Gaydon-based endurance programme targets Vantage’s first GT3 world title with powerhouse driver roster
The pursuit of global endurance racing glory is as much about precision planning as it is about horsepower and bravery at 300 km/h. For 2026, The Heart of Racing has doubled down on ambition, assembling one of the most accomplished and balanced LMGT3 driver line-ups on the grid as it prepares its strongest-ever challenge in the FIA World Endurance Championship.
The Seattle-based racing team, partnered with Aston Martin, has confirmed that veteran endurance ace Jonny Adam and rising Brazilian star Dudu Barrichello will join rookie contender Gray Newell in the #23 Vantage GT3. Together, they will spearhead the team’s first two-car LMGT3 programme, marking a strategic step forward in THOR’s global endurance campaign.
The expansion reflects growing confidence in the team’s technical programme and driver development philosophy, positioning the Vantage GT3 as a serious title contender in the fiercely competitive GT category of the world’s premier endurance championship.
Adam’s return adds championship pedigree and deep racecraft
The return of Jonny Adam to WEC competition carries significant symbolic and competitive weight.
A two-time class winner at the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans, Adam brings more than a decade of top-tier endurance racing experience. The 41-year-old Scottish driver previously served as a works driver for Aston Martin, racing the Vantage GTE between 2015 and 2019.
His career with the British manufacturer delivered historic milestones, most notably the brand’s first GTE Pro victory at Le Mans in 2017, achieved alongside long-serving teammate Darren Turner.
Adam’s endurance résumé extends far beyond single-race success. Across 36 WEC starts, he has built a reputation as a driver who balances speed with mechanical sympathy, extracting consistency from the car during the long, psychologically demanding middle hours of endurance events when races are often won or lost in quiet strategy rather than dramatic overtakes.
Following a move to customer programme racing after 2019, Adam continued to collect silverware, claiming four class victories during the pandemic-affected 2019–2020 WEC super season while competing with TF Sport machinery. His return to the world championship represents both a homecoming and a renewal of works-level ambition.
For THOR, Adam’s greatest value may lie in his ability to act as a performance catalyst for younger teammates, particularly in multi-driver endurance formats where information sharing and psychological stability are as important as outright lap time.
Barrichello’s rapid rise continues after breakout season
If experience anchors the programme, youthful momentum propels it forward.
Brazilian driver Dudu Barrichello enjoyed a breakthrough campaign in 2025, emerging as one of the standout performers in the LMGT3 class. Racing for Racing Spirit of Léman, he secured two pole positions and produced a commanding performance on home soil at the 6 Hours of São Paulo, where he converted speed into a podium finish in front of passionate Brazilian supporters.
Barrichello’s competitive arc has been defined by adaptability. His performances in GT World Challenge America machinery demonstrated strong qualifying pace and racecraft under pressure, traits that translated seamlessly into endurance competition.
The young Brazilian has already begun making an impact across continents. At the season-opening IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship event at Daytona, he helped guide a multi-driver entry to a podium finish after running as a victory contender for much of the race.
For Barrichello, the 2026 season represents a critical developmental phase. Operating within THOR’s structured endurance philosophy offers him the chance to refine tyre management, traffic navigation and long-run consistency while maintaining the aggressive pace that marked his rookie season success.
Newell steps onto the world stage
American driver Gray Newell will make his WEC debut in 2026 after several seasons competing in SRO-based series in the United States.
Newell’s progression reflects THOR’s internal driver development culture. Racing the Vantage GT4 platform earlier in his career, he achieved race-winning form and secured three class podium finishes in the GT World Challenge America during his first season piloting the Vantage GT3 in 2025.
The step up to WEC represents a major competitive leap. Global endurance racing demands not only technical speed but also the ability to adapt to unfamiliar circuits, diverse weather conditions and the intense strategic complexity of multi-class racing.
Team principal Ian James has emphasised the importance of mentorship in Newell’s programme design, pairing the rookie with one of the most respected driver coaches in modern GT endurance racing.
The philosophy is simple but powerful: speed must be nurtured rather than forced, allowing natural performance to surface under controlled development pressure.
A championship-calibre supporting cast
The #27 Vantage GT3 will continue to represent a formidable threat in the championship battle, led by team principal Ian James himself.
James will share the car with Zacharie Robichon, the 2022 IMSA GTD champion whose technical consistency and clean race management have made him one of North America’s most respected GT endurance drivers.
Joining them is factory driver Mattia Drudi, a specialist in high-level qualifying performance and sprint endurance hybrid racing. Drudi’s record includes victory at the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa and a pole position at the 2025 edition of the Le Mans 24 Hours, underlining his capacity to deliver peak performance when track conditions are at their most demanding.
The combined strength of this trio ensures that THOR’s second entry will function not merely as support machinery but as a genuine championship challenger in its own right.
Strategic ambition behind the two-car expansion
The decision to field two cars in LMGT3 reflects growing confidence in both technical and organisational maturity within the programme.
Endurance racing success is rarely achieved through speed alone. Modern world championship campaigns are built on an ecosystem of data analysis, pit execution discipline and driver synergy. By operating dual entries, THOR can accelerate learning across race weekends while maintaining tactical flexibility.
The partnership with Aston Martin’s endurance division reinforces factory-level alignment, ensuring that development feedback from race conditions can flow directly into vehicle optimisation for the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 platform.
Adam Carter, Head of Endurance Motorsport at Aston Martin, emphasised the significance of the expansion, praising THOR’s structured approach to GT competition and highlighting the developmental value of having a seasoned professional like Adam mentor younger drivers within the programme.
Looking toward 2026: the pursuit of Vantage’s first GT3 world crown
For THOR, the 2026 campaign represents more than participation. It is a deliberate push toward championship supremacy.
The combination of Adam’s endurance mastery, Barrichello’s rising competitive confidence and Newell’s developmental trajectory creates a driver architecture that blends experience, speed and long-term potential.
In the high-stakes theatre of global endurance racing, consistency across 24-hour mechanical marathons often separates champions from contenders. THOR’s driver selection reflects this reality, prioritising reliability under pressure as much as raw qualifying pace.
With one of the deepest GT line-ups in its history, The Heart of Racing will enter the 2026 season carrying the weight of expectation and the quiet certainty that preparation, patience and precision may finally deliver Aston Martin’s first GT3 world championship triumph.
If the Vantage GT3 proves as resilient as its drivers are determined, the story of 2026 could be written not in single heroic laps, but in the patient, relentless accumulation of world-class endurance performance.
