British manufacturer AMR will kick off its endurance season at the Rolex 24 At Daytona, the first leg of the 2016 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. They will be competing in the GTD (GT Daytona) class which utilizes the global FIA-GT3 specification. However, don't start thinking that entry in this “bottom” class marks a lack of ambition: quite the contrary! With no less than 18 cars separated by just two seconds at the ROAR test session, the class is hotly disputed and we look to be in for a thrilling race!

AMR is fielding the #98 V12 Vantage GT3 with works drivers Richie Stanaway, Mathias Lauda, Pedro Lamy and Paul Dalla Lana at the wheel. John Gaw, AMR Team Principal, said “Racing in Daytona is incredibly important for a manufacturer such as Aston Martin and I am confident that we have the potential to compete at the front of our class. Our drivers are well-prepared to take on 2016 and Daytona would be the perfect place for them to seal their first result of the year.”

In the last two seasons, AMR competed in the GTLM class (GT Le Mans) at Daytona. By opting for GTD this year, they are avoiding a clash with the Corvette C7-R, Porsche 911 RSR and the new BMW M6 GTLM, Ferrari 488 GTE and Ford GTs. Perhaps the British outfit has decided to leave its first showdown with those manufacturers until the World Endurance Championship opener at Silverstone? In any case, AMR is still to reveal its plans for the rest of the 2016 season.

Geoffroy Barre | Translated from French by Clair Pickworth

Photo: the #98 Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 fielded by AMR sports a brand new white and green livery, a nod to the Vantage GT12 road car, a 100-only special-edition revealed last year.