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Aston Martin Vantage on the podium at Long Beach

BY Sean Loo

Aston Martin’s multiple championship-winning Vantage is on the podium again with another strong performance at Long Beach, California.

Reigning GTD class champions Heart of Racing saw their dynamic duo of Roman De Angelis (CAN) and Marco Sørensen (DEN) finish second on Saturday.

Despite the tight and narrow street circuit, the Aston Martin Vantage proved to be the perfect machine to tackle the bay-side circuit with three-time FIA World Endurance GTE champion Sørensen storming to pole position in a time 0.2 seconds faster than the previous lap record.

Sørensen led the opening stint and handed over to De Angelis as he reached his minimum mandatory drive time after 37 of the 100 minutes. Running side-by-side with another car, the 2022 GTD champion ran in close contention for the rest of the race and finished second.

The result put the duo second in the GTD points standings with Heart of Racing second in the Teams’ standings and Aston Martin second in the Manufacturers’ Championship.

Aston Martin works driver Ross Gunn (GBR) qualified second in the GTD Pro class and finished fourth in the race in the #23 Heart of Racing car he shared with Alex Riberas (ESP). The pairing currently holds fifth in the GTD Pro points.

The IMSA season will continue at Laguna Seca on May 12-14, 2023.

Huw Tasker, AMR Head of Partner Racing, said: “Heart of Racing’s form in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is a shining example of the continuing potential of Vantage in the world’s most prestigious endurance championships."

"Our teams in WEC, endured a tough day you will have those kinds of days in motorsport. Now we move to Barcelona, where we’re excited to see what Vantage can achieve in this year’s European Le Mans Series and Michelin Le Mans Cup.”