Walkenhorst Switches to Aston Martin in Multi-Year Deal

Walkenhorst Motorsport will switch from BMW to Aston Martin next year and embark on a multi-year deal with the British manufacturer to compete with its customer GT3 cars.

The German squad on Thursday announced plans to run the new Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo in the top classes at the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa and the Nürburgring 24.

Spa will form part of a full-season campaign with three cars in Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Endurance Cup, including one entry in the Pro ranks.

Aston Martin factory drivers will be utilized for the three-car Fanatec GT and Nürburgring programs, while an ADAC GT Masters effort is also under consideration.

The announcement marks a significant change for Walkenhorst, which has operated BMWs for over a decade and has achieved several titles and major race victories with the German brand.

Its biggest achievement to date came in 2018 when it won the 24 Hours of Spa with a BMW M6 GT3 driven by Philipp Eng, Tom Blomqvist and Christian Krognes.

Other notable accolades with BMW include clinching the 2023 Asian Le Mans Series GT3 title, which resulted in the team making its 24 Hours of Le Mans debut with a Ferrari this year, and winning both the Kyalami 9 Hour and Indianapolis 8 Hour in 2020.

The team has been dominant in the Nürburgring-based NLS this season, contributing to five out of seven victories for the BMW M4 GT3.

It also ran BMWs in the DTM for two seasons and last appeared in the top class of the GTWC Europe Endurance Cup in 2021. The following season, ROWE Racing became the manufacturer’s Pro representative and was then joined by Team WRT this year.

“The close partnership with AMR gives us the certainty that we can count on technical excellence and experience in the coming years,” said Walkenhorst managing director Niclas Koenigbauer.

“This not only strengthens our racing performance, but also consolidates our position as a successful operational team for our partners and customers.

“We will certainly be well prepared for the coming season and are very much looking forward to working with AMR.”

Walkenhorst’s announcement follows that of ex-Audi team Comtoyou Racing, which has signed a four-year deal to run Aston Martin Vantages in GT3 and GT4 from next year.

Aston was only represented by one Silver Cup entry in GTWC Europe this season but is set to increase its numbers significantly and return to the Pro class after one year out.

“We are pleased to welcome Walkenhorst Motorsport into the AMR family,” said Aston Martin’s head of endurance motorsport Adam Carter.

“Walkenhorst is a team that has proved its pedigree and has produced outstanding results in a variety of championships. We at Aston Martin look forward to working with Walkenhorst to help achieve its ambitious and exciting plans with the Vantage GT3.

“Ultimately, we all believe that this will be a winning combination, and we know that Walkenhorst is capable of delivering at the pinnacle of global GT racing, which is of course why AMR has entered this long-term partnership as we move into a new and exciting era with Vantage.”

Although Walkenhorst is switching its entire GT3 operation over to Aston Martin, the team will continue to run BMW M4 GT4s next year.