Akkodis ASP Still “Working” to Continue With New GR GT3

Akkodis ASP team boss Jerome Policand says he’s still finalizing a deal to enable his squad to remain in the FIA World Endurance Championship next season with the new GR GT3.

The ASP operation was a stalwart of the GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS with Mercedes-AMG machinery, powering Raffaele Marciello to three overall drivers’ titles between 2018 and 2023, before joining the WEC for the first time in 2024 in the new LMGT3 class with the Lexus RC F GT3.

Last weekend’s Monza season finale was the last outing in the series for the venerable Lexus but Policand said he was still working on the commercial arrangements to ensure ASP can continue on the grid in 2027 — including meeting with lead sponsor, digital engineering company Akkodis.

The entry deadline for the 2027 WEC season is Nov. 23, less than two weeks from now.

“For us first, before talking about the new car, I have to talk about the main contract here,” Policand told reporters in Italy when asked by Sportscar365 about progress on next year.

“It’s the story of a GT team — it’s difficult to have a long-term contract with a driver, with a sponsor, with a manufacturer.

“I get used to that — every time you arrive in mid-September to end of November you have to write all the contracts to carry on.

“About next season, I would say I would like to be involved in WEC again but I’m working on it.”

Policand said it would be a “dream” to run Toyota’s new GR GT3 next year, after his team’s spell with the Lexus ended in disappointment when a stone pierced the radiator on the No. 87 car that had led much of the first half of the Monza contest.

He added that securing use of the GR GT3 next season was not a particular concern and he was instead focused on getting everything else in place to enable the team to continue in the WEC.

“Until today, we were fully concentrated on the Lexus and we’ve been not involved with the new GR,” he added. “Everything has been done in Japan.

“I know the first step is the homologation but of course first for me I have to carry on in WEC and then we take care about the drivers — I have Jose (Maria Lopez) asking me every day (about the latest).”

Policand added he had been closely following developments with the GR GT3, which made its race debut in SUPER GT at Motegi last weekend.

He said that “my job is to run the car, I’m not involved in the development” and instead wanted to prove to Toyota Racing his ongoing commitment to the Lexus.

“For the team to have a partnership with such a manufacturer as Toyota you work with people which love racing and which love cars,” Policand stated.

“We hope we carry on with them — the deadline is the end of November but I’m quite optimistic we will carry on.”

Should ASP remain in the WEC, it would likely be with a revised driver lineup. While Tom Van Rompuy has indicated he plans to remain, fellow FIA Bronze-rated driver Petru Umbrarescu has confirmed on social media that he will likely not be continuing with the team.

Policand added that with the investment in the new car, he would also like to return to GTWC Europe competition, but said this would unlikely be until 2028 at the earliest.