AO Racing is an American sports car racing team that currently competes in the LMP2 and the GTD Pro classes of the IMSA SportsCar Championship.[1][2] The team was founded in 2022 by P. J. Hyett and Gunnar Jeannette.[3]
 | |
| Founded | 2022 |
|---|---|
| Founder(s) | P. J. Hyett Gunnar Jeannette |
| Base | St. Charles, Illinois, United States |
| Team principal(s) |
|
| Current series | IMSA SportsCar Championship |
| Former series | FIA World Endurance Championship |
| Current drivers | IMSA SportsCar Championship: LMP2  Matthew Brabham  Paul-Loup Chatin  P. J. Hyett Alex QuinnGTD Pro  Michael Christensen  Laurin Heinrich Sebastian Priaulx |
| Noted drivers | Gunnar Jeannette |
| Website | https://aoracing.com/ |
History
AO Racing was founded in 2022 by GitHub co-founder and technology entrepreneur P. J. Hyett, and American race car driver Gunnar Jeannette. Hyett and Jeannette met through vintage racing and became friends.[3] In September of 2022, they made the decision to form an auto racing team to compete in the IMSA SportsCar Championship.[4]
IMSA SportsCar Championship
2023
At the second round of the 2023 IMSA SportsCar Championship held at Sebring International Raceway, the team debuted an all new Tyrannosaurus Rex themed livery dubbed "Rexy" by driver and team co-founder Gunnar Jeannette.[5] The livery was culminated by team co-founder P. J. Hyett after his two children inspired him to sport a T-Rex and a Unicorn on his race helmet. "Rexy" quickly became a fan favorite, and it has easily become one of the most recognizable sportscar liveries.
2024
The team announced that they would field a second car competing in the LMP2 class in the 2024 IMSA SportsCar Championship.[6] The announcement revealed that the Oreca 07 would feature a purple and orange dragon themed livery dubbed "Spike." The team signed Matthew Brabham and Paul-Loup Chatin to partner P. J. Hyett for the full season in the LMP2 entry, with Alex Quinn joining the team for the Michelin Endurance Cup.[7] The GTD Pro entry would see Michael Christensen, Laurin Heinrich, and Sebastian Priaulx drive the team's Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) for the full season.
Racing record
24 Hours of Le Mans results
| Year | Entrant | No | Car | Drivers | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Project 1 - AO
|
56 | Porsche 911 RSR-19 |  Matteo Cairoli P. J. Hyett Gunnar Jeannette
|
LMGTE Am | 309 | 35th | 7th |
Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Class | No | Chassis | Engine | Drivers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Pos. | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Project 1 - AO
|
LMGTE Am | 56 | Porsche 911 RSR-19 | Porsche M97/80 4.2 L Flat-6 | Matteo Cairoli P. J. Hyett Gunnar Jeannette Guilherme Oliveira Miguel Ramos Efrin Castro
|
SEB 12 |
POR 6 |
SPA WD |
LMN 7 |
MON 8 |
FUJ 5 |
BHR 10 |
11th | 36 |
Complete IMSA SportsCar Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Class | No | Chassis | Engine | Drivers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | Pos. | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | AO Racing Team
|
GTD | 80 | Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) | Porsche M97/80 4.2 L Flat-6 | P. J. Hyett Gunnar Jeannette
|
DAY 14 |
SEB 16 |
LBH DNS |
LGA 11 |
WGL 14 |
MOS 8 |
LIM 7 |
ELK 11 |
VIR 6 |
IMS 10 |
ATL 8 |
13th | 2245 |
| 2024 | AO Racing
|
GTD Pro | 77 | Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) | Porsche M97/80 4.2 L Flat-6 | Michael Christensen Laurin Heinrich Sebastian Priaulx
|
DAY 2 |
SEB |
LGA |
DET |
WGL |
MOS |
ELK |
VIR |
IMS |
ATL |
2nd* | 355* | |
| LMP2 | 99 | Oreca 07 | Gibson GK-428 4.2 L V8 | Matthew Brabham Paul-Loup Chatin P. J. Hyett Alex Quinn
|
DAY 8 |
SEB |
WGL |
MOS |
ELK |
IMS |
ATL |
8th* | 254* |
* Season still in progress.
References
- ^ "WEATHERTECH SPORTSCAR CHAMPIONSHIP AO RACING NO. 77". imsa.com. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
- ^ "WEATHERTECH SPORTSCAR CHAMPIONSHIP AO RACING NO. 99". imsa.com. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
- ^ a b "Jeannette, Hyett launching AO Racing Porsche GTD effort for 2023". RACER. September 28, 2022. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
- ^ "About". AO Racing. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ^ "AO Racing reveals T-Rex livery for Sebring 12 Hours". www.motorsport.com. March 13, 2023. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ^ "AO Racing Introduce 'Spike' The LMP2 Dragon!". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ^ "AO Racing expands to LMP2 with Hyett and Chatin; Priaulx and Heinrich in for GTD PRO". RACER. November 13, 2023. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
External Links
