Andrew Watson’s rise through the GT ranks continues as the 24-year-old Northern Irish driver joins Gulf Racing in the FIA World Endurance Championship’s LMGTE Am category.
Making his debut in the world’s most prestigious endurance racing series, Andrew Watson will join Mike Wainwright and Ben Barker in the #86 Porsche 911 RSR as they tackle the eight-round 2019/20 campaign.
Kicking off the season with the 4 Hours of Silverstone (1 September), Andrew will visit five continents over the course of the cross-calendar season: Asia, Europe, Middle East, North America and South America - with the series concluding with the iconic Le Mans 24 Hours (13 - 14 June).
“What can I say? Racing in the World Endurance Championship is honestly a dream come true for me. If you said that I would be on the grid, even a few months ago, I would have never believed it. I’m still pinching myself at the fact that I’ll be taking part in so many iconic races around the world.
“I'm really grateful for this opportunity on many fronts. Thank you to everyone at Gulf Racing for putting their trust in me, it’s a real confidence boost! The team and brand are so iconic and that just makes it extra special. I'm really excited about continuing to work with all the great people that I’ve met there already.”
Since launching his car racing career in 2010, Andrew has progressed through the ranks of GT racing, building experience and gathering results across different categories and tracks around the world.
“I’ve had a few laps in the Porsche 911 RSR at the preseason test in Barcelona and it was incredible. It was one of those moments where I kept asking myself: am I really getting to do this? Driving a GTE car is a real change from the GT3 machines that I’ve been used to over the last couple of seasons and I’m relishing that challenge.”
Alongside his World Endurance Championship commitments, Andrew will continue to race with Garage 59 in the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup which still has one race remaining - the 3 Hours of Barcelona.
“For me, it will be a great chance to continue to build my experience. I think for a young driver it’s a great thing to be able to race across different championships and cars to show your versatility.
“I would also like to thank Aston Martin Racing for letting me pursue this opportunity. Not many young drivers get this chance so soon and it says a lot about all the team at AMR for letting me step up to this level. I've loved working with all the AMR Academy drivers this year as an AMR Junior and I hope we can continue our relationship.”
4 Hours of Silverstone - 1 September 2019
6 Hours of Fuji - 6 October 2019
4 Hours of Shanghai - 10 November 2019
8 Hours of Bahrain - 14 December 2019
6 Hours of São Paulo - 1 February 2020
1000 Miles of Sebring - 20 March 2020
6 Hours of Spa - 25 April 2020
24 Hours of Le Mans - 13–14 June 2020
You can subscribe to Andrew's calendar here.
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