Jamie Day wins coveted AMR Driver Academy competition

Jamie Day wins coveted AMR Driver Academy competition

Hot on the heels of an impressive 2024 GT4 European Series Powered by RAFA Racing Club season, British driver Jamie Day has been named as the winner of the prestigious AMR Driver Academy talent search.

The Dubai-based 19-year-old was a podium finisher three times last season at the wheel of a Racing Spirit of Léman Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 Evo alongside Matéo Villagomez. The pair finished fifth in the Silver Cup standings.

Day also doubled up by fighting for the GT4 title in the British GT Championship during 2024, eventually sealing the GT4 Silver title in a dramatic season finale at Brands Hatch.

As the Academy winner, Day wins a package of support from the Aston Martin Racing factory to help during his 2025 campaign.

Day joins an elite list of former winners of the AMR Driver Academy, including Ross Gunn, Tom Canning, Roman De Angelis and 2020 GT4 Europe champion Valentin Hasse Clot.

The Briton’s 2025 season begins this weekend when he takes part in his adopted home race, the Dubai 24 Hours, with the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa-winning Comtoyou Racing team in an Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo. The rest of Day’s 2025 programme has yet to be announced but will include several further GT3 outings.

Jamie Day said: “I am truly honoured to have won the Aston Martin Racing Driver Academy this year and to have won the support of the Aston Martin factory ahead of 2025. This award allows me to take another step towards my goal of becoming a works driver. I would like to thank the whole of the AMR family for their continued support and helping me progress to the next stage in my career."

Aston Martin's Head of Endurance Motorsport, Adam Carter, added: "We are delighted for Jamie to have graduated from the AMR Academy. Since he began racing Vantage back in 2022, he has consistently shown a high level of talent and matched it with outstanding results. Jamie has shown all the qualities required to be a successful GT racer and we are pleased to see that he will continue his upwards trajectory in Aston Martin machinery in 2025. As a mechanism for assessing and identifying outstanding talent within our partner ranks, the AMR Driver Academy is an essential tool and one we always value highly."

This year’s AMR Driver Academy will assess all competitors aged 17-26 who race Vantage GT3 and GT4 cars in recognised championships. The prize on offer for the successful graduate includes financial support towards their 2026 race programme, as well as assistance and guidance from the factory, tailored to their season plans. Further evaluation of the most outstanding candidates may also include a test in a Vantage GT3 at the end of the 2025 season.

The candidates benefit from an exclusive seminar that includes media training, simulator training and bespoke guidance on physical preparation and nutrition. AMR in-house commercial staff will provide key marketing and sponsorship advice and there is a factory-based engineering workshop to further the candidates’ understanding of how to competitively set-up Vantage.

The judging panel includes Aston Martin veteran Jonny Adam and three-time 24 Hours of Le Mans class winner and 2023 Rolex 24 at Daytona GTD class champion Darren Turner, as well as current factory driver Hasse Clot, AMR Head of Performance Gus Beteli and Head of AMR Partner Racing Huw Tasker.