Aitken 'not desperately attempting to carry onto podium streak' at Highway America

Jack Aitken enters this weekend’s Motul SportsCar Endurance Grand Prix at Highway America on probably the most constant runs in latest IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship historical past.

The 31-year-old British driver leads the Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) standings with 2,145 factors within the #31 Whelen Cadillac V-Collection.R, holding a 203-point cushion over second-place Laurin Heinrich (1,942 factors).

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Aitken arrives at Highway America using an eight-race podium streak relationship again to late final season. That stretch consists of 4 victories: wins at Indianapolis and Motul Petit Le Mans to shut out 2025, adopted by latest back-to-back GTP victories at Detroit and Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen this season.

Returning to Highway America

This weekend, Highway America’s 4.048-mile, 14-turn circuit hosts an expanded six-hour endurance spherical. Aitken will share driving duties for Motion Categorical Racing alongside co-drivers Earl Bamber and Frederik Vesti.

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Curiously, Highway America can also be the location of Aitken’s final non-podium end. Throughout his 28 profession IMSA begins, he has completed fourth on the Wisconsin observe in each 2024 and 2025. Regardless of his streak, Aitken says the crew is not letting statistics change their routine.

“I feel simply deal with it like a traditional day, regular weekend,” Aitken mentioned. “We’re in a reasonably good groove in the meanwhile as a crew, as a crew. I feel we have had some good progress this yr with the evo replace on the Cadillacs as effectively, and there is a number of arduous work within the offseason to get that prepared.” Aitken additionally emphasised that sustaining the streak is secondary to executing each weekend.

“We’re not able the place we’re desperately attempting to carry onto a streak,” he mentioned. “The truth is we’re coming into each weekend attempting to do the most effective job we will. The streak will finish in some unspecified time in the future. I do not know if that’ll be this weekend with a hat-trick of fourth locations or if we will maintain it going even longer, however we really feel good.”

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#38 Cadillac Hertz Workforce Jota Cadillac V-Collection.R: Earl Bamber, Sebastien Bourdais, Jack Aitken

The Twin-Program Benefit

A key ingredient of Aitken’s sturdy type this season is his twin program with Cadillac, competing in each IMSA and choose rounds of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC). Shared with co-driver Earl Bamber, the additional seat time has supplied a definite edge given fashionable testing limits.

“It has been massively useful,” Aitken defined. “On the finish of the day, it provides me and Earl one thing you may’t actually get lately, which is extra observe time. It’s extremely troublesome to spend extra laps within the automotive with out some form of compromise. …. I really feel prefer it’s taking my driving to a different stage this yr.”

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Expertise and Championship Perspective

Now in his third full-time IMSA season, Aitken, the 2023 GTP Endurance Cup champion has constructed deep familiarity with North American tracks and racing technique. Over his profession, he has earned 5 IMSA victories.

Aitken attributes his latest run to a mixture of “maturity,” sturdy crew synergy with Motion Categorical, and a sensible understanding of racing luck.

“I really feel like I am reaching a maturity with IMSA,” Aitken mentioned. “I do know the championship a lot better than I did earlier than and simply extra comfy with the tracks, extra in tune with the races and what typically occurs on the technique aspect of issues. And in the identical breath, I am very comfy with the crew: Motion Categorical and Cadillac. I feel I’ve bought some nice relationships that implies that I get pleasure from my work and I flip up, at all times.”

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#31 Cadillac Whelen Cadillac V-Collection.R: Jack Aitken

With the championship battle tightening because the season progresses, Aitken stays centered on efficiency over end result.

“It will clearly be implausible as a result of to win any championship of that scale,” Aitken mentioned. “IMSA is true up there within the racing world, not simply within the endurance or sports activities automotive world. It is a championship that I actually get pleasure from racing in, which implies so much as effectively. And to do it with people who I get pleasure from working with, that might imply so much as effectively.

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“You stability that towards because the extra championships that I do and the extra races I do, the extra that I measure success in a little bit of a distinct approach, as a result of you may solely do what’s in your management, what’s in your palms, so I am taking increasingly more pleasure lately from doing these issues effectively, and that implies that you do not take the DNFs or the dangerous outcomes fairly as arduous while you really feel such as you’ve accomplished your job. But it surely additionally implies that while you win, you are a bit extra circumspect about it.

“I will probably be over the moon if we will do it and be very happy with what we have achieved. However I’ll nonetheless be very proud, even when we do not do it. So I suppose that is what I am attempting to say.”

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