UPDATED - Three Astons due to "stretch their legs" at the Roar

Three Aston Martin Racing Vantage race cars are being listed to be in attendance at the 2020 IMSA Roar before the 24 Official Test at the Daytona International Speedway on the first weekend in January.

Being the first time that AMR's new turbo charged Vantage GT3 (GTD) has competed anywhere in an IMSA sanctioned series, both the Heart of Racing team and the AMR crew supporting Paul Dalla Lana's Northwest entered car have been mandated to be in attendance at the test for the co-purpose of an having available test weekend ready for the first round of the 2020 season as well as for determining the correct balance of performance criteria for that platform in both the race and the series moving forward from its initial standpoint.


Heart of Racing only this week announced their four man driver for the Rolex 24 featuring their new Weathertech Sportscar Championship full season duo of Alex Riberas and Roman de Angelis who will be joined by their endurance rounds third man and team manager Ian James as well as AMR WEC factory driver Nicki Thiim for Daytona only. They will be competing with the #23 car number.

Joining them in the eighteen strong GTD class is the AMR factory team supported customer entry of their WEC GTE Am driver Paul Dalla Lana who will again be joined with his former supporting drivers in Pedro Lamy and Mathias Lauda. They in turn will be joined by the #98 WEC car's new young hotshot Ross Gunn for his first Daytona 24 experience.


Part of the IMSA series also comes the supporting Michelin Pilot Challenge Series and whilst their attendance is not mandatory at the Roar before the 24, the test is usually well attended by most of the full season entries in that class.

Next months anticipated entry for the test is certainly no exception with over thirty seven cars scheduled to be at the circuit in early January, making themselves ready for their own season opener - the four hour BMW Endurance Challenge that will be held the day before the start of the 24hour event.


Amongst the twenty six GS Class cars is the return of the Automatic Racing team and their popular #99 car number with which provided some of the closest racing despite its age against new OEM machinery at last years event.

With that normally aspirated V8 Vantage GT4 now having been pensioned out by the team at the end of last season, their beautifully liveried Stoner Car Care livery design is now expected to be wrapped around the profile of a new AMR V8 turbo Vantage GT4. The team and this event last year was of course used by Aston Martin Racing to showcase the new iteration of Vantage GT4's international debut in its new full homologated form.


No names have been listed for any of these cars at the Roar - nor does it confirm the full entry into the Friday race before the Rolex 24 but it is expected that the Florida based team and their CSJ Motorsport partners will enter more than one Vantage GT4.

UPDATE - Returning drivers Gary Ferrera and Kris Wilson are the first pairing to be confirmed by Automatic Racing today, indeed racing in a new generation AMR V8 turbo Vantage GT4.

Photo credits - IMSA / Heart of Racing / Automatic