a single GT class thanks to the FIA WEC’s introducing new regulations  since last visiting the Lone Star state for the most recent Lone Star Le Mans back in February, 2020.

FIA WEC shifted to the LMGT3 class for 2024, with nine manufacturers fielding two cars apiece to create an 18-car grid. GT3 specification cars prioritize driver aids such as ABS and traction control, and in WEC, run on  bespoke Goodyear tires. They’re also more driver-friendly and less expensive and sophisticated than the GTE machinery they replaced.

Aston Martin has developed a new Vantage GT3 for 2024. This car has a bonded aluminum chassis, powered by a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 engine with an all-new nose-to-tail aerodynamic package, significantly revised suspension, and state-of-the-art electronics.

Aston Martin’s two FIA WEC entries are split between two teams seeking their first Austin wins, in the form of the US-flagged The Heart of Racing Team and Japan’s D’Station Racing.

The Heart of Racing Team Principal Ian James shares the No. 27 Aston Martin Vantage LMGT3  with co-drivers Alex Riberas and Daniel Mancinelli. Their FIA WEC season has been a rollercoaster, but has featured a pair of podium finishes including a second place in the most recent round at Sao Paulo. It proved an excellent bounce back after a rollover incident at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

This year marks The Heart of Racing’s first full season in the FIA WEC, but second overall having taken over the former Dalla Lana-driven Aston Martin Racing entry midway through 2023.

“In general, WEC has been pretty strong for us,” James said. “Last year, we were parachuted in last minute without any prep. It took a minute to get the Heart of Racing DNA throughout the team. Now we’re a cohesive group.”

Marco Sorensen is the most decorated active works driver on Aston Martin’s endurance roster. The Dane is a triple world champion in the GT class and among his other honors has won his class in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona and the Nürburgring 24 Hours. One of the “Dane train” drivers runs with D’Station Racing in FIA WEC competition.

The two-time winner at CoTA, already has a flagship victory this year, having captured the overall win in the centenary 24 Hours of Spa to secure Aston Martin’s first major endurance race victory worldwide with its new Vantage GT3.

“America has always been a good place for the Aston Martin Vantage,” said Sørensen. “Whatever series we race in over here, the car always seems to be competitive, and some of my favourite wins in my career have taken place in the US.

“The new Vantage is a very competitive machine, and to be honest the American market is also very important for the brand, so to be able to give the car a class win in Austin would really be massive. It feels like with every WEC race the car is getting closer to the front, and with three podium finishes between the two teams so far this season, it seems like we can achieve more before the year is over.”

Sørensen shares the Japanese owned and run No. 777 D’Station Aston Martin in FIA WEC with French duo Erwan Bastard and Clement Mateu. That trio posted a third-place finish in the FIA WEC curtain-raiser at Qatar, one spot behind the Heart of Racing entry.

Both Aston Martin teams are high on their hopes this year, and Heart of Racing is also undertaking development and testing work of the new Aston Martin Valkyrie LMH, the Hypercar set to compete in 2025. Testing for that new prototype car launched in mid-July.

FIA WEC races have attracted some great crowds this year and James is optimistic the trend can continue in Austin.

“Ever since we got to Europe, the crowds have been really big,” he said. “There was even 70,000 or so in Brazil. It was a real festival atmosphere.

“I hope we get a good turnout in COTA, because the racing is really close right now. There are all these big manufacturers in Hypercar and GT, with so many makes and models. We’re into a heyday period for sure.”

Aston Martin COTA Victories:

GTE PRO

GTE AM

Tickets for Labor Day Weekend’s Lone Star Le Mans are available here.