Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Achieves First International Victory in Japan
Partner team D’station Racing’s triumph at the Suzuka 3 Hours marks Aston Martin’s debut win in the prestigious AUTOBACS SUPER GT Series.
Tomonobu Fujii and Charlie Fagg secure pole, victory, and fastest lap in the GT300 class with an exceptional performance from the Vantage GT3.
Heart of Racing earns the new Vantage GT3’s first IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar podium in Detroit.
Tuesday, 4 June 2024, Suzuka, Japan:
A mere four months after its grand unveiling at Silverstone, the new Aston Martin Vantage GT3 celebrated its first international victory. The triumph came with a remarkable GT300 Class win in Japan’s esteemed endurance racing series, the AUTOBACS SUPER GT Series. This victory also represents the British ultra-luxury brand’s inaugural win in this prestigious competition.
Japanese team D’station Racing, which also competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) as an Aston Martin partner, delivered an impeccable performance at Suzuka. Drivers Tomonobu Fujii (JPN) and Charlie Fagg (GBR) not only secured the class pole position but also claimed victory. Fujii, who doubles as the team’s managing director, set the fastest race lap on his way to his first SUPER GT win since 2016.
The #777 D’station Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 finished 38 seconds ahead of its closest competitor, showcasing a masterful performance by the entire team.
Adding to the weekend’s successes, Aston Martin’s other WEC partner, the US-based Heart of Racing, achieved its best result of the season in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. They finished third in the GTD Pro class in Detroit, marking the new Vantage GT3’s first podium finish in the 100-minute sprint race on the city’s street circuit.
Aston Martin works driver Ross Gunn (GBR) and GTD Pro class race-winner Alex Riberas (ESP) started from sixth on the grid and skillfully navigated the short street circuit to deliver this landmark result in ‘Motor City’.
Adam Carter, Aston Martin Head of Endurance Motorsport, commented:
“We’ve always believed in the new Aston Martin Vantage GT3’s potential to succeed at any level of GT-based endurance racing. That its first victory occurred in Japan is particularly gratifying, given the prestige of SUPER GT, our first win in this series, and the excellent efforts of D’station Racing since our partnership began in 2019. I’m equally thrilled about Heart of Racing’s podium finish in Detroit, achieved with their characteristic blend of race intelligence and perseverance. Both teams’ strong results just before the 24 Hours of Le Mans preparations give us a welcome boost heading into the critical phase of the season.”
Since becoming an Aston Martin Racing partner in 2019, D’station Racing has been instrumental in Aston Martin’s Japanese racing endeavors, giving the brand its SUPER GT debut with the previous generation Vantage GT3. In 2021, they secured the Super Taikyu crown, the first Japanese domestic title for Aston Martin. This season, the team began strong with a third-place finish in the LMGT3 class of the inaugural Qatar 1812km race.
Currently, 25 examples of the new Vantage GT3 are competing in over 10 major GT series worldwide, including the FIA World Endurance Championship, IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, and the Fanatec GT World Challenge series across Europe, Asia, and the US, as well as the Japanese Super GT Championship. This number is projected to rise to at least 35 by the end of its first competitive season.
Unveiled in February, the new Aston Martin Vantage GT3 builds on a legacy of world championship-winning predecessors and shares the mechanical architecture of the ultra-luxury Vantage road car. Featuring a bonded aluminum chassis and a powerful twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 engine, the Vantage GT3 is equipped with new aerodynamics, revised suspension, and state-of-the-art electronics, cementing its potential as a world-class GT racer.
