AO LMP2 Effort “Firing on All Cylinders” After Second Win

Photo: Mike Levitt/IMSA

AO Racing’s LMP2 program is “firing on all cylinders” following the team’s second consecutive IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship class victory that has put Dane Cameron and PJ Hyett into the points lead with two races to go.

Hyett and Cameron dominated Sunday’s Motul SportsCar Grand Prix at Road America, taking the team’s No. 99 Oreca 07 Gibson, known as ‘Spike’ the dragon, to a controlling win from pole.

It came in Hyett and team co-owner/principal Gunnar Jeannette’s home race, with the team based on the outskirts of Chicago.

“It’s rolling really well right now,” said Cameron. “We knew were good. Daytona was close and had a little bumpy going; we needed to stabilize things a little bit.

“I was new and there were some other changes that PJ and Gunnar made to the project behind the scenes. It took [some time] for everyone to get integrated and comfortable and establish some new world order, if you want, a little bit, and get some procedures in place.

“I think that’s all bearing fruit right now. PJ is driving phenomenally well at the moment, which is making my life a lot easier, which I really appreciate.

“I’m proud of his work at the moment.

“To get the one out of the way at CTMP was a really big deal. Obviously I’m new to the project but it’s been building for them, and there’s been a lot of near misses and a lot of shoulda, woulda, coulda’s and things like that.

“It was weighing on the ‘Spike’ half of AO to get a race win. PJ wanted one incredibly bad for all his efforts to get that first IMSA win.

“We knew once that one was out of the way, everyone was going to relax a little bit and exhale.

“I’m really proud of the effort all weekend from the team. It was pretty spectacular. We were not very good in FP1 and recovered really strongly.

“PJ did his thing in qualifying and stuck it on pole. I think everyone’s just a little more relaxed knowing that they now can do it.”

When asked if Cameron and Hyett’s recent success in LMP2 competition in Europe, with AO by TF having claimed LMP2 Pro-Am class honors at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, as well as the most recent European Le Mans Series race, has helped build the momentum, Cameron pointed to having the extra seat time as being extremely beneficial.

“To be in the car often is helping us,” he said. “Obviously LMP2 is on a little difficult schedule in IMSA by nature of what it is. You have this big gap.

“I think for us to be busy in this period and continue to race at a high level has kept us really fresh.

“Obviously some competitors are racing in other championships also, but for us to be in the same car, with our same engineering staff, has helped us across both projects.

“I think that’s helped on both sides. I think it’s been really helpful for PJ to keep that momentum and keep that growth.

“That being said, I think that part also weighed a little bit on the IMSA side, with the guys and girls that we have, we started winning over there [in Europe] first but not in IMSA.

“So there were a couple of long faces. Everybody here wanted their turn also.

“I’m really glad we’ve been able to deliver that and get that monkey off everybody’s back. You can just see the weight is off everybody and the confidence is rising.

“We’re certainly peaking at the right moment in the year. Let’s see. The enduros are difficult; anything can happen in these things but we’re glad to have Jonny [Edgar] in our car and look forward to the next few races.”

Hyett added: “There’s all these little things you learn that you just have to do. You can’t simulate your way through it, you have to be in the car, you have to be racing, you have to be wheel to wheel.

“Just having the seat time between both championships for us has been a humongous help for me, to basically go from zero experience three years ago to where I am today, you just have to drive a lot.

“Fortunately I have the ability to do that.

“Like Dane said, we’re really firing on all cylinders right now, just the synergy between both the Europe and IMSA programs.”

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