Gamble describes Aston Martin WEC Hypercar move as a “pinch yourself moment”

New Aston Martin driver Tom Gamble has described signing for the British marque to race the brand new Valkyrie within the World Endurance Championship as a “pinch your self second”. 

The 2018 McLaren Autosport BRDC Younger Driver of the 12 months revealed racing for a producer within the high class of the WEC had turn into his aspiration after switching to sportscar racing in 2019 with a marketing campaign within the GT World Problem Europe. 

“As quickly as I went into sportscars I used to be enthusiastic about WEC and the Le Mans 24 Hours,” Gamble, 23, informed Autosport.

“Once I went into LMP3 with United Autosports and gained the European Le Mans Sequence title, that basically focussed my thoughts on what I wished to do. 

“That was round in regards to the time that the producers had been actually beginning to present curiosity in Hypercar, so I feel each sportscar driver’s ambition was to get there.

“To get the possibility to try this with Aston Martin and race at Le Mans is a pinch your self second.”

Gamble, whose full-season partner in the #007 Valkyrie AMR-LMH will be Harry Tincknell, was chosen for The Coronary heart of Racing manufacturing facility Aston squad after being given a take a look at at Jerez late final 12 months. 

He had beforehand pushed for THOR in three IMSA SportsCar Championship races within the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 in 2022, shifting up from the common GT Daytona class entry on the Daytona 24 Hours and the Sebring 12 Hours to its GTD Professional entry for the Petit Le Mans finale at Highway Atlanta.

“That was fairly essential in my profession as a result of it was sort of my first position as a gold-rated driver after getting upgraded,” mentioned Gamble. 

“It went nicely, I obtained on nicely with the workforce and I at all times stayed in contact, after which I obtained the decision to do the take a look at in Spain. It appeared like all of the arduous work I’ve put in through the years has paid off.”

Gamble strikes into his new position after two years as a McLaren manufacturing facility driver, a stint that culminated in his look with the Optimum Motorsport workforce on the opening weekend of the 2024/25 Asian Le Mans Sequence at Sepang in December.

He defined that in two seasons with McLaren he “learnt quite a bit about being a manufacturing facility driver and what the position beholds”. 

#27 Coronary heart of Racing Workforce Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo: Tom Gamble, Casper Stevenson, Zacharie Robichon, Mattia Drudi

Photograph by: IMSA

Gamble was introduced as an Aston manufacturing facility driver for the Valkyrie programme on Wednesday, when the liveries of THOR’s WEC and IMSA entries had been additionally revealed. 

He and Tincknell might be joined by Ross Gunn for chosen WEC rounds, together with the season-opening 10-hour fixture in Qatar on 28 February and Le Mans in June. 

THOR’s second AMR-LMH within the WEC might be raced by Marco Sorensen and Alex Riberas, with Roman De Angelis doing the longer races. 

Gunn and De Angelis type the line-up for the workforce’s solo IMSA entry, which can race for the primary time at subsequent month’s Sebring 12 Hours.