Jack Aitken: Winning IMSA GTP title by simply starting was a “strange feeling”

Jack Aitken expressed a mixture of relief and amusement after officially securing his first IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTP driver’s title the moment his Action Express Racing Cadillac took the green flag at Petit Le Mans.
 
Having extended his lead to 151 points after qualifying, simply crossing the starting line at the season-ending Petit Le Mans guaranteed the points for 11th-place in GTP for the Briton and his teammates Earl Bamber and Frederik Vesti.
 
That made it mathematically impossible for Porsche’s Laurin Heinrich to close the gap, clinching the title before the competitive action even unfolded.

“Yeah, a bit of a relief, it’s been a long time coming. We’ve had a fantastic year. And to do it before the race got underway, it’s a bit of a strange feeling,” Aitken said.
 
“You’ve definitely got one eye on the race start, and the other was just hoping that the car started and got out of pit lane, which of course it did.”
 
The title marks a major career milestone for Aitken, breaking a decade-long championship drought since winning two Formula Renault 2.0 titles and the Pro Mazda single-seater championships back in 2015, and capping off a stellar rise since transitioning to American sports car racing.

He is also the first solo drivers’ champion in IMSA’s top class since Jörg Bergmeister won the 2006 Rolex Sports Car Series title. Looking back at the American Le Mans Series lineage, one has to go back to 2002, when Tom Kristensen captured the drivers’ championship in the LMP900 class.
 
“I haven’t won a championship in over 10 years, so I think this is quite a big milestone for me. I came to IMSA in 2023 and I’ve enjoyed it thoroughly ever since. I’ve been with Action Express and Whelen Cadillac that whole time,” Aitken said.
 
“I’ve got a lot of fantastic friends, family and great work colleagues that I’ve made here, so I’m very happy where I am. I’m very pleased that I’ve managed to share the success with them and yeah, it means a lot.”

#31 Cadillac Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R: Jack Aitken, Earl Bamber, Frederik Vesti, #60 Acura Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian Acura ARX-06: Tom Blomqvist, Colin Braun, Renger van der Zande

Photo by: Jake Galstad / Lumen via Getty Images

Despite having the drivers’ title locked away, Aitken emphasized that the team’s mindset for the 10-hour finale remains unchanged: chasing a race victory to cap off a dominant campaign built on consistency and execution, having finished on the podium seven times in eight races.
 
“We’ve been on a great run this year and a lot of that has been consistency,” Aitken noted. “Just being in the podium places and always picking up points and having a really solid race strategy and a solid car. Not making mistakes, so we’re going to try and do the same today.”
 
The opening hours at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta delivered typical endurance drama, with treacherous track conditions and frequent caution periods shuffling the GTP field, culminating in a red flag for inclement weather in the fourth hour.
 
“It’s been pretty chaotic, even by Petit Le Mans standards, so I’m sure there’s a lot left in store for the race. There’s a few different strategies going on, but yeah, we’re just going to try and make sure we’re there for the last hour and then it’s gloves off,” Aitken said.
 
“Very pleased, we’re now in the fight for, well, at least in the podium places. Fred’s doing a great job and I’m going to jump in next when he’s done with this.
 
“[Who finishes] is TBC. I mean, it’s more looking like it might be Earl at this point, but there’s been so much yellow that we’re really not sure. We’re just trying to keep our options open and we’re lucky that we’ve got three drivers that we’re all happy to finish, so we’ll see.”

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