The new Aston Martin Vantage GT3 scored its first international race victory in Japan. Just four months after its debut at Silverstone, it clinched the GT300 class victory at the ‘Autobox Super GT Series,’ Japan’s most prestigious endurance racing championship, on June 2.
Team Disstation Racing achieved a perfect result with drivers Fujii Tomonobu (Japan) and Charlie Fagg (UK), taking the series’ first pole position and victory during the three-hour race at Suzuka Circuit. In addition to winning his first Super GT title since 2016, Fujii also recorded the fastest lap time. The #777 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 of Disstation Racing outpaced competitors by a staggering 38 seconds to secure the victory, thanks to the exceptional performance of all involved.
Based in Japan, Disstation Racing participates as a partner team of Aston Martin in the FIA World Endurance Championship.
Amidst this triumphant weekend for the new Aston Martin Vantage GT3, another WEC partner team, HoR (Heart of Racing), also achieved significant success in the United States. They finished third in the GTD Pro class of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, held at the premier endurance racing series in Detroit.
Aston Martin drivers Ross Gunn (UK) and GTD Pro class race winner Alex Riberas (Spain) started from sixth on the grid and recorded the first podium finish for the new Vantage GT3 in a 100-minute sprint event on the short street circuit in Detroit.
Adam Carter, Aston Martin’s Director of Endurance Sports, expressed, “I had no doubt that the new Vantage GT3 was a car capable of succeeding at all levels of GT-based endurance racing. Achieving our first victory in Japan is particularly satisfying, not only because of the prestige of Super GT but also because Aston Martin has never won in this series, and above all due to the tremendous effort that Disstation Racing has put in since our partnership began in 2019.” He added, “I am also pleased to see HoR achieving a podium finish in Detroit, reflecting their racing expertise and determination. For both teams to record good results ahead of preparations for Le Mans 24 Hours is very encouraging at this critical point in the season.”
Disstation Racing has been a partner of Aston Martin Racing since 2019, having introduced the previous generation Vantage GT3 in that year, thereby leading Aston Martin’s Super GT debut. By 2021, the team, including Fujii, team owner Hoshino Satoshi (Japan), and Kondo Tsubasa (Japan), garnered the Super Taikyu crown, making them the first team to win an official title for Aston Martin in Japan. Their best result was a second overall in GTE-Am class at the 2023 Bahrain 8 hours, but this season started strong with a third-place in the LMGT3 class at the opening round of the Qatar 1812km race.
The new Aston Martin Vantage GT3 is currently active in over 25 major GT series worldwide, including the FIA World Endurance Championship, IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, and the Pirelli GT4 European Series in Europe, Asia, and America, as well as the Japanese Super GT Championship. This number is expected to rise to at least 35 by the end of the first season.
The Aston Martin new Vantage GT3 is a model that inherits the legacy of its predecessors, which have won multiple world championships, sharing mechanical structure with the newly unveiled Vantage road car in February this year. Built on Aston Martin’s bonded aluminum chassis, it is powered by a robust twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 engine, featuring completely new aerodynamics from front to back, significantly improved suspension, and cutting-edge electronics that equip it for the highest level of competition globally.
By Lee Sang-jin daedusj@autodiary.kr