Longstanding FIA WEC Aston Martin driver Paul Dalla Lana has decided to retire from racing with immediate effect, to focus on business interests.
The 57-year-old Canadian, who had competed in the opening FIA WEC rounds of this season in the GTE Am class #98 Northwest AMR Vantage with Nicki Thiim and Axcil Jefferies, will step away from the championship before this weekend’s 6 Hours of Spa.
As a result, the #98 entry will be taken over by reigning IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD class champion Heart of Racing. Ian James, Alex Riberas and Daniel Mancinelli are set to drive from this weekend’s race at Spa onwards.
Dalla Lana describes his time spent competing with Aston Martin as “one of the greatest adventures” of his life. He departs the FIA WEC as its most successful amateur racer, with 17 class victories, putting him fourth on the all-time winners’ list, behind Sebastian Buemi, Brendon Hartley and former teammate Pedro Lamy.
“To race for Aston Martin, compete at Le Mans and win a world championship title, has given me so many memories that I will cherish for the rest of my days,” he says. “But the racing always had to stop at some point, and for me, that time has been coming for a while now.
“It has become increasingly challenging to find enough time to prepare and compete at the highest level, and to fight for a world championship you must be able to give your all.
“I’ve been lucky enough to race alongside some great drivers and great friends and compete against the very best in sportscar racing. I’ve been there as WEC has grown in stature and I’ve been able to drive the mighty V12, V8 and now the turbo-charged V8 Vantages at places like Daytona, Sebring and Le Mans.
“It’s been one hell of a ride and I’m very grateful to have been able to take it all on board an Aston Martin. Thanks to all the incredible fans that have come out to watch us over the years, and I’d like to wish Aston Martin luck in the future. I’m sure going to miss it!”
Huw Tasker, the AMR head of Partner Racing, describes Dalla Lana’s record in the FIA WEC as “outstanding”.
“He is a legendary AMR driver and world champion, and the standards he has set as a ‘Bronze’ driver over more than 10 years of racing in WEC are unbelievable,” he said. “We are unlikely to see anything like it again. To win 25% of all the races he contested in WEC is an amazing record, and to finish on the podium 37 times is equally astonishing.
“Aston Martin owes Paul a great debt of gratitude and we will miss his competitive drive and indubitable spirit inside the garage. On behalf of all of us at Aston Martin, thank you Paul, and congratulations on a fantastic career, you have done us all proud.
“We’d also like to take this opportunity to welcome Heart of Racing into the WEC paddock. The team has been doing a stellar job in IMSA for some time now, which was clearly shown by its victory in the Rolex 24 and IMSA GTD title, and we have every confidence that it can grow and develop to mirror those championship-winning achievements at the world level.”
This weekend’s FIA WEC race at Spa will be Heart of Racing’s first with a Vantage AMR GTE. It will provide the team with valuable track time to prepare it for its Le Mans debut.
“The Heart of Racing team has had ambitions to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and the FIA WEC for some time,” says Ian James. “We are an ambitious group and to add WEC to what we have been fortunate to achieve in our other programmes over the past three years is an honour.
“Going for the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona/24 Hours of Le Mans double is very exciting. I’d like to take the opportunity to wish Paul well in the future and to thank him for giving us the chance to take over his entry for the rest of 2023. It will be a baptism of fire in Spa, but we hope to continue the successful heritage of the #98 plate in WEC.”
Due to the FIA WEC’s regulations, the Heart of Racing Aston Martin will compete under the Northwest AMR banner for the remaining rounds this season, and retain number 98.
This WEC programme for Heart of Racing adds to its commitments with Aston Martin in IMSA and the SRO GT World Series GT4 categories, as well as the 2022 Spa 24 Hours.
