This is how the Aston Martin Racing Academy works

The Aston Martin Racing Driver Academy is a race driver development programme sponsored by Aston Martin Racing, the racing team of Aston Martin. The aim of the academy is to discover and develop young talent in motorsport, in the hope of finding the next professional drivers for Aston Martin Racing.

Romain Leroux, the recently graduated Parisian champion of the French GT4 Cup (FFSA GT4) in 2021 and runner-up in the ADAC GT4 series last year, was the standout driver among 22 other drivers in his intake. He showed his consistency and attitude in all categories. Now, the French driver will mentor the newer, less experienced drivers in the Aston Martin Racing Academy. The French driver will also race the Vantage GT3 this season, competing alongside Jacob Riegel (DEU) and Jeff Kingsley (USA), two candidates from the AMR Academy, in BULLIT Racing’s new GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup programme.

Romain also expresses his gratitude to the academy and insists on continuing to offer his services: “I am very proud of Aston Martin’s recognition of my success over the last two seasons. My goal when I joined the AMR Academy in 2021 was to build a relationship with a manufacturer. Being named the winner of the AMR Academy 2022 is a significant achievement that reflects my hard work and growth as a driver. I am now eager to keep moving forward with the Vantage GT3 this season.”

The candidates who opt to take part in the programme will immerse themselves in a three-day seminar, where they will receive comprehensive training in a range of areas. These include media training sessions led by FIA World Endurance Championship commentator Louise Beckett. Drivers will receive training and simulator instruction at Base Performance, and a full assessment of their genetic and physical profile through the DNAFit service, which includes a personalised training and nutrition plan for each participant.

The programme also includes commercial training within Aston Martin Racing, where drivers will learn best practices for maintaining a sustainable and profitable racing career. Finally, a factory engineering workshop will be held, teaching future drivers about the set-up of the Vantage specifically for competition.

Any driver aged between 17 and 26 may take part, with Vantage GT3 and GT4 competition programmes. The graduate selected by the academy will receive a special award that includes financial support for their racing programme in 2024, as well as personalised advice and help in achieving their competition goals, all provided directly by the factory. Those candidates who stand out in the assessments could have the opportunity to test a Vantage GT3 at the end of the racing season, allowing them to demonstrate their skills at the highest level.

The assessors and judges of the candidates are the three-time class winner at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and 2023 Rolex 24 at Daytona GTD champion Darren Turner (GB); the four-time British GT champion Jonny Adam; Academy winner and factory driver Valentin Hasse Clot; AMR Head of Performance Gus Beteli; and Head of AMR Partner Racing Huw Tasker, who will determine whether the candidates demonstrate the required qualities, such as strategic, teamwork, commercial and public relations skills.

The academy says it wants to continue the tradition, as Huw Tasker, Head of AMR Partner Racing notes: “As a mechanism for evaluating and identifying exceptional talent within our partners’ ranks, the AMR Driver Academy remains instructive and essential. Looking at the list of candidates lined up for 2023, we are confident the tradition will continue.”

AMR Academy image gallery