The Aston Martin Vantage continues to rack up wins as the brand’s various partner teams score significant wins at Sebring.
NorthWest AMR’s Vantage GTE claimed its first FIA WEC victory in Sebring as team owner and 2017 world champion Paul Dalla Lana, together with works driver Nicki Thiim and David Pittard steered the turbocharged V8-powered Vantage towards the checkered flag on Friday.
Lana quickly assumed the leading position at the start of the race. Lana and his co-drivers were able to establish a one-minute-lead ahead of the pack for the first four hours until the race was restarted due to an accident. Nevertheless, the trio continued ahead of everyone after the unfortunate restart.
“It was a very good day at the office. I’m so proud of Paul. He put in a fantastic double-stint, which set up the victory for us in many ways. We had two red flags, which didn’t help, but that’s part of the game, but we brought it home. It feels really good to win again and it’s a nice way to start the 2022 series,” said Thiim.
By winning the eight-hour race in Florida’s Sebring International Raceway, the Aston Martin Vantage is not only celebrating its first win in the famed circuit but also its 50th class win in FIA WEC competition.
Also competing in the said event were D’station Racing and TF Sport, the latter joined NorthWest AMR at the podium after finishing second. The team played a clever tactical game as they waited until the final phase of the race to put two-time FIA GT WEC Champion Sørensen aboard its Vantage GTE, giving Keating and Latorre the early driving responsibilities.
Sørensen closed a nearly 30-second gap to the second-place car in just half an hour and overtook for the runner-up spot just five minutes before the red flags were shown.
Meanwhile, D’station Racing managed to place three Vantage GTEs in the top six of the event as its trio of Satoshi Hoshino (JPN), Tomonobu Fujii (JPN) and Charlie Fagg (GBR) produced an impressive run of its own.
“This is a great start to the season for Vantage. To record a historic 50th win in WEC, a second place, and secure pole position, is about as good as it can get, and this is exactly the right tone to set for the season ahead. We're pleased for Paul Dalla Lana, who has waited a long time to secure a victory with this version of the Vantage GTE. And Ben Keating ran him hard all the way; both look like they will be title contenders this season,” said Aston Martin Head of Customer Racing Huw Tasker.
Photos from Aston Martin
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