Tandy embracing return to the GTD Pro ranks with AO Racing

This year's IMSA season feels like a homecoming for Nick Tandy, who returns this year in GTD PRO 12 months on from completing his historic 24-hour race "Grand Slam" with Porsche in GTP.

After a three-year stint racing the 963 in North America and at the Le Mans 24 Hours, the Briton is no longer part of the Porsche Penske Motorsport set up. Instead, he is transitioning back to GT competition full-time with AO Racing as part of Porsche Motorsport's shakeup over the off-season, which included withdrawing from the WEC's Hypercar class. The move, from one world-class team to another, he says, is giving him the sensation of stepping back in time to the GTLM era, which he adored and thrived in from 2014 to 2021.

"It's a different car, a different class, but it's the top level of IMSA in a different shape of car and different speed on the straights," he tells RACER. "From that point of view, I'm super excited. I've seen the GTD PRO class grow. The way the rules work has attracted an incredible field. It's becoming like the old GTLM class, and for me, that was the best racing in the world.

"It's factory racing in cars that are available, that are plentiful, and manufacturers are super-supportive. It's the place to race, and in 2026, I'm back in a factory-supported Porsche at Daytona, with a big season ahead. And on top of all that, it's probably the single most popular car in motorsport at the moment!"

For the season ahead, Tandy is partnered up with countryman Harry King, who brings both energy and bundles of talent to the American team, and Belgian Alessio Picariello, another Porsche stalwart capable of going toe-to-toe with just about anyone else in the business.

Tandy says there's already a nice rapport developing between all three of them after sharing the Rexy-liveried 911 GT3 R during the Roar Before the Rolex 24 last weekend. He brings years of experience racing in IMSA to the party, while Picariello and King add a wealth of knowledge about the newest evolution of the 911 GT3. It's a good balance.

"Harry and I get on like a house on fire," he says. "I've known him for five, six, seven years, sharing tracks and weekends. I see him often when we're both coaching, or I'm looking after teams. I know him well, and Alessio I've known for less time, but he's been part of Porsche's driver pool for a number of years, so of course I know him.

The Roar test provided an opportunity for Tandy to build a rapport with new teammates Harry King and Alessio Picariello. AO Racing

"From a chemistry point of view, it's easy. Obviously, how we get the best out of each other and a car on track is yet to be developed. We don't know how to complement each other yet, but that will just develop.

"Harry and Alessio have driven this car more recently than I. They know more about recent GT3 than I do, but I know more about IMSA racing from experience in recent years. So we'll just support each other, and the evo for the 911 this year isn't a major update, because to me, there was nothing inherently wrong with the previous car. It's a bit of optimization, so it won't take long for us to be in the groove as a trio."

The AO Racing team will need to be on their game in 2026 to recapture the title it claimed in 2024, with Laurin Heinrich leading the driver line-up. This year's entry features a Corvette Racing riding high, retooled and confident Ford Racing team, high-quality entries from Lamborghini, Lexus, BMW and McLaren, plus Endurance Cup efforts from Risi Competizione with Ferrari and Manthey with Porsche.

"The thing that gives me confidence is that AO do it properly," Tandy says. "Often, we would share spaces next to them in the pit lane over the past couple of years. I've got a lot of friends in the team, and I always had an eye on how they operated. They are absolutely top-level professionals, and at the same time, they know how to promote what they're doing.

"This is a team that is not resting on its laurels. They won LMP2 in ELMS and IMSA last year, and now they want to win GTD PRO again. I have no doubt we'll be in the fight from what I've seen already. We've also got Manthey on the grid, too, and there will be collaboration for us there, which will help in the big races."

The clear target in 2026 for Tandy is to win the big races and the title in his return to full-time GT racing. It won't be long, though, before he's assessing his options ahead of what will inevitably be the final stretch of his pro career. Will he continue at Porsche beyond the end of the season or look elsewhere to find a way back into a top-class prototype? It won't be long before it's the 

"My head right now is focused on this program, and Daytona, then it will be Sebring," he admits. "At some point each year, you think about what's going to happen next year, but at the moment, I'm not thinking about it too much. I love prototype racing, I love GT racing, whatever it is, whatever happens in the future, I'm going to give it my full attention."