Hot, Yardley in “Trial Run” Ahead of Likely 2026 Effort With ACI

Photo: Jonathan Grace

Damir Hot said this weekend’s Pirelli GT4 America effort with Ryan Yardley at ACI Motorsports is being treated as a “trial run” ahead of a targeted full-season campaign with the Porsche team next year.

Hot is making his return to the SRO America-run series, after contesting the 2024 season in a Flying Lizard Motorsports Nissan Z NISMO GT4.

While initially having planned to return with the Lizards this year, Nissan discontinued its North American involvement with the car shortly after Hot said he pulled out of the program, leaving him on the sidelines.

“Rather than buying a car, figuring it out, getting back on the race track with two or three weeks to go to Sonoma, I decided to do it right,” Hot told Sportscar365.

“I did some tests with a bunch of teams in a bunch of different cars. I ended up really liking the Porsche and I ended up really liking ACI.

“Curt [Swearingin, team owner/driver] and I met last year and raced against one another and spent a bunch of time looking at his back bumper. We got to know one another. He’s a super good and very trustworthy.

“I made a decision to run with him. I’m happy to do one or two races near the end of this season, really just a trial run.

“The idea is to put a full campaign together with ACI for next year.”

Hot said he first met Porsche Carrera Cup North America championship-contender Yardley in May during a Porsche Sprint Challenge North America weekend at Circuit of The Americas, where the two teamed up, and nearly won the Pro-Am class at the wheel of a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car.

The U.S.-based Kiwi will be making only his second start in a GT4 car, having previously contested an IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge race in a Mercedes-AMG GT4.

This time, Yardley will be at the wheel of the No. 25 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport, with Hot, in the Pro-Am class.

“I’m just excited for a new opportunity, a new paddock, obviously being in America here for a while now and in my third year of Carrera Cup,” Yardley told Sportscar365.

“I’m thankful for Damir for having me along. We had some good success at COTA and hopefully that continue on for the future.”

When asked for specific goals this weekend, Yardley said it will be important for them to stay out of any class championship battles or rivalries.

“Having come into the weekend never having driven on the Pirelli tire, never racing this car before, for me it’s a complete unknown,” he said.

“Maybe my personal expectations may change a little bit after all the practice has finished coming into qualifying but for me, I just want a super solid, clean weekend, keep the car straight, not be involved with anybody’s crazy championship battles that are going on.

“I’m obviously here for one weekend so I’m here to do my job and I’m not here to disrupt others either.

“Of course we’re always here to have a good result and that’s important. But there’s no expectations to go out there and win the first race or like that.

“We’ll just see where we end up.”

Hot added: “I deliberated whether we just do a test [rather than race]. I haven’t done a test with this team other than that trial run when I tried the car for the first time in March or April. But that was just one day at COTA.

“The goal is [treating it] almost as a test but we may as well get through the routine of a race weekend and get in the rhythm.

“I’m pleased where we look like we are out of the box. I think all that credit goes to ACI, really. It’s pretty amazing to get into a car… It’s the best GT4 car I’ve driven right out of the box.”

While Hot plans to also contest the season-ending rounds at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in October with ACI, Yardley will be on Carrera Cup duty at COTA that weekend, meaning he’ll have to find a substitute co-driver for that event.

Hot, however, indicated that he would like to mount next year’s full-season program with Yardley, if possible.

“I’m definitely open to that idea,” Yardley added. “Damir has been awesome to have me along this weekend.

“Unfortunately I can’t make it [for the Indy] weekend but hopefully this leads to a campaign for next year.”

Jonathan Grace contributed to this report

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John