It was the second GT World victory of the season for the Belgian squad and marked the first time that Aston Martin has claimed multiple wins in the same season in the world’s premier GT3-only endurance series. Drudi, Sørensen and Thiim having also won the season-opener at Paul Ricard (FRA) in April.
Having started from pole position, thanks to the combined efforts of the same three drivers who claimed Aston Martin’s and Comtoyou Racing’s historic 24 Hours of Spa win in 2024, Sørensen took the lead at the start and from that point on the #007 Vantage GT3 controlled the race with barely a hitch. Drudi took over for the second stint, which was interrupted by a prolonged Full Course Yellow and Safety Car period.
A strategic pitstop just before the final hour kept the #007 ahead of the #59 McLaren, which had attempted to undercut the Aston Martin. Thiim then controlled the closing stages, taking the chequered flag 5.751 seconds ahead of his nearest rival.
“I’m super proud of everybody at Aston Martin Racing and Comtoyou Racing,” said Sørensen afterwards. “Everyone did an amazing job this weekend. We did what we had to do, which was keep the others behind us, as we didn’t have the outright race pace to just drive away. But this place is difficult to overtake at, so we just focused on keeping it clean and staying in front.”
Drudi added: “As soon as the race has stabilised a bit, we could see that we had enough to stay in front. We managed the race exactly as we need to, so I’m really happy.”
“It’s great to have another trophy on the shelf,” said Thiim, who claimed Aston Martin’s first overall DTM victory earlier this year, also driving a Comtoyou Racing Aston Martin Vantage. “This was a proper GT World race, which required some tough strategic calls at the end. My teammates and everyone in the team did a fantastic job.”
Comtoyou Racing lies second in the Teams’ standings, while Drudi, Sørensen and Thiim are second in the Drivers’ standings with just one round remaining, at Portimão, in Portugal on 16-18 October. Should they successfully retain those positions, it would be the best overall season finish for a team racing Aston Martins in GT World.
“Aston Martin congratulates Comtoyou Racing on another outstanding victory in the GT World Challenge Europe,” said Aston Martin Head of Endurance Motorsport, Adam Carter. “Mattia, Marco and Nicki drove exceptionally well and Vantage has once again proved its mettle in one of the most competitive arenas in global motorsport. Two wins from four races is a significant achievement and underlines Vantage’s proven pedigree in GT racing.”
Sharing the mechanical architecture of the ultra-luxury Vantage road car, the Vantage GT3 is built around Aston Martin’s proven bonded aluminium chassis and powered by its fearsome twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 engine.
