Aston Martin has called it quits while it's ahead. After nine long years competing as a manufacturer team in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), Aston Martin is leaving with a bang. With nothing more to prove, the British carmaker will shift its Vantage GT motorsport program to focus on customer operations.
Nine Long Years Of Huge WEC Success
Aston Martin took part in nine years and seven seasons of WEC, and is one of the mainstays since the series launched in 2012. Overall, it logged nine class championships, 47 class, four 24 Hours of Le Mans class victories and 103 podium finishes. That's impressive
Fielding a 4-liter V8 Vantage GTE, Aston Martin finished the 2020 season with a double world championship, with the company winning the Manufacturers’ crown and Marco Sørensen (DEN) and Nicki Thiim (DEN) grabbing the WEC GT Drivers’ title. Interestingly, Aston Martin already clinched the WEC crown at the earlier race at Le Mans.
Nevertheless, Aston Martin decided that its nine years of unprecedented success at WEC is enough, so it will focus on customer operations and on its Formula 1 campaign.
More Focus On International GT Racing
To note, Aston Martin is already present in the international GT racing landscape through partner teams. Now in its second year, Aston Martin’s Vantage GT customer race car—in GT3 and GT4 forms—is logging huge success with partner teams posting 62 wins and 157 podium finishes from 323 starts in more than 20 series around the globe. Overall, the Vantage has already won 26 GT or endurance titles around the world.
The carmaker's weapon of choice for the upcoming tough melees in the world of GT racing remains its highly proven Vantage, as homologated for racing purposes. Partner teams will compete in the Intercontinental GT Challenge, the GT World Challenge, the IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Championship, and the Super GT Championship.
Prodrive Still Building Aston Martin GT Racers
Interestingly, Aston Martin's announcement over the strategy shift for its endurance program came after Aston Martin Racing concluded a new and revised agreement with Prodrive. Under the agreement, Prodrive will continue manufacturing and distributing the Aston Martin's front-engine GT race cars. Exciting things ahead for Aston Martin!
Source: Aston Martin