At just 21-years-old, AO Racing’s Jonny Edgar can already classify himself as a prolific winner.
From Formula 3 to the FIA WEC, the Briton has won in practically every series he has contested across the course of his young career. One key box left to tick, however, is a victory in IMSA’s LMP2 category, with his sole WeatherTech Sportscar Championship triumph having come in a one-off start aboard ‘Rexy’ in GTD at Long Beach last year.
And where better to achieve that than at the 24 Hours of Daytona, 12 months on from when Edgar, Dane Cameron, PJ Hyett and Christian Rasmussen came agonisingly close to victory only for mechanical woes to strike their #99 ORECA 07 – Gibson in the penultimate hour?
The same quartet is back together this year, hoping to add the Rolex to the growing record of ‘Spike the Dragon’, which won Le Mans and the ELMS and IMSA titles last season, and for this weekend has adopted an all-gold livery to show for it.
“I think there’s no reason why we can’t [win],” Edgar tells DSC. “Obviously, it’s always tough. I think the LMP2 grid is so strong. There are so many good teams and also really good driver line-ups, so it’s never easy, and I think you always need it to go your way a bit with luck.
“It’s going to be tough, but it’s nice to be coming back with the same group of drivers. I think we know each other well after a year together. From a whole team, from the engineers, we all know each other well, so I think we understand from last year some things we need to improve on, and also the things we did well to try and keep doing the good things again.
“From last year at this race, I don’t think there was really much that we could have done more. The car was really quick and all of us had a pretty trouble-free race. We didn’t really make mistakes. The pit stops were good. So if we can go into the race again this year with the same speed and execution we had last year, I think we have a good chance. If everything goes well, we’ll be in contention at the end, which is as much as you can ask for in IMSA racing.”
Edgar made his IMSA debut in 2024, piloting Sean Creech Motorsport’s Ligier JS P217 LMP2 in three events, before switching to AO Racing last season for an assault on the Michelin Endurance Cup.
“It was quite nice going in [to 2025],” he says. “I knew the rules quite well. I wasn’t learning the IMSA rules, which are definitely very different to the ACO style, so it was nice, not having to think about that too much.”
The move to AO resulted in Edgar sharing a car with fellow new signing Cameron for the first time, and the 21-year-old has taken full advantage of working alongside the now five-time IMSA drivers’ champion.
“It’s been great working with Dane,” Edgar says. “I think generally in my endurance career so far, I’ve been very lucky with the teammates I’ve had in all programmes. There’s just so much to learn from everyone.
“Dane, obviously, is really quick in the car, especially in the moments when he really needs to be. It’s like another extra little step that’s always impressive to see. In testing, he’s always good, but then it seems like on the race weekend, he always has a bit extra.
“There’s also a lot to learn from experienced people like Dane on small details of endurance racing, just with driver changes and small things in the car to make it easier, and communication with the team. It’s really useful for my career to learn from someone like him who’s obviously had so much success in IMSA, winning so many championships.”
Rather than direct driving tips, it’s these small details and off-track characteristics that have proven the most useful to expand Edgar’s skillset.
“I think everyone has a slightly different kind of style, and you don’t always drive the exact same,” he explains.
“You always try and learn from them, but there’s always differences in driving. I’d say it’s more speaking to them about outlaps, entry, things about driver changes, just all the small details that with them being around so long, they just know so much about.
“I’m still fairly new to endurance racing, so I feel like there’s just a lot of small details and little things that become easier and I do slightly better year-on-year, and it adds up to performing slightly better.”
Reflecting on 2025, AO Racing’s IMSA LMP2 campaign can easily be broken down into three parts: A difficult start in the ‘36 Hours of Florida’; three consecutive podiums in the summer months; then a focus on bringing home the championship in the final rounds.
Although Edgar’s name is not on the trophy, LMP2’s shorter schedule compared to the WeatherTech Championship’s other classes means that he played a significant role in Cameron and Hyett’s title glory, with the Briton having competed in five of the seven rounds.
“I think going into IMSA the expectation was definitely there to fight for the championship,” he says. “PJ improved a lot, and even through the season was improving, which is cool to see. For him, he’s still only a couple of years in, and when you think about it it’s so impressive what he does. But the team also made a huge step.
“So going in, we all had high expectations, and I think in Daytona, we probably slightly exceeded even our own expectations. I think we expected to be good, but the first race, in terms of pace and how the race went, it was really impressive, and it was a really positive start.
“Obviously, the result was a big shame there, but I think it really gave everyone a boost, seeing how good we were at that race.”
Issues at Sebring and the ELMS season opener at Barcelona were a further setback, before AO’s LMP2 programme embarked on a run of six consecutive podiums throughout the summer.
Victory in LMP2 Pro/Am at the 24 Hours of Le Mans was the highlight, but second place at Watkins Glen and then wins at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park and Road America also saw the team vault to the top of the IMSA standings.
“It was kind of a perfect summer,” Edgar reflects.
“Dane and PJ, obviously winning the two sprint races when I wasn’t there. That was great, and that’s kind of what really got the championship back on track. We were a little bit behind going into those sprint weekends, and then after that, we were in the lead. So it was cool to see what the team was doing, and just how well it was going. And then I came back for Indy and Road Atlanta.”
Following a 185-point swing at Road America, AO Racing entered the final two rounds of last season with a 107-point margin over the #22 United Autosports USA ORECA of Daniel Goldburg. It was at this moment that the focus turned to the bigger picture.
At first glance, fifth and sixth are nothing to write home about for a team used to the podium, but it was more than enough for Cameron, Hyett and AO to seal the title.
“Those races, especially, the goal was just the championship. Earlier in the season, you’re kind of just going for results, and that contributes to a championship. But from Indy, it was pretty clear we were racing the #22 United car, and that was kind of our focus, just being around or beating them. So that was a bit of a different situation.
“A little bit more risk management, because the goal and expectation changes a bit in that situation, but we are happy that we managed to do what we need to do.”
With the slate wiped clean for Daytona this year, however, AO Racing’s focus can return to something it has gotten very good at in the past two years: winning races.
“I think winning one of the big races is what we really want in the LMP2, because championship-wise, last year they won both,” Edgar says.
“And for me, personally, it would be nice to win one of the big races and also for me to get my first IMSA LMP2 win. I already won a race in ELMS, and then in GTD in IMSA, but I feel like the last one I’m missing is an IMSA LMP2 win.”
Images courtesy of Jonny Edgar, IMSA
