ASTON MARTIN TO ALMS?

David Richards has confirmed that he hopes to take Aston Martin Racing's LMP1 prototype coupes to the American Le Mans Series later on in the year.

The programme would take in two rounds including the blue riband 10-hours Petit Le Mans event at Road Atlanta, as well as the Laguna Seca season finale, but its go ahead is dependant on financial conditions being met.

"We would very much like to go to America later this year," Richards told AUTOSPORT. "We have got some great memories of racing the GT car out there and to go out to Petit Le Mans and maybe Laguna Seca would be ideal for us.

"But it is better to wait until after Le Mans to see the full consequences of Le Mans in terms of economics and the costs of racing in America later in the year."

The Aston Martin team has already secured a victory in the opening round of the Le Mans Series at Barcelona, and while the odds are stacked against it in this weekend's Le Mans 24 Hours, Richards believes the cars can be competitive against the factory Acuras in the United States.

"We would very much like to go, it's a very important market for Aston Martin, and consequently we feel it's something we should be doing," he said. "But we have to be practical about the resources and the financing of a campaign in America.

"We wouldn't want to do it in anything other than a competitive way."