Walkenhorst Motorsport, winner of the blue riband Spa round of the GTWCE in 2018, will field a solo Aston Martin Vantage GT3 in the Pro class of the Endurance Cup segment of the series next year.
The German team will also undertake a campaign with an all-pro line-up in the Nurburgring Long-distance Series (NLS) around its attack on the German endurance classic with the support of Aston Martin Racing.
The driving crew for these entries will be made up of drivers from Aston’s GT roster, which in 2023 included Marco Sorensen, Nicki Thiim and Jonny Adam.
Walkenhorst will field a further two Vantage GT3s in the non-professional classes in the GTWCE and at the 24 Hours at the ‘Ring and in the NLS, while it is also open to entering the ADAC GT Masters series in its homeland.
The signing of Walkenhorst means Aston will be represented in the Pro class for a full-season campaign in the GTWCE enduros for the first time since 2019.
Garage 59 took in a full season that year with a roster of drivers including Adam, while the works-run Beechdean AMR squad undertook the first three rounds up to and including Spa in 2022.
The last factory assault at the Nurburing came in 2022 with a partnership between AMR and TF Sport.
Walkenhorst is returning to the Pro class after a two-season absence: it was BMW’s factory representative in the GTWCE enduros with the M6 GT3 in 2021.
Photo by: BMW AG
Walkenhorst won the Spa 24 Hours in 2018 with Eng, Blomqvist and Krognes
Walkenhorst team boss Henry Walkenhorst said: “The connection with AMR is more than just a partnership for us – it is a shared journey on which we will hopefully achieve many joint successes with enthusiasm.
“We are firmly convinced that with AMR we will not only seamlessly build on the significant team successes of recent years, but also continue to expand on them in the future.”
Aston Martin head of endurance racing Adam Carter added: “We at Aston Martin look forward to working with Walkenhorst to help achieve its ambitious and exciting plans with the Vantage GT3.
“Ultimately, we all believe that this will be a winning combination, and we know that Walkenhorst is capable of delivering at the pinnacle of global GT racing, which is of course why AMR has entered this long-term partnership as we move into a new and exciting era with Vantage.”
Aston Martin reaffirmed it commitments to GT racing on confirmation that it is reviving its Valkyrie Le Mans Hypercar for a World Endurance Championship entry in 2025.
That commitment includes the development of evolution versions of its GT3 and GT4 contenders for 2024.