Valentin Hasse Clot, Marco Sorensen to Share Aston Martin in GTD PRO
INDIANAPOLIS – Car Blanche is the first team to confirm its entry into the 2027 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, with a full-season Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) program fielding an Aston Martin Vantage GT3 EVO, with drivers Valentin Hasse Clot and Marco Sorensen.
Its Car Blanche branding and name with its striking white livery has stood out, as have the team’s performances so far.
“A fast car is a nice car, and we still have scored two podiums on Car Blanche’s debut,” Hasse Clot said in a Friday media availability ahead of the TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
“If we’d have been on the back of the grid, nobody would have noticed Car Blanche. But the fact we’ve been competitive has made it stand out as well.”
The confirmation comes on the heels of a toe-in-the-water GTD PRO run most races in the second half of 2026 with Hasse Clot and Sorensen. YRB Racing acquired the former van der Steur Racing outfit prior to the Watkins Glen International weekend.
Car Blanche, led by Team Principal Christopher Deely, made an immediate positive impression with a pair of podiums in its first and thus far only two Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) starts. Hasse Clot, Marius Fossard and Trenton Estep shared the No. 068 Aston Martin at the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen at Watkins Glen and Motul Endurance SportsCar Grand Prix at Road America.
Hasse Clot has been the one driving constant across both its GTD PRO and GTD starts in 2026, sharing the team’s No. 68 Aston Martin in GTD PRO first with Scott Andrews at CTMP, then with Sorensen starting at VIRginia International Raceway.
“It’s been easy when you have good co-drivers,” Hasse Clot said of he and Sorensen. “I’ve known him for a while. He and I have known each other for seven or eight years. Marius is my teammate in Europe and Trenton is in the team from last year.”
Hasse Clot indicated a desire to step up fully as part of a wide-ranging team media availability at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park this year when it made its GTD PRO debut.
“I think it has always been a goal for us,” Hasse Clot said. “Especially for Chris and I in the background. For two or three years, our goal was to one day reach GTD PRO. After the switch and the change, we decided to go as soon as possible to learn.
“We could have waited for the end of the year, but it’s good testing. As Chris said, at some point you need to go. So why not now? So especially after a very good weekend in Watkins, with the first podium for us, we thought it would be the right moment.”
Hasse Clot, despite missing one WeatherTech Championship round this year (WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca), has thoroughly enjoyed the IMSA experience in his first full season.
“I love it because I always think that the championship is interesting,” he said. “The more races you have, the more interesting it is because it rewards the reliable and consistent drivers.
“I love doing endurance and sprint. Unfortunately, we’re not looking at points this year (in 2026) because, A) I missed a race for ELMS and B) we changed the class. But I’m excited to kick off next season and chasing points.”
Deely was more succinct in his goals for 2027 during the CTMP media availability.
“We’ll be chasing the GTD PRO championship next,” he said. “We want to have the strongest effort possible, whatever that means.”