76 years later, Aston Martin has done it again in the Ardennes. The British marque’s overall victory yesterday in the centenary Spa 24 Hours was a truly special result from a race that generated a laundry list of talking points.
It was an action-packed enduro from Lap 1, which like Le Mans two weeks prior was rudely interrupted by a lengthy safety car for heavy rain overnight. It was a battle for survival that left so much to unpick in the aftermath.
There were major incidents, changeable conditions and on-track battles everywhere, all before that heavy dose of drama in the final hour that saw a historic victory snatched from Ferrari and handed on a silver platter to Aston Martin.
Ferrari had the race all but sewn up. It was under an hour away from being crowned the winner of the centenary edition of Le Mans and Spa overall. It was on the verge of completing a famous 2024 Le Mans-Spa double too, during a season in which it also took a class win at the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona.
But it all quickly unravelled. In gut-wrenching fashion for the Italian brand, its chances of victory fell to pieces when the #19 Grasser Lamborghini ground to a halt at pit-in, blocking leading #51 296 GT3 from getting to its pit box for the final time. The delay cost Alessandro Pier Guidi and the AF Corse team almost a minute and effectively, the race.
“The pit lane was blocked and I didn’t know. I actually could have done another lap,” a sombre Pier Guidi revealed after the podium ceremony. “I was very tight with driving time but I could have done it. In the end, if we were informed the pit lane was blocked we wouldn’t have pitted and would have won the race. We lost the race and that’s it.”
With the #51 Ferrari tumbling down the order, it was Comtoyou’s factory-supported #007 Vantage that prospered. After a metronomic run, the Belgian team was right there at the end, ready to pick up the baton and lead the field home.
Yes, there was an element of luck for Comtoyou, its drivers and Aston Martin as a brand, but there always is for the winners of this race. It’s one of the toughest endurance races on the planet – teams need to execute perfectly to have even an outside chance of victory. As such, this achievement for Comtoyou and Aston Martin should not be understated.
“Winning here for the first time with the new Vantage GT3 gives us special momentum,” Marco Sørensen told the media after taking the win, which was the first at the Spa 24 overall for himself, longtime teammate Nicki Thiim and Mattia Drudi.
“Going through a race like we had with crazy weather conditions, meant it was one of the hardest ones to get. I feel sorry for these boys (from Ferrari). It’s racing, and crazy stuff happens. But I am super excited for the whole Comtoyou team.”
Comtoyou Racing’s owner Jean-Michel Baert, who facilitated the switch from Audi to Aston Martin over the off-season, will feel the move has paid off already. His team’s first win as an AMR customer team came on home soil, in the centenary running of the biggest GT race in the world, with a performance that turned heads.
After making its name in touring car and FunCup racing, Comtoyou has suddenly emerged as a key player in the GT sphere. And with the team having committed to Aston Martin for a minimum of three years, this feels like the beginning of a special partnership.
Aston Martin meanwhile, can proudly celebrate a second overall victory at the Spa 24 Hours and the most impressive result yet for its new Vantage GT3.
The 2024-spec model has re-ignited the brand’s customer racing programme. Just half a season into the new car’s life, it already feels like Aston Martin is back and better than ever in the hotly-contested customer GT3 marketplace.
The feedback on the Evo-spec Vantage so far – from both drivers and teams – has been exclusively positive. It’s seemingly easy to drive, easy to service and clearly, rapid! It ticks all the boxes.
This win adds to a growing number of significant results since the car’s debut back in January at Daytona, which includes wins in Super GT, IMSA and Le Mans Cup and on the Nordschleife in NLS competition.
There are already more than 30 2024-spec Vantage GT3s in circulation. The level of interest in the car from prospective customers had already exceeded internal expectations before the Spa 24 hours and it will surely grow further from here.
The best news for fans of the Aston brand is there’s so much more to come in this new era for the marque in sportscar racing, and not just in GT3 and GT4 competition! Either way, back at base, those tasked with building up new Vantage chassis for customers look set to be busy for a long, long time.
Finally, a word on the winning drivers.
25-year-old Italian Mattia Drudi soaked up the pressure late in the race and didn’t put a foot wrong when it mattered most. He’s a star. Full credit to Audi Sport and now Aston Martin for recognising and believing in his talent.
AMR’s ‘Dane Train’ duo of Nicki Thiim and Marco Sørensen need no introduction at this point. They’re world-class and on this occasion ‘Victory Monday’ will feel extra special, as yesterday was the first time the duo recorded a 24-hour race overall as teammates in the same car.
“It’s difficult to put into words what this means to me, and to Aston Martin,” said Thiim. “We have been trying to win this race for a long time, and to do it in this way is an incredible feeling.
“I think everyone knows how I feel about Aston Martin. We have had so many special memories together, and this win is up there with the best of them for me.”
Images courtesy of Frozenspeed, IMSA & Aston Martin/Drew Gibson
