AO Racing
Autumn Oaks Racing, doing business as 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 and in LMP2 in the European Le Mans Series.[1][2][3] The team was founded in 2022 by P. J. Hyett and Gunnar Jeannette.[4]
| Founded | 2022 |
|---|---|
| Founder(s) | P. J. Hyett Gunnar Jeannette |
| Base | St. Charles, Illinois, United States |
| Team principal(s) | |
| Current series | IMSA SportsCar Championship European Le Mans Series FIA World Endurance Championship |
| Current drivers | IMSA SportsCar Championship: 77. Michael Christensen Laurin Heinrich Sebastian Priaulx 99. Matthew Brabham Paul-Loup Chatin P. J. Hyett Alex Quinn European Le Mans Series: Louis Delétraz Jonny Edgar Robert Kubica |
| 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.[4] In September of 2022, they made the decision to form an auto racing team to compete in the IMSA SportsCar Championship.[5] The name AO stands for Autumn Oaks, which is the name of Hyett's car collection that helped start the race team.[6]
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.[7] T. J. Harley is the livery designer.[8] 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.[9] 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.[10] 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.
At the third round of the season at Laguna Seca, the team scored their first win as an organization in the GTD Pro class with Heinrich and Priaulx behind the wheel of "Rexy."[11]
European Le Mans Series
On November 29, 2023, the team announced that they would field an LMP2 entry in the 2024 European Le Mans Series season in partnership with TF Sport. The team signed Louis Delétraz, Jonny Edgar, and former Formula One driver Robert Kubica to drive the car full-time.[12] Polish oil company Orlen would sponsor the car for the full season and the team would compete as Orlen Team AO by TF.
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 |
| 2024 | AO by TF | 14 | Oreca 07-Gibson | Louis Delétraz P. J. Hyett Alex Quinn |
LMP2 (Pro-Am) | 295 | 20th | 2nd |
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 Sebastian Priaulx Harry Tincknell |
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 9 |
LGA 1 |
DET 1 |
WGL |
MOS |
ELK |
VIR |
IMS |
ATL |
1st* | 981* | |
| LMP2 | 99 | Oreca 07 | Gibson GK-428 4.2 L V8 | Matthew Brabham Paul-Loup Chatin P. J. Hyett Alex Quinn |
DAY 8 |
SEB 11 |
WGL |
MOS |
ELK |
IMS |
ATL |
10th* | 489* |
* Season still in progress.
Complete European Le Mans Series 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 | Pos. | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Orlen Team AO by TF | LMP2 | 14 | Oreca 07 | Gibson GK-428 4.2 L V8 | Louis Delétraz Jonny Edgar Robert Kubica |
CAT 7 |
LEC |
IMO |
SPA |
MUG |
POR |
7th* | 6* |
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.
- "Robert Kubica with Orlen Team AO by TF in 2024". Endurance Info. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
- "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 101". Instagram. February 2, 2024. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
- "AO Racing reveals T-Rex livery for Sebring 12 Hours". www.motorsport.com. March 13, 2023. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- IMSA Sebring Paddock Tour 2023 with Marshall Pruett presented by PILOTI, retrieved March 13, 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.
- "Rexy roars to AO Racing's least-likely maiden win at Laguna Seca". RACER. May 13, 2024. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
- "Robert Kubica with Orlen Team AO by TF in 2024". Endurance Info. Retrieved May 17, 2024.