Sep 1, 2026, 11:55 AM

Valkyrie returns to Austin as momentum builds in the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship

  • The Heart of Racing Team returns to Austin, scene of the current Aston Martin Vantage's maiden WEC LMGT3 class victory in 2024
  • COTA historically a happy hunting ground for Aston Martin's Vantage
  • Dudu Barrichello steps back into the #23 THOR Vantage GT3 after latest IMSA GTD outing at Virginia International Raceway
  • 24 Hours of Le Mans podium finishers Jonny Adam and Gray Newell join the Brazilian in #23 Aston Martin
  • Newell set to start first home race as a WEC THOR Vantage driver
  • Team principal Ian James, a former COTA winner and polesitter, teams up with Mattia Drudi and Zach Robichon in the #27 Vantage

 

Aston Martin's most successful racing car, Vantage, returns to the Circuit of the Americas [COTA] for Round 5 of the FIA World Endurance Championship [WEC]. The 3.426-mile circuit, home of the six-hour Lone Star Le Mans race, has proved a consistently happy hunting ground for Vantage which has claimed no less than 10 class victories from 13 podium appearances – including four double-class wins.

 

One of those victories was with Aston Martin Racing partner the Heart of Racing Team, which returns to its home race determined to repeat that success. The win, in 2024, marked the first WEC success for THOR and team principal Ian James, who also claimed his first world championship pole position on the same weekend.

 

James will be joined in the #27 THOR Vantage GT3 by regular co-drivers Mattia Drudi (ITA), the double 24 Hours of Le Mans pole-winner, and former IMSA GTD champion Zach Robichon (CDN). The trio have been competitive in the class everywhere they have visited in 2026, and yet only have a second place at Spa-Francorchamps in May to show for their efforts – thanks to an uncharacteristic spell of misfortune.

 

As usual, THOR brings two ultra-strong Aston Martin Vantage GT3s to the fight, with the sister #23 THOR Vantage driven by its regular lineup of Gray Newell (USA), Dudu Barrichello (BRA) and Jonny Adam (GBR) which finished third at La Sarthe. For Newell, COTA marks a first opportunity to compete on home turf at world championship level – and one of the few venues on the schedule where he has prior racing experience. Adam, meanwhile, returns to COTA for the first time since 2020, when he was a GTE-Am class winner.

 

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.

 

How to follow

The Lone Star Le Mans will begin at 1300 local time (-6 Hours BST) on Sunday, 6 September. Final practice, qualifying and the race will be broadcast live on FIAWEC+ online with a choice of English or French-language commentary and via selected broadcasters at a national level.

 

-ENDS-

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