Aston Martin works driver Ross Gunn is returning to the ELMS with TF Sport for his first full season since 2017, where he raced alongside 2016 ELMS champions Andrew Howard and Darren Turner.
The 24-year-old British driver, who had been competing in the 2019/20 FIA World Endurance Championship with Aston Martin Racing, took part in the first ELMS race of the delayed 2020 season, the 4 Hours of Le Castellet, in the no98 Aston Martin Vantage with Paul Dalla Lana and Mathias Lauda, missing out on the class pole position by just 0.016s.
We caught up with Ross as he prepares for the upcoming six round 2021 European Le Mans Series.
Q: Welcome back to the ELMS.This will be your first full season in the series since 2017, when you scored three podium finishes with Beechdean AMR.This season you are racing with TF Sport, what are your expectations and goals for the 2021 season?
“It’s great to be back in the ELMS. As of right now, the expectation is to have fun year but also to help both Ollie and John step up to GTE. Having raced in ELMS and more recently in FIA WEC, I will be supporting them to achieve their goals and ambitions. Right now, it is very difficult to have any real expectations in terms of results, but after some winter testing and the Barcelona Prologue, I am sure we will be able to start gauging our relative chances.”
Q: You will be racing with John Hartshorne and Ollie Hancock this season.How well do you know your two British teammates?
“On a personal level I don’t know them particularly well yet. I have met them once and it was clear that they have big ambitions heading into 2021. Of course, for any racing driver, the Le Mans 24 hours is the golden carrot, and they hope to be there in the future.
“I did race against them in 2019 in the Michelin Le Mans Cup.”
Q: In January you competed in the GT-D class at the Daytona 24 Hours, finishing 5th in class.What was it like racing in such a prestigious event and how does it compare to racing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans?
“Racing in America is always very Unique. The teams tend to be very laid back. The race itself is incredible. Year on year the GTD class goes up a level competition wise and most line ups have two factory drivers.
“This year I raced for the Heart of Racing team. As a team we race for and proudly support the Seattle Children’s Hospital and the Starships Foundation. Our race this year was clean and we came away with a respectable 5th place, which is definitely something to build on for the rest of the season.
“It’s very difficult to compare these two races. Le Mans is kind of mythical and on its own, and with an event attendance that trumps virtually every other sporting event worldwide. It’s just so special. Le Mans will always have a special place in my heart for the remainder of my career. Having said that, Daytona is probably more exhausting and harder, with the many safety car periods that close the classes up. That race feels like a 24-hour sprint race.”
Q: Apart from racing at Daytona, what else have you been doing to keep busy during these difficult times of the Covid-19 pandemic?
“Last year I bought a Simulator, which has been my lockdown saviour. I am training on it as much as possible as well as regularly keeping physically fit.
“As an Aston Martin Works driver, I am also involved with test of development of our products as well as coaching customers who testing ahead of the 2021 season.”
Q: The first race of the season will be the 4 Hours of Barcelona.Have you raced there before and what are your thoughts on the track?
“Yes, I raced there in 2019 in the Michelin Le Mans Cup. The track has a good flow and can punish drivers during stints that put too much energy in the tyres.
“I have great memories from Barcelona, as I completed the prologue test with the works Aston Martin GTE team in July 2019. After doing the best job I possibly could, that evening after the test I got the call to confirm my seat for 2019-2020 season in the World Endurance Championship. One of the best moments of my career.”
The opening round of the 2021 European Le Mans Series will be the 4 Hours of Barcelona on the 16-18April.
