A record number of aspiring young GT drivers have registered for the 2024 Aston Martin Racing Driver Academy as the British ultra-luxury sportscar manufacturer begins a new search to endorse an eighth graduate from the successful and prestigious initiative.
A huge variety of racers, 32 in total, from 13 countries spanning five continents, will collectively compete for at least 14 different Aston Martin partner teams in 2024 including those new to the brand this season; Comtoyou Racing, Walkenhorst Motorsport, Forsetti Racing and EastSide Motorsport. This international intake ensures AMR Academy’s reach covers nearly every significant international endurance series in 2024, including the FIA World Endurance Championship, the Fanatec GT World Challenge, the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge and key national series such as those based in Britain, Germany and France.
Adam Carter, Aston Martin Head of Endurance, said: “The Aston Martin Racing Driver Academy is now a proven and established method for us to assess emerging talent from within our partner network. It allows the brand to contribute back into the sport in a constructive and supportive manner that benefits all concerned. You only have to read back through the alumni to understand the impact the initiative has for GT-focussed drivers, of which there are a growing number of exciting prospects with every passing season.”
The initiative, which has grown exponentially in popularity and significance since it began in 2014, is designed to fast-track talent from within Aston Martin Racing’s thriving partner team network and is a way for AMR to contribute back to motorsport by investing in and honing future talent. The scheme has a high success rate and is proud to have furthered the careers of several rising GT stars including IMSA Sprint Cup champion Ross Gunn (GBR), British GT4 champion Tom Canning (GBR), reigning Le Mans Cup champion Valentin Hasse-Clot (FRA), IMSA GTD champion and Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona winner Roman De Angelis (CDN), and most recent winners Romain Leroux (FRA) and Mike David Ortmann (DEU).
Indeed, Ortmann steps up to Germany’s prestigious ADAC GT Masters series in a new Vantage GT3 with Walkenhorst Motorsport in 2024, having reigned supreme in ADAC GT4 Germany category with a PROsport Racing Vantage over the past two seasons.
An unrivalled platform for learning and development with an established manufacturer, this essential initiative is fine-tuned every year and improved to effectively coach drivers in the early stages of their careers. Competitors aged between 16 and 26 with Vantage GT3 and GT4 race programmes in recognised championships are eligible. The prize on offer for the successful graduate includes financial support towards their 2025 race programme, as well as assistance and guidance from the factory, tailored to their season plans.
Last week, the candidates benefited from a three-day seminar that included a tour of the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One® Team Technology Campus, media training with FIA World Endurance Championship commentator Louise Beckett, simulator training at Base Performance, a comprehensive fitness assessment, including a bespoke training programme and nutrition plan, Aston Martin Racing in-house commercial training and a factory-based engineering workshop to further their understanding of how to competitively set-up Vantage. The participants will now be comprehensively assessed through the season as the judging panel receives feedback from team and AMR engineers at events.
The judging panel, which includes three-time 24 Hours of Le Mans class winner and 2023 Rolex 24 at Daytona GTD class champion Darren Turner (GBR), four-times British GT champion and two-times 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Jonny Adam (GBR), former Academy winner and works driver Hasse Clot, Head of AMR Academy Rachel Adam, AMR Head of Performance Gus Beteli and Head of AMR Partner Racing Huw Tasker. They will evaluate each drivers’ ability to manage the strategic, teamwork, commercial and public relations aspects of their role. Finally, the outstanding candidate will have demonstrated the most potential to develop their talent for the future at the end of the season.
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Nissan Formula E Team secured race victory in the final event of the 2023/24 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, with Oliver Rowland putting in a masterful drive in the season-ending Round 16 at the London E-Prix.
The new Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR-LMH has hit the track for the first time, as Aston Martin with The Heart of Racing begins a comprehensive testing programme ahead of the British ultra-luxury sportscar brand’s bid to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans outright next year and for the first time since 1959.
The new Hypercar, developed by Aston Martin Performance Technologies and works team The Heart of Racing, completed a shakedown and initial evaluation testing in the UK this week, The car was driven by Aston Martin High Performance development driver Darren Turner (GBR), The Heart of Racing’s Mario Farnbacher (DEU) and Harry Tincknell (GBR), who won the LMGTE class of the 2020 24 Hours of Le Mans with Aston Martin.
Aston Martin with The Heart of Racing will now commence a full development schedule to prepare the car ahead of FIA homologation in the autumn and its competitive debut in early 2025. The Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR-LMH is the first racing car to be built to Hypercar regulations to contest both the FIA World Endurance Championship [WEC] and the US-based IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship [IMSA] simultaneously.
The Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR-LMH is unique in the top Hypercar class of global endurance motorsport in that it is the only one among its contemporaries to derive its roots from an existing production-based extreme performance car – Aston Martin Valkyrie, the ultimate hypercar. Works team The Heart of Racing will enter two Valkyrie AMR-LMH contenders in WEC and a single car in IMSA in 2025.
Adam Carter, Aston Martin Head of Endurance Motorsport, said: “The Valkyrie AMR-LMH sets its own standard as a thoroughbred endurance competition car. It is a pure, leading edge racing machine, and while it is very early in the testing cycle, from what we have witnessed so far, we are satisfied that it is achieving the targets and criteria we have set out for it to accomplish.”
The last day of the 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed was nothing short of spectacular. Over the five-day event, hundreds of vehicles, ranging from turn-of-the-century machines to modern hypercars, took on the iconic 1.16-mile hill climb. This year, the top 10 fastest cars showcased a thrilling mix of vintage Formula One racers and cutting-edge sports cars. Some were veterans of the hill climb, while others made their debut in style. Let's dive into the details of the 10 fastest cars at this year's event.
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