MANILA: Aston Martin, through its partner team Comtoyou Racing, has achieved overall victory at the Crowdstrike 24 Hours of Spa. 

According to the British luxury brand, its win at the 24-hour race held at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium is a significant milestone, as it once again proved the mettle of the all-new Vantage Cup Grand Touring (GT3). 

Notably, the Aston Martin Vantage GT3’s conquest at the 100th 24 Hours of Spa is a historic first for the car at a 24-hour endurance competition. The said win also marks the Gaydon-based carmaker’s first win at Spa since the Belgian 24-hour race transitioned into an all-GT event in 2001. Furthermore, this victory at Spa is the first for the marque since 1948.  

The winning racers behind the Vantage GT3 are Comtoyou Racing’s Mattia Drudi, Marco Sørensen, and Nicki Thiim. 

Throughout the grueling endurance motorsport event, the team faced numerous challenges, including unpredictable weather and multiple incidents. However, as Aston Martin shared, Comtoyou Racing persevered. 

At the ending phases of the contest, the team’s Vantage GT3 was fighting close with Ferrari’s team. The red-colored Italian GT car, however, experienced delays when it went for a pit stop, preventing it from wrestling a win from the Aston Martin team. 

Marco Sørensen, a triple FIA GT World Endurance champion, declared that this Aston Martin triumph at the 24-hours of Spa was a result of great teamwork and having a good GT car.

“This is a very special moment. To win already in the first year with the new Vantage GT3 is an amazing achievement. It’s a fantastic car, and we’ve had a good feeling about it all year,” Sørensen said.  

“But to win an event like this takes more than good driving and good luck, and the team, and everyone back at Aston Martin Racing, as well as my team-mates deserve credit for a victory I will remember forever,” Sørensen added. 

Previously, the all-new Aston Martin's FIA GT3-spec vehicle achieved its first-ever international victory at Super GT in Japan and finished third in the IMSA WeatherTeach SportsCar Championship in Detroit, Michigan.

Thanks to its win at the 24-hours of Spa, Aston Martin-backed Comtyou Racing is now third place overall in the leaderboards of the 2024 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup. The team and its Vantage GT3 cars will be racing at the upcoming Hockenheim GT Sprint Cup in Germany from July 19 to 21, 2024. 

Photos from Aston Martin

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