Aston Martin's plans to return to the American Le Mans Series could have been dealt a fatal blow by the announcement this week that all four of the drivers who raced for them in 2006 have secured other opportunities for the coming year.
After a competitive, if at times controversial, season up against Corvette Racing in the GT1 class, hopes of the team, already reportedly struggling to find a sufficient budget, returning to the United States may have been permanently dashed by the decision of Pedro Lamy, Stephane Sarrazin, Darren Turner and Tomas Enge to confirm drives elsewhere for the coming season.
Lamy and Sarrazin were first to announce their new plans after it was revealed they would be spearheading Peugeot's upcoming Le Mans effort, a move that will see them contest the full six race campaign, including the Le Mans 24 Hours.
Furthermore, a surprise switch to GT2 champions Petersen/White Lightning for Enge [see separate story] and a return to a full-time British Touring Car SEAT drive for Turner will leave the team searching for an all-new driver line-up.
Additionally, Prodrive, who run Aston Martin's ALMS effort, are likely to be concentrating on their forthcoming
Formula One entry through the year, another factor that could see the British marque instead just be represented by privateer teams, much like Cirtek and BMS do in Europe.
Should Aston Martin pull out, it could spell the end for the GT1 class in the ALMS, which has seen dwindling entries over the years in light of Corvette Racing's dominance and regular disagreements to clarify various regulations to promote fairer competition.
Nonetheless, Aston Martin's popular DBR9 will still be well represented in Europe, particularly in the
FIA GT Championship and the Le Mans Series, a factor that could force Corvette Racing to also defect ‘across the pond'
Should this occur, it is likely to signal the death knell for the GT1 class in the United States, at least for the time being…
