British team Jota Sport will enter an Aston Martin Vantage in the GT4 class of this weekend's Spa 24 Hours, marking the first steps for the team under the Aston Martin banner – a partnership which will include GT4, GT2 and even LMP1 campaigns in coming years.
The team took delivery of the V8 powered car last month, but have already completed some consistent running with it, including at a test day at Spa-Francorchamps ahead of the 63rd running of the endurance race.
The four man driver line-up for the car is part of Jota Sport's private driver training program – The Drivers' Club – with three of the drivers coming from the program, sharing the car with Sam Hancock, the founder of The Drivers' Club as well as an Aston Martin works driver, having driven for the marque at Le Mans in June.
“This will be the biggest stage that all three of the guys have competed on when it comes to modern motorsport,” says Hancock about his teammates. “It's a great chance for them to learn about 24hr racing in advance of their anticipated Le Mans debuts and a special moment for The Drivers Club to see three of its members graduate to this level. The car is a really great addition to our fleet as it provides the perfect bridge between training days and serious racing.”
Of the three remaining drivers Simon Dolan is currently in the third of four years in a “Novice to Le Mans” training scheme, having raced his way through the Radical UK Cup, SPEED Series and the European VdeV Championship. The final two wheelmen – Joe Twyman and Roger Wills – have a successful background together in historic racing.
“As a team we're all tremendously proud to be representing Aston Martin Racing in an event as prestigious as the Spa 24 Hours,” Jota team principal Sam Hignett enthuses. “We have huge experience of endurance racing at the very top level and we're confident that we can compete for the GT4 honours this weekend. It was difficult to assess exactly where we were at the test, as none of our class rivals were present, but we were delighted with how things have gone in the build up to this great event.”
