Hyett Set for Proton Effort in Asia as IMSA LMP2 Prep

Photo: MPS Agency

AO Racing team owner/driver PJ Hyett is set to make his competitive LMP2 debut in the 2023-24 Asian Le Mans Series season as preparation for his team’s foray into the prototype class in the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season.

The Bronze-rated driver, who took part in a dual WeatherTech Championship GTD/FIA World Endurance Championship GTE-Pro program this year in Porsche machinery, will pilot an Oreca 07 Gibson entered by the German squad with to-be-confirmed co-drivers.

Proton, which has purchased the Orecas used by Prema in the WEC this year, has a confirmed two-car effort in the series.

Hyett is turning laps in one of the soon-to-be Proton Orecas alongside Harry Tincknell and Mikkel Pedersen in Sunday’s WEC rookie test at Bahrain International Circuit.

According to AO Racing team principal Gunnar Jeannette, the Asian effort, which kicks off next month with a double-header in Sepang, is aimed directly at giving Hyett real-life prototype experience.

“In PJ’s overall learning curve as a driver and getting him prepped for IMSA in P2, Asia gives a lot of track time and a lot of race time prior to the bulk of the IMSA season kicking off,” Jeannette told Sportscar365.

“I would very much like to have an off season but we’re not going to get that this year!”

Jeannette expects Hyett to take a number of lessons from the five-round Asian LMS season that includes races in the United Arab Emirates following January’s WeatherTech Championship season-opening Rolex 24 at Daytona.

“A massive amount because it’s not only car but it’s traffic management,” he explained. “You look at the Asian entry list with all of the GT3 cars and it’s going to be exactly the same stuff you’re dealing with in IMSA.

“Having six races before Sebring, including Daytona, is just steepening the learning curve.”

Driver lineups for AO’s LMP2 and GTD Pro efforts in the WeatherTech Championship, meanwhile, are currently being finalized.

“We’re getting pretty close,” Jeannette said. “Technically we’re supposed to have it all sorted by Tuesday.

“The fact that they’re going to penalize people monetarily for not having their lineup done by early November… It just seems like another way they can grab cash, which is unfortunate. The driver rating stuff only got sorted last week.”

Jeannette said building up into a two-car operation Stateside has been a “massive” yet rewarding undertaking for the Chicago area-based team.

“With us being a new team and to build up not just for a two-car team but two separate one-car teams with running a GTD car and a LMP2 car, it’s a massive amount of work,” he said.

“It’s a real credit to PJ and what he wants AO Racing to become long-term that he’s making this commitment. It’s really cool to be a part of.”

AO Plotting 24 Hours of Le Mans Effort in LMP2

While not planning to undertake a full WEC season as it did this year in association with Team Project 1, Jeannette said he’s working on options for Hyett to be represented on the LMP2 grid at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

“We’re actively working on things,” he said. “We had talks with Porsche; we were trying to be one of the Porsche teams [in WEC] before it went over to Manthey.

“I understand that. I think our first priority right now is to try and get PJ there in a P2 car since he’s going to be doing all of the racing this year in a P2 car.

“But we’re certainly not against finding some sort of GT entry.”

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