Ross Gunn (born 1 January 1997) is a British professional racing driver, and Aston Martin Racing works driver who currently competes in the IMSA SportsCar Championship.[1]
| Ross Gunn | |
|---|---|
 Gunn in 2021 | |
| Nationality |  British |
| Born | 1 January 1997 High Wycombe, England |
| IMSA SportsCar Championship career | |
| Debut season | 2020 |
| Current team | Heart of Racing Team |
| Racing licence |  FIA Platinum |
| Car number | 23 |
| Former teams | Aston Martin Racing |
| Starts | 40 |
| Wins | 8 |
| Podiums | 16 |
| Poles | 6 |
| Fastest laps | 5 |
| Previous series | |
| 2015–2016, '19 | British GT Championship |
| Championship titles | |
| 2015 | British GT Championship – GT4 |
Career
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Gunn began his racing career in karting at the age of eight, winning the British Super One MiniMax Championship in 2011 before taking the British Super One Junior Rotax Championship title the following year.[2] In 2013, he graduated to single-seater formula competition, competing in the BRDC Formula 4 series. However, he was forced to miss the final two rounds of the season due to a lack of funding.[3] Scoring two race victories, Gunn finished 11th in the championship.
As a result of his lack of funding, Gunn wouldn't race competitively in 2014, but would return in 2015 by taking part in the Aston Martin Evolution Academy.[4] That season, Gunn and co-driver Jamie Chadwick secured the British GT Championship GT4-class title, driving for Beechdean-AMR.[5] In December, Gunn was announced as the winner of the Aston Martin Evolution Academy, which lead to his signing as an Aston Martin factory driver for 2016.[6] After a year of GT3 competition in 2016, Gunn stepped up to the GTE ranks with Beechdean-AMR, competing in the 2017 European Le Mans Series.[7] In 2019, Gunn secured his first full-time FIA World Endurance Championship ride with Aston Martin Racing's GTE Am class entry, driving alongside Paul Dalla Lana and Darren Turner.[8][9] The team would collect four podium finishes in eight races, finishing 7th in the championship.
2021 saw Gunn join Aston Martin customer team Heart of Racing in the IMSA SportsCar Championship.[10] Following the 12 Hours of Sebring, Gunn was confirmed as the full-season partner for Roman de Angelis, with team boss Ian James set to step back to the series' endurance events at Watkins Glen and Road Atlanta.[11] That season, the duo claimed the WeatherTech Sprint Cup title, awarded to the highest performing team throughout the season's sprint events.[12][13] Gunn was victorious in the final race of the season at Petit Le Mans, held at Road Atlanta. 2022 saw Gunn join the team's GTD Pro class entry, paired for the season with Alex Riberas.[14] After a difficult start to the season, featuring retirements at both Daytona and Sebring, the duo scored class victories at Long Beach and Watkins Glen, rebounding to finish fourth in the GTD Pro championship. Gunn returned to the team for the following season.[15]
In 2023, Gunn returned to the British GT Championship, reuniting with Andrew Howard and the Beechdean AMR team.[16] He would make it three full-time programs for 2023 following the announcement of TRG's GT World Challenge America entry, where he partnered with Derek DeBoer.[17] As the team's factory representative, Gunn primarily played the role of initially bringing the team to terms with the Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 and coaching DeBoer.[18] Furthermore, he cited his IMSA factory drive as taking the highest priority, as his three-pronged program encountered several conflicting race dates.[18] One of those conflicting dates included the round at NOLA Motorsports Park, during which Gunn was conducting simulator work with the Mercedes-AMG Formula One team.[19]
Racing record
editCareer summary
edit* Season still in progress.
Complete IMSA SportsCar Championship results
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)
| Year | Team | Class | Make | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Aston Martin Racing | GTD | Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 | Mercedes-Benz M177 4.0L Turbo V8 | DAY 17 |
DAY |
SEB |
ELK |
VIR |
ATL |
MDO |
CLT |
PET |
LGA |
SEB |
58th | 14 | |
| 2021 | Heart of Racing Team | GTD | Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 | Mercedes-Benz M177 4.0L Turbo V8 | DAY 5 |
SEB 3 |
MDO 4 |
DET 1 |
WGL 3 |
WGL 3 |
LIM 1 |
ELK 4 |
LGA 5 |
LBH 6 |
VIR 5 |
PET 1 |
3rd | 3111 |
| 2022 | Heart of Racing Team | GTD Pro | Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 | Aston Martin 4.0 L Turbo V8 | DAY 13 |
SEB 11 |
LBH 1 |
LGA 5 |
WGL 1 |
MOS 3 |
LIM 2 |
ELK 4 |
VIR 4 |
PET 4 |
4th | 3103 | ||
| GTD | DAY | SEB | LBH | LGA | MDO | DET 2 |
WGL | MOS |
LIM |
ELK |
VIR |
PET |
48th | 352 | ||||
| 2023 | Heart of Racing Team | GTD Pro | Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 | Aston Martin 4.0 L Turbo V8 | DAY 7 |
SEB 8 |
LBH 4 |
LGA 5 |
WGL 6 |
MOS 5 |
LIM 1 |
ELK 1 |
VIR 4 |
IMS 2 |
ATL 4 |
5th | 3427 | |
| 2024 | Heart of Racing Team | GTD Pro | Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo | Aston Martin M177 4.0 L Turbo V8 | DAY 4 |
SEB 5 |
LGA 6 |
DET 3 |
WGL | MOS | ELK | VIR | IMS | ATL | 300* | 4th* | ||
| Source:[20] | ||||||||||||||||||
* Season still in progress.
Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Class | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019–20 | Aston Martin Racing | LMGTE Am | Aston Martin Vantage AMR | Mercedes-Benz M177 4.0L Turbo V8 | SIL 2 |
FUJ 11 |
SHA 3 |
BHR 2 |
COA 2 |
SPA 9 |
LMS 6 |
BHR 9 |
7th | 100.5 |
| Source:[20] | ||||||||||||||
Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results
edit| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Beechdean AMR
|
Andrew Howard Oliver Bryant
|
Aston Martin Vantage GTE | LMGTE Am | 331 | 30th | 4th |
| 2020 | Aston Martin Racing
|
 Paul Dalla Lana Augusto Farfus
|
Aston Martin Vantage AMR | LMGTE Am | 333 | 30th | 8th |
| 2021 | TF Sport
|
Ollie Hancock John Hartshorne
|
Aston Martin Vantage AMR | LMGTE Am | 332 | 35th | 8th |
Complete British GT Championship results
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Class | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Beechdean Motorsport | GT3 | Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 | Aston Martin 4.0 L Turbo V8 | OUL 1 2 |
OUL 2 5 |
SIL 4 |
DON 4 |
SNE 1 17 |
SNE 2 15 |
ALG |
BRH 2 |
DON |
6th* | 91* |
References
edit- ^ "Ross Gunn - IMSA". imsa.com. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
- ^ "About Ross - Ross Gunn Motorsport". rossgunnmotorsport.com. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
- ^ Paice, Simon (5 September 2013). "Gunn Forced To Miss Remainder Of F4 Campaign". thecheckeredflag.co.uk. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
- ^ "Catching Up With Andrew Howard & Ross Gunn, Beechdean's 2016 Double Scoop!". dailysportscar.com. 26 December 2015. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
- ^ "Beechdean AMR retains British GT class title and breaks two championship records". astonmartin.com. 24 August 2015. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
- ^ "Ross Gunn Wins 2015 Aston Martin Racing Evolution Academy". dailysportscar.com. 21 December 2015. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
- ^ "Beechdean AMR to Defend ELMS title with Howard, Turner and Gunn". europeanlemansseries.com. 6 February 2017. Archived from the original on 7 February 2017. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
- ^ Klein, Jamie (13 August 2019). "Aston Martin refreshes WEC GTE Am line-up". motorsport.com. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
- ^ "WEC - Ross Gunn, racing to the top". fia.com. 26 August 2019. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
- ^ "Heart of Racing Confirms 2021 Return; Gunn Joins Team". sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media. 8 January 2021. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
- ^ "The Heart of Racing Confirms Full Season Driver Lineup". speedwaydigest.com. 6 May 2021. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
- ^ Dagys, John (9 October 2021). "Gunn: Heart of Racing Was Focused on Clinching Sprint Title". sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
- ^ Ashton, Zoe (14 October 2021). "Driver Ross Gunn secures his first international title in USA". The Bucks Herald. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
- ^ Dagys, John (22 December 2021). "Heart of Racing Confirms Aston Martin in GTD Pro". sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
- ^ Goodwin, Graham (13 December 2022). "Heart Of Racing Add Marco Sorensen For Full IMSA Season". Dailysportscar. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
- ^ Goodwin, Graham (1 February 2023). "Beechdean AMR Return For Full 2023 British GT Season". dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
- ^ O'Connell, R.J. (2 February 2023). "The Racers Group Returns To GT3 Racing With Aston Martin". Dailysportscar. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
- ^ a b Euwema, Davey (22 February 2023). "Gunn Aiming to Get TRG, DeBoer Up To Speed With Vantage GT3". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
- ^ Dagys, John (28 April 2023). "NOLA Friday Notebook". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
Valentin Hasse Clot is making his GTWC America debut in place of Ross Gunn, who is on Formula 1 simulator duty for Mercedes-AMG this weekend.
- ^ a b "Ross Gunn Results". motorsportstats.com. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
External links
edit- Ross Gunn at Motorsport.com