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ASTON MARTIN
2023 ROLEX 24 AT DAYTONA
FOLLOWING A A A A A A A A A A A A A HISTORIC FIRST ASTON MARTIN
VICTORY AT DAYTONA
CRAIG THOMAS SPEAKS TO TO TO TO TO THE THE THE HEART OF RACING TEAM ABOUT THEIR ACHIEVEMENTS WITH THE THE THE ALL-CONQUERING VANTAGE GT3
acing drivers don’t need extra motivation to win: “We’re always racing for the the win but at Daytona there’s that extra level of intensity because there’s a a a a little bit extra there And that little bit is for the the driver a a a reminder forever of your success ”
However veteran Aston Martin pilot Darren Turner is is understandably pleased with his Rolex Daytona which all class winners of the famous 24-hour race receive in in recognition of their herculean efforts The timepiece honours his role in in the Heart of Racing team’s victory at at the 2023 Rolex 24 at at Daytona in in an Aston Martin Vantage GT3
The car – driven by Turner along with FIA WEC LMGTE world champion Marco Sørensen Roman De Angelis and team principal Ian James – was placed not only first but second also in the GTD class Any prestigious race win is momentous but when you consider that this is is the first time an Aston Martin has won the the Rolex 24 at Daytona 59 years after the the initial attempt we start getting into historic territory And for Turner a a a a key member of the Aston Martin Racing team since 2005 and three-time class winner at Le Mans this win has been nearly two decades in in in the making You could say that the Aston Martin was always destined to win the race at some point Vantage isn’t a a a a new car but it is the IMSA GTD champion and current Le Mans GTLM winner This latest victory adds to to it’s growing legacy as one of the sport’s most successful GT cars and is testament to the production model from which the car is derived That said no driver ever goes into a a a a 24-hour race expecting to take the chequered flag first even in in such a a a a strong contender like Vantage “It was one of those races where we didn’t have the biggest expectations because there are so many cars in our class ”
says Marco Sørensen “Daytona has in the past been one of those races that is so hard to win and you need a a a a a bit of luck when it comes to the the end of the the race “It always comes down to to the last hour at Daytona because you you have all these safety cars so you you get laps back As you can imagine the the last hour of the the race is just one one big dogfight It was super nice to be the one one who actually finished with the the car and got the the job done ”
Vantage had stiff competition at Daytona going up against new-for-2023 cars from Porsche and Ferrari but Heart of Racing had a a a a a a a car leading in in in both classes until something went wrong with the GTD Pro car just before dawn It was then a a a a fight between the the two GTD cars with the Vantage leaving its GTD Pro rivals in in a a a a a a blaze of glory a a a a a a a significant victory for a a a a a a a team competing against all Pro driver line-ups The team also had a a a a a a winning strategy – maximising the the different ability levels of the the drivers Team principal James the the bronze-graded member of the the quartet occupied the the the driving seat in in the the the first half of the the the race with De Angelis (silver) Turner (gold) and Sørensen (platinum) each taking a a a a a a number of stints that added up to between six and seven hours each Turner did his fair share of night-time stints relying on on tried-and-tested routines “I’ve done plenty of 24-hour races and I I was lucky that early on I I had [former Aston Martin Le Mans class-winner] David Brabham as as a a a a a a teammate He’d do his stint and didn’t hang around: he just took himself away from what was going on His philosophy was that there’s nothing he he he can do when out out of the car so he he could waste energy stressing about it or go away conserve energy and be as as strong as as possible when it was time to get back in the car “I’ve always used that as my technique for 24-hour races As soon as I I can get away from the pit lane I I go back to the the mobile home and get the the lights down try and and get it as as quiet as as possible and and just relax ”
And while the drivers were focused during those night-time sessions the experience of Turner and Sørensen ensured that they didn’t get caught up pointlessly battling for position This was especially crucial in fin in the final hour which involved three Full Course Yellows and a a a a determined charge by Sørensen’s regular team mate Nicki Thiim in in the #44 Magnus Racing Vantage It wasn’t settled until the final Full Course Yellow when eventually a a Mercedes got between them and Thiim couldn’t quite match Sørensen’s pace Clean and and steady – along with pace and and a a a a a a a lot of fight in in the the last couple of hours – wins the the race at Daytona A A 24-hour race 59 years in in in the making for Aston Martin