2024 saw many firsts for Laurin Heinrich and AO Racing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The team’s first win came at Laguna Seca; they also would go on to win their first GTD Pro championship in just their second season in IMSA.
Of all the things AO Racing achieved in their short history as a team, they had never won a major endurance race. It seems quite shocking with the popularity of “Rexy,” the team’s Porsche 911 GT3 Rawr, but it’s something they haven’t been able to achieve in LMP2 or the GTP Pro category…until last month at Sebring.
Heinrich, along with co-drivers Klaus Bachler and Alessio Picariello, brought home AO Racing’s first major endurance race win after a close battle with the Paul Miller BMW throughout the duration of the 12-hour race.
“The emotions were going crazy,” Heinrich said. “Lifetime goal, and I fulfilled it that night. You will never forget your first one.”
Having a great group of co-drivers is also a key factor for success in IMSA. Heinrich expressed his appreciation for having a great group of co-drivers at AO Racing.
“Racing with Klaus [Bachler] and Alessio [Picariello], they are not only two great drivers on the track but also two great friends of mine.” Heinrich said to Frontstretch. “We formed a really close group, and to win it with these two guys makes it much more special to me.”
While AO Racing is in their third season on the IMSA grid, Heinrich has been with the team since 2024, where he won three races and a championship in the GTD Pro class. A championship they signify with a gold tooth on the famous dinosaur.
“The idea came up after Laguna [Seca] to go to Detroit with a gold tooth.” Heinrich said. “Proudly wearing this gold tooth is something exceptional because we wear it proudly. It’s our accomplishments to show what we achieved. It’s not just cool for us drivers but also for the whole crew as well.
“Every morning they arrive at the track, the first thing they see is the sun’s reflection in the golden tooth. It’s really cool, and I think it motivates all of us to collect more and more.”
The famous story of Rexy’s rise is well known to IMSA fans; however, getting used to driving a popular car was a culture shock for the 23-year-old German driver.
“Last year, I came to IMSA, and barely anyone knew my name.” Heinrich said laughing to Frontstretch. “I was so surprised because everyone always said ‘Rexy starts pole’ or ‘Rexy finished P2 in Daytona,’ and I’m like, wait, this is a bit different here.
“I had to get used to it. People also started learning my name more and more, which made me happy. I like it; for me, I jumped on the train and started saying, ‘Rexy’s hungry today,’ ‘Rexy’s quick.’ I think it’s cool because everyone always has names for their cars, but they aren’t really public, but Rexy is so popular; everyone knows Rexy.”
Heinrich started racing in North America after spending time in Europe racing in the Porsche Carrera Cup Germany, where he would win the championship and earn himself a spot as a Porsche Junior Driver.
“The Carrera Cup is the foundation of my career.” Heinrich expressed to Frontstretch. “Without the Carrera Cup, I wouldn’t be where I am now in all regards. I learned how to develop my driving and how I could improve myself as a driver, but also the opportunities I got participating in the Carrera Cup and the Mobil 1 Super Cup because in the end, I earned a spot in the Porsche Junior Shootout where I won, and that meant I would become the official Porsche Junior Driver.
“Without that happening, I’m not sure how things would’ve played out. My father is a car dealer for used cars. We just simply don’t have the budget from home to go racing. It was always really tight on budget for us, and I’m always thankful to have someone by my side supporting me.”
Heinrich, like most of us, grew a fan of racing. Formula One was on the television for the then-youthful Heinrich. Drivers like Felipe Nasr, Kevin Magnussen, and Romain Grosjean were racing on his television set, drivers he now competes with on the IMSA grid.
“I was born in 2001, so I watched Formula 1 from 2009 to 2020.” Heinrich said reminiscing. “There were times when [Kevin] Magnussen, [Romain] Grosjean, and Felipe Nasr were racing. Now, Felipe, for example, is racing [for Porsche Penske Motorsport] and is a Porsche Factory Driver. He’s also a part of the Porsche family, just like me. We meet in the paddock and have normal conversations; we are joking; we have fun and joke about the track and race.
“You think back some years ago, I was sitting on the sofa as a kid watching him race in Formula 1. That’s quite weird if I think about it now, but it just feels so natural, conversations between racers. I can’t say spend time with childhood heroes because we are colleagues now, but it’s something special. I feel honored to be part of this family.”
Heinrich and AO Racing have an impressive four wins and a championship in their 12 IMSA races together. The first of those wins came at Laguna Seca, the next track on the GTD Pro schedule.
