Deely: Car Blanche Initially Underestimated Task of GTD Pro

Photo: Car Blanche

Car Blanche initially underestimated the task of stepping up to the GTD Pro class in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship according to team principal Christopher Deely, who has downplayed the chances of a second entry for the 2027 season.

The ex-Van der Steur Racing team, which was purchased by YRB Racing, LLC mid-year, made its debut under the new ownership and branding at the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen in GTD before stepping up to GTD Pro for the first time at the following round at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.

It was there where the team committed to a full season 2027 GTD Pro effort next year with its Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo, although also expressed optimism of running a second Aston, likely in GTD, as well.

However, three races into it GTD Pro campaign, ahead of this weekend’s season-ending Motul Petit Le Mans, where Mattia Drudi joins fellow Aston Martin factory drivers Marco Sorensen and Valentin Hasse-Clot, Deely has suggested that its WeatherTech Championship efforts will likely center around the single GTD Pro entry for now.

“Right now the primary focus is going to be on the GTD Pro program and just maximizing the potential there,” he told Sportscar365. “It’s definitely still a thought but the primary goal right now is the Pro program.”

Hasse-Clot added: “From the outside, you look at a GTD car and a GTD Pro car and thing seem the same.

“That’s probably where we were thinking before. And we’re slowly changing our mind, realizing that GTD Pro needs much more people, knowledge, organization.

“I’m focusing on my driving, but the team is working super hard to organize everything around that one car.

“It’s not an easy job. It’s hard work.”

Deely said they’ve been on an active hiring campaign to reinforce its crew for the GTD Pro effort, although is taking an extremely measured approach.

“There’s a big difference between GTD and GTD Pro and we have to evaluate those differences,” he explained.

“We’re actively [hiring more staff] but I’m very particular in who gets brought onto the team.

“In the paddock, I think our turnover rate is probably one of the lower. We’re very critical on who we bring on, to make sure we have good people.

“We’re doing that, it’s just a slow process.”

When asked if they’re pleased with the progress made so far, which included a fourth place class finish in last month’s Michelin GT Challenge at Virginia International Raceway, Deely said they expect to be a regular podium contender.

“I think we had a good showing at VIR for sure,” he said. “It was a pretty boring race but we executed well.

“Fourth is to be expected, if not better. We definitely weren’t happy with fourth, but we know we’re there to fight for podiums and we’re able to.

“As a team, we still have a very, very long way to go. We have a lot of work to do.

“We understand, the teams that we’re going to be competing against in GTD Pro have been doing this for, some of them, 30 years.

“It’s learning everything we need to learn in a couple of months but we’re pushing on it. We have a very long way, from where we are now, to where we want to be.”

Haase-Clot, who has been confirmed alongside Sorensen as the team’s full season drivers for next year, added: “I think we’ve got our heads in the steering wheel, so we’re not really looking at what’s said and expected around us.

“But we’re working hard and we’ve gotten rewarded on track. We nearly got the podium in VIR.

“We have an excellent driver in Marco and I feel like we’ve found our happy place, at least in the driver lineup. With me and Marco, we work well together.

“We know each other and are good friends. It works like that.”

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