Jonny revved up for first world title bid

Jonny will feature in this year’s FIA World Endurance Championship as part of a three-man Aston Martin team contesting the GTE Pro class.

It will be the 31-year-old’s first full campaign in a world series, the calender for which includes one of the world’s most prestigious races - the Le Mans 24 Hour.

And after winning the British GT title last year, the former Balwearie High School pupil is now aiming to become a world champion.

“It’s something I’ve been hungry to do for a long, long time now,” an excited Jonny told the Press.

“It’s a massive opportunity for me - competing in a world championship in a pro factory car with two really quick team mates.

“A big goal of mine was to do Le Mans - it’s the biggest race out there in terms of sports cars, possibly the biggest race in
the world.

“I’ve been with the Aston Martin family for four years now and every year my involvement has got bigger - now I’m at the higest level in GT racing and I can’t wait to get started.”

Jonny flew out to Spain this week to test the new V8 Vantage model he will be sharing with team mates Fernando Rees and Richie Stanaway.

“We all know each other and the car really well, and we’re all at a very good level,” he added.

“There will be a big push for us this year, but the competition is thick and fast.

“This will be one of the toughest years yet with Ford coming in, Ferrari bringing out a new car, and Porsche and Corvette joining in at Le Mans as well.”

Jonny’s dream as a youngster starting out in single-seater racing was to become an F1 driver but he believes he made the right choice to switch to saloons at an early age.

“I was one of the sensible ones and I realised quite young that F1 was not going to happen - financially it was just silly,” he said.

“I moved to saloon cars and had an ambition to compete in the British Touring Cars.

“I got that chance for a year but when the GT side of things came along, it really opened my eyes to the opportunities that were on offer.

“I had to perform to get those opportunities, and that’s what I’ve done.

“The ultimate goal was always to reach the top, but I never thought I would end up in a GT world championship representing a massive brand that everyone knows through James Bond.

“Winning the British GT title last year was awesome, but this is the next step.”