Lone Star looks ahead to a full-season GTD run

The Lone Star Racing IMSA GT Daytona team is hoping not only to remain in the WeatherTech SportsCar championship next season but to expand its presence into a full-time role.

Its current, part-time roster of Lawson Aschenbach and Gar Robinson announced a move to the Riley Motorsports team next year, leaving the Texas-based outfit with seats to fill in the No. 80 Mercedes-AMG GT3 that ran as high as fifth last weekend at VIR.

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“We’ve enjoyed running Gar and Lawson, and want to thank the Robinsons for racing with us this season. With an Evo version of the Mercedes-AMG GT3 coming, we want to keep building Lone Star into a full-time team,” team manager AJ Peterson told RACER. “We’re actively talking to people to see who wants to come race with us next year.”

Having competed in IMSA and World Challenge with the front-engine coupe, the Lone Star team has enjoyed taking the fight to bigger programs. With the conclusion of the Robinson Racing collaboration after VIR, Peterson and team owner Dan Knox are looking at options to keep the No. 80 entry in motion for Petit Le Mans in October, and will spend the rest of the year meeting with drivers aiming to start a new program in January at the Rolex 24 At Daytona.

“We showed up out of the cold and almost had a really great result in Mid-Ohio to start the season with Gar and Lawson, and have been very competitive, despite doing this part-time,” Peterson added. “The potential is there. Last year racing in [World Challenge], there was only one race where we didn't qualify on the front row of the eight races we did, and we finished on the podium at five of the eight rounds, so we’re confident in what we’re capable of producing. We want to continue growing the team, and making GTD that place where our team grows is how we’re approaching the upcoming months.”