BMW's Auberlen loaned to Aston Martin for Le Mans 24 Hours
Long-time BMW driver Bill Auberlen has been loaned out to Aston Martin for the Le Mans 24 Hours


The American, who is racing in the American Le Mans Series this year for the German manufacturer, has taken the 15th and final seat in the five-car line-up of Aston Martin Vantage GTEs for the French enduro on June 22/23.
He will share the additional GTE Pro class entry, which moved up from the reserve list in March, with Pedro Lamy and Paul Dalla Lana, with whom he has raced in the Grand-Am GT class since 2010.
Auberlen, who made the last of his four Le Mans starts back in 2005, said: "It's excellent news that I'm going back to Le Mans, even more so that I'm doing it in such a competitive car.
"It will also be good preparation in case BMW goes back to Le Mans. It's got to be good for our programme, too."
Aston Martin Racing team principal John Gaw said: "Bill was one of the guys we identified when we were looking for additional drivers over the winter. In our analysis, he was the fastest BMW driver in the ALMS last year.
"Fortunately, BMW released him for Le Mans and we have been able to complete a fantastic line-up for the 24 Hours."
AMR has also confirmed that it will run its fifth car alongside its four full-season entries in the second round of the World Endurance Championship at Spa next month.
Lamy and Dalla Lana will be joined in Belgium by Lotus Formula 1 development driver Richie Stanaway, who tested for the team at Road Atlanta in March.
"Bill can't do any races other than Le Mans, so we thought we'd give Richie a chance," said Gaw. "We will see where that leads over the rest of the year."
Gaw didn't rule out running a fifth car in additional WEC events later in the season, but said there would be no decision until after Le Mans.

Toyota sure 2013 car LMP1 will match Audi after Silverstone defeat
Audi enters fourth car for Le Mans test day

How Formula E's double-duty drivers influenced their Le Mans teams' fortunes
Eight Formula E drivers made the 7,000-mile sprint from the streets of Jakarta to the fabled Circuit de la Sarthe and every one had a story to share at this year's Le Mans 24 Hours. Despite a range of triumphs and disappointments, each driver doubling up on the day job played a key role in their teams' fortunes
How an Italian junior formula giant is readying for its Le Mans future
Prema remains a colossus in single-seaters, but the serial Formula 2 and Formula 3 title-winning squad has joined forces with top GT squad Iron Lynx for an attack on sportscars in the World Endurance Championship and European Le Mans Series. Ahead of its debut at the Le Mans 24 Hours, its sights are firmly fixed on LMP2 glory – and a future in Hypercars next year...
The British rookies targeting a good first impression at Le Mans
Three young Britons will make their first starts in the Le Mans 24 Hours this weekend in the highly-competitive 23-car GTE Am field. But how did they get here? Autosport hears their stories.
The wingless wonder Peugeot hopes will restore it to Le Mans glory
Peugeot went radical with the initial plan for its Le Mans Hypercar project, and then stuck to its guns. Here’s how things are shaping up a few weeks before the debut of the 9X8 in next month's Monza World Endurance Championship round
How Toyota’s sole survivor turned the tables at Spa
After a chastening opening to the season at Sebring that ended in an enormous accident, Toyota's #7 crew got their World Endurance Championship underway with victory at a treacherously slippery Spa to make up for its sister car's Sebring defeat to Alpine, as Glickenhaus's promising qualifying turned to disaster in the race
The Chinese sportscar protege targeting a path to the top with Porsche
Yifei Ye came within one lap of winning the LMP2 class on his Le Mans 24 Hours debut last year, and his eye-catching 2021 has gained Porsche’s interest. With the German manufacturer preparing for a return to the top tier, the Chinese youngster is on the path to join it
How WEC got off to a stormy start in 2022 as rulemakers dampen Toyota's dominance
Toyota’s stranglehold on the World Endurance Championship ended at the 2022 opener at Sebring, but all accusing eyes were on the Balance of Performance system as the key to the shake-up. Here's how it unfolded, to see Alpine celebrating under a stormy sky having blown away the defending champions
Why Penske remains ambitious for its WEC learning year
Team Penske is gearing up for its role in running Porsche’s LMDh programme from 2023 by entering this year's World Endurance Championship with an LMP2 car. Although the team is considering 2022 as a season to learn, it is no less serious about winning than ever - which should make the already fiercely competitive class even more so