Aston Martin academy scheme winner Ross Gunn given factory deal
British GT4 champion Ross Gunn has landed an Aston Martin factory contract after winning the British manufacturer's academy scheme
The 18-year-old Briton was chosen as the winner of the inaugural Aston Martin Racing Evolution Academy after six of the 10 entrants were given a try-out in an Aston Vantage GTE at the Bahrain World Endurance Championship rookie test in November.
Gunn's first assignment as a factory driver will be with the AMR-run Beechdean Aston Martin V12 Vantage in the 2016 British GT Championship alongside reigning champion Andrew Howard.
AMR boss John Gaw told Autosport: "Ross impressed us over the season, but he was also as fast as anyone else in the GTE car in Bahrain, and speed is always the key to the door.
"He doesn't have as much experience of that kind of car as some of the others, so that shows he has a lot of room to grow.
"He's a guy who listens and has an appetite to learn, and he's also a well-rounded individual."
Gunn, who is taking the place of fellow AMR driver Jonny Adam at Beechdean, added: "It's been a fantastic season and I couldn't have asked for a more perfect outcome.
"I'm really looking forward to building on everything I've learnt next year with Andrew in the V12 Vantage."
Gaw stressed there will be other drives for Gunn during the 2016 season.
Gunn, who claimed the class title in British GTs alongside Jamie Chadwick aboard the Beechdean Vantage GT4, was chosen for a factory deal over his 2015 team-mate, as well as Matt Bell, Dan Lloyd, Jody Fannin, Dennis Strandberg and Devon Modell.
The AMR academy will continue next season.
It is open to drivers aged between 18 and 25 who are undertaking a full season at the wheel of an Aston Martin GT car.
Each successful applicant will be assigned an AMR factory driver as a mentor, will work with team engineers over the course of the season and spend time on the simulator.
Be part of the Autosport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
Jota's first Le Mans car to return to competition
Why Porsche doesn't expect another WEC domination at Imola
Why Peugeot had no choice but to revamp its radical Le Mans Hypercar
Bottas: Permanent fix for Sauber F1 pitstop woes "by Imola"
Quartararo: Marquez's Honda MotoGP exit "woke a lot of people up" at Yamaha
How national entries in the first month of the season stack up
COTA: F1 and MotoGP double-header possible but not probable
Why Rossi's serious approach to car racing in 2024 may create a dilemma
How a 128-day Mercedes miracle crushed its opposition
The F1 technology behind Mercedes’ Nordschleife record hypercar
How to get the best out of amateur racers
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments