Aston Martin has launched its GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup campaign in emphatic fashion, with the Vantage GT3 delivering a dramatic and hard-fought victory at the season-opening Paul Ricard 6 Hours. Partner team Comtoyou Racing, alongside works drivers Mattia Drudi, Marco Sørensen and Nicki Thiim, combined strategy, resilience and outright pace to secure a result that signals serious championship intent.
The win marks Aston Martin’s first overall triumph in the series since Comtoyou Racing’s breakthrough success at the CrowdStrike Spa 24 Hours in 2024, and its first Endurance Cup ‘regular season’ victory since Silverstone in 2018. More importantly, it places the crew firmly at the top of the standings after a performance that blended recovery with relentless execution.
What began as a measured race quickly evolved into a test of composure. Starting from third on the grid, Sørensen held position within the leading group through the opening phase before a left rear puncture threatened to derail the challenge. The timing, however, proved critical. Occurring in the final sector of the lap, it allowed the Dane to limp back to the pits without catastrophic time loss, keeping the car within striking distance.
From there, the race transformed into a pursuit. Sørensen carved his way back through the field, climbing into contention before handing over to Thiim, who injected fresh urgency into the charge. The Vantage came alive in the cooler night conditions, its balance and consistency allowing the drivers to steadily apply pressure at the front.
As the final hour unfolded, the tension tightened. A Full Course Yellow compressed the field and set the stage for a decisive sprint to the finish. When racing resumed, Thiim wasted no time, pushing the Vantage to its limits with a sequence of blistering laps, including the fastest tour of the race. The pressure told. A mistake from the leading car on the back straight opened the door, and Thiim surged through with just five laps remaining to seal a memorable comeback victory.
Behind the headline result, Aston Martin’s depth was further underlined by a podium finish in the Silver Cup class. Comtoyou Racing’s entry, driven by Sébastien Baud, Kobe Pauwels and Oliver Söderström, converted a class pole start into a hard-earned third place, navigating the complexities of a 58-car field with maturity and precision.
Momentum for the Vantage extended beyond Europe. In Japan, D’station Racing delivered a commanding performance in the opening round of the AUTOBACS SUPER GT Championship at Okayama. Tomonobu Fujii and Charlie Fagg controlled the race from pole position, executing a flawless lights-to-flag victory in the GT300 class. The result adds another milestone to the team’s growing legacy with Aston Martin machinery and reinforces the Vantage GT3’s global competitiveness.
Underpinning these successes is a platform rooted in both engineering pedigree and racing evolution. Sharing its architecture with the road-going Vantage, the GT3 contender is built around a bonded aluminium chassis and powered by a twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8. It is a combination that continues to prove as adaptable as it is potent, capable of delivering performance across vastly different circuits and racing formats.
With the championship now underway, the series moves next to Monza before heading toward its crown jewel, the Spa 24 Hours, followed by rounds at the Nürburgring and Portimão. If Paul Ricard is any indication, Aston Martin and its partners have not only arrived prepared, but ready to shape the narrative of the season.
