The addition of a pair of Heart of Racing entered Aston Martins for the coming Asian Le Mans Series marks another expansion of the team’s ACO racing programmes after the introduction of the Valkyrie into Hypercar and a doubling up of their commitment to the WEC’s LMGT3 class.
And, as you will read below, the team may not be done yet with their expansion.
DSC caught up with team principal and driver Ian James during the WEC weekend in Barcelona and asked first why the Asian LMS programme had come about?
“For us, the entries into Asian Le Mans were a progression of what we’re trying to do to make the team better.
“When you have a five-month break over the winter, we found that the first races back are a bit rusty.
“So it’s really twofold. Primarily for Gray, to get more race experience because he’s done an amazing job this year, and then just for the team to keep refining what we’re doing. We want to be the best team on Pit Lane.
“So for Gray (Newell), the more racing he can do, the better.
“And from a team side, just operationally, to keep in the groove, because by the end of the year we’re really singing and dancing, we just need to carry that through, 12 months of the year.
“We can learn. We’re learning all the time. And just racing against different competitors and in different series, we are learning things all the time. That includes that we just learn how to keep developing the car, within what we can do.”
Would you have gone to the Asian LMS if it had been a more regular calendar in Asia ?
“Yes, I think so; that would have been quite exciting.
“Yahn Bernier will be running in the Asian Le Mans Cup too (in an AF Corse Ferrari). He supports our GT4 female initiative and has always been a part of the effort.
“He works for Gabe (Newell) and is on the Board.”
With FIA WEC, IMSA and the Asian Le Mans Series package covered off, there’s an obvious question. How about the ELMS? There are changes coming as the Series transitions in 2028 to the new LMP2 cars, and I have heard that perhaps LMGT3 in ELMS may be on your radar?
“Yeah, I think we’d be interested to see what the shape of ELMS looks like going forward.
“ I don’t know what they’re going to do in terms of entries and stuff like that, but it’s definitely on the radar.”
For 2027?
“2028, 2027 possibly. We have the wherewithal to do it, so let’s wait and see”.
