Aston Martin considering North America racing expansion

Aston Martin Racing managing director John Gaw has confirmed the British manufacturer is considering an expansion of its racing interests into North America for 2019 following the launch of its new Vantage GTE car.

The updated Aston Martin Vantage GTE made its race debut in the FIA World Endurance Championship season-opener at Spa last weekend, and will feature at the 24 Hours of Le Mans next month as the team looks to defend its GTE-Pro class win.

Manufacturers such as Porsche, BMW and Ferrari enjoy involvement in both the WEC and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship through the equivalent GTLM class, making it a series of interest for Aston Martin, which has also confirmed plans to update versions of its GT3 and GT4 cars for 2019.

Asked by Crash.net if a North American programme was under consideration for Aston Martin, Gaw said: "Definitely, yes.

"It’s a very important market for Aston Martin. It’s worth 25% of our road car market.

"We’re very much looking at that for next year. It depends on the partner that we choose. We’re out for tender right now for a new partner."

Should it opt against entering the GTLM class, Aston Martin could have the option to debut its new GT3 model in IMSA's GT Daytona class, which is chiefly run for privateer teams.

A GTLM entry would create the possibility for Aston Martin to expand its Le Mans entry beyond its existing two cars, with Porsche and Ferrari set to field four and three GTE-Pro entries at the 24-hour race next month as a result of its IMSA interests.