The US-based team finished first and third – its first double podium in WEC – with the pole-setting #23 Vantage GT3 of Gray Newell (USA), Dudu Barrichello (BRA) and Jonny Adam (GBR) claiming the final podium place. It was the trio’s second podium in three races, following third place in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June.
It was a sparkling weekend for Vantage, which also included its first WEC front-row lockout for the latest generation of this remarkable GT3 racer, which shares its mechanical architecture with the ultra-luxury performance brand’s most focused sportscar built around Aston Martin’s proven bonded aluminium chassis and powered by its fearsome twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 engine.
From second place on the grid, James held his nerve in a challenging first hour, staying out of trouble while remaining in contention throughout. He handed the #27 Vantage GT3 over to Robichon in second place. The Canadian then converted that into the lead of the class in the second hour, passing the front-running Porsche. His competitive stint complete, Robichon made way for Drudi to complete the job. The Italian soaked up the pressure of a late-race Safety Car before pulling clear of the Porsche during the final 45 minutes, ensuring the #27 Vantage claimed its second victory at COTA in three years.
“This was an exemplary performance from Vantage, and a fantastic result for our partner team, the Heart of Racing Team,” said Aston Martin Head of Endurance Adam Carter. “Vantage has been a competitive force in WEC throughout 2026, and this victory feels long overdue. So to see both THOR crews up on the podium just underlines how well the car performed this weekend and just what a high level the team is operating at.”
The #23 Vantage GT3 ran consistently inside the top six throughout a closely contested event, thanks to strong stints from Newell and Adam. After that final Safety Car period ended, the #23 found itself in a fierce fight for third position, with the promising young Barrichello claiming his second podium in three races, following third place at Le Mans in June.
“That was probably one of the toughest stints of my life,” Drudi said after taking the chequered flag. “The team did a very good job with the strategy, undercutting the cars in front when Zach and I swapped. After one and a half seasons trying to get this win, we’ve always been tripped up by something that stopped us from achieving our goal. Now, finally, it feels good to get our first win, and to have the #23 in third position. I’m really happy.”
Fellow first-time WEC winner Robichon said: “Relief is the prevailing feeling right now. We’ve been so close so many times, and we’ve done so much to deserve this over the past two years. It just goes to show what we can do when we have a clean race. Right now we can be proud of ourselves and enjoy the moment.”
“It feels like we have finally got the monkey off our back,” added James, who is also the THOR team principal. “We’ve been so close over the last two seasons, and to come here, have such an impressive weekend all around and finish first and third speaks volumes about this team and what we can do.”
The result elevates the #23 Heart of Racing Team entry to fourth in the FIA Endurance Trophy for LMGT3 Teams, level on 49 points with the third-placed #92 Porsche and 27 points behind the championship leader. The victorious #27 Vantage moves up to sixth with 44 points. With 78 points still available across the final three rounds, both crews remain in title contention. In the FIA Endurance Trophy for LMGT3 Drivers, Newell and Adam are sixth with 49 points, while James, Drudi and Robichon have moved up to ninth, five points behind their team-mates.
Aston Martin Valkyrie edges closer to podium with strong COTA run
Aston Martin’s stunning Valkyrie Hypercar achieved its best finish yet in the FIA World Endurance Championship [WEC], finishing fourth in the six-hour race, less than three seconds behind the final podium spot.
The result, achieved by the #007 crew of Tom Gamble (GBR) and Harry Tincknell (GBR), marked the eighth consecutive FIA World Endurance Championship [WEC] points finish for the British-built hypercar. The British duo have finished in the points in every race in 2026; they were ninth in Imola, fourth at Spa-Francorchamps, eighth in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and sixth in São Paulo, where the Aston Martin THOR Team claimed its first double-points finish.
“To finish just a couple of seconds away from the podium was a spectacular performance by Valkyrie,” said team principal Ian James. “It just shows how much progress we continue to make with this car and this team. I am a racing fan as much as anyone, and when you see the dicing and how close everything is at the front now, it’s exceptional that we’ve come to a place where the team is competing at this level after just 18 months.”
Developed by Aston Martin and THOR from the Valkyrie production model, the Le Mans Hypercar (LMH) version is the only car competing in WEC derived from a road-legal hypercar. Valkyrie is also unique as the only car built to Hypercar homologation competing simultaneously in WEC and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
“This result was another example of the progress we continue to make in understanding Valkyrie,” said Aston Martin Head of Endurance, Adam Carter. “The team delivered an exceptional performance today and a podium position was tantalisingly close. This championship is packed full of world-class competition, and many of the teams we are racing against have years more accumulated data and understanding to draw upon than we do, so we can take considerable satisfaction from this performance. That said, we intend to continue pushing until the end of the season to see what more can be achieved from Valkyrie in 2026.”
Gamble and Tincknell’s fourth place means that Aston Martin remains locked in a fierce battle with Alpine for fifth in the FIA Hypercar World Endurance Manufacturers’ Championship, with just three rounds to run in Fuji (Japan), Barcelona (Spain) and Monza (Italy).
