News & Updates
Racing at the Highest Level of GT3 Endurance
Blackthorn is an Aston Martin AMR Partner Team competing at the highest levels of international GT racing. Founded as part of the Blackthorn Group of companies by Claude Bovet, the team operates in collaboration with the historic Ecurie Ecosse team for the 2026 and 2027 race seasons.
The team will be competing across multiple international GT3 championships, including GT World Challenge Europe, Asian Le Mans Series, Le Mans Cup, International GT Open and British GT — the premier platforms for GT3 competition worldwide.
Ecurie Ecosse Partnership
Operating in close partnership with Ecurie Ecosse, one of the most storied names in British motorsport, Ecurie Ecosse Blackthorn are racing in Asian Le Mans Series and GT World Challenge Europe in 2026 and 2027. Notably, the team were accepted on the 2026 reserve list for the 24 Hours of Le Mans with IndyCar legend and Scotsman Dario Franchitti in the line-up.
While Ecurie Ecosse made occasional appearances in the Formula One World Championship, it was in sportscar racing that the iconic Edinburgh-based race team earned international acclaim. 2026 marks Ecurie Ecosse's 70th anniversary of winning the 1956 24 Hours of Le Mans with the Jaguar D-Type and it seems only fitting that the brand highlights this occasion with a return to the top echelons of endurance racing.
"It's a tremendous privilege to lead a team with such a storied heritage. We're proud of our recent accomplishments and excited to embark on this new chapter—honouring the legacy while embracing fresh opportunities in modern motorsport. Ecurie Ecosse remains deeply committed to excellence, and we're thrilled to join forces with Blackthorn to bring our vision to life on the 70th anniversary of the Le Mans victory."
— Alasdair McCaig, Team Director, Ecurie Ecosse
"We are very excited to partner with Ecurie Ecosse – an iconic brand with a rich racing history. With two 24 Hours of Le Mans victories to its name, it is an honour to continue this legacy with the aim of returning the legendary Scottish name to where it belongs – at Circuit de la Sarthe. First, however, we have Asian Le Mans Series in our sights where we're aiming for the championship title with one of our Aston Martin GT3 EVOs."
— Claude Bovet, Founder & Owner, Blackthorn
Part of Something Larger
Blackthorn Racing is part of the Blackthorn Group, founded by Claude Bovet, owner of Lionscrest Advisors.
Blackthorn Performance Cars
A specialist trader in collectible performance cars — sourcing and selling the finest race cars and high-performance vehicles for discerning buyers worldwide.
www.blackthorn.autos →Blackthorn Advisors
A specialist advisory firm singularly focused on identifying the finest collectible race cars and track cars for investment-minded clients worldwide.
www.blackthorn-advisors.com →Lionscrest Advisors
Lionscrest Advisors is an investment management firm singularly focused on combining Universa Investments' risk mitigation strategy with a range of underlying investments — protecting capital and raising compound returns for qualified investors.
www.lionscrestadvisors.com →Blackthorn Racing
An Aston Martin AMR Partner Team competing at the highest levels of GT3 endurance racing. Sponsored by Lionscrest Advisors and Universa Investments.
You Are HereLionscrest Advisors
Lionscrest Advisors is an investment management firm singularly focused on combining Universa Investments' institutional risk mitigation strategy with a range of underlying investments — protecting capital and raising compound returns for qualified investors.
Visit Lionscrest →Tail Hedging & Risk Mitigation
Access to Universa Investments L.P.'s institutional tail-hedging strategies — designed to protect portfolios from Black Swan events while raising compound annual growth rates.
Universa Investments L.P.
Founded in 2007 by Mark Spitznagel with Nassim Nicholas Taleb as Distinguished Scientific Advisor. Lionscrest's founder Claude Bovet has been investing with Spitznagel and Taleb since 2000.
Antifragile Portfolios
A tail-hedged portfolio is not just robust to severe market declines — it is antifragile, benefiting from volatility and raising the compound annual growth rate of the investor's entire portfolio.
Claude Bovet
Founder, Owner & Amateur Racing DriverAs the owner of Lionscrest Advisors and the Blackthorn Group of companies, Claude founded Blackthorn Racing as an expression of his lifelong passion for motorsport. An amateur racing driver himself, Claude won a championship title at his first attempt in the British Endurance Championship.
Dan Jeal
Team Principal, Director & Founding Team MemberWorking within the motorsport industry for over 25 years, Dan has been active across the major motorsport championships, from Formula One, WEC and ELMS to A1GP and Formula 3. Having worked as a key person at some of the top teams, he has an unparalleled passion for the industry and a meticulous attention to detail. Dan specialises in team management and race engineering.
Julien Draper
Commercial Director & Amateur Racing DriverWith a professional career spanning private equity, venture capital and the motorsport sector, Julien has built an extensive network and gained broad commercial experience. He started his career in the motorsport industry as a semi-professional driver and sponsorship broker. Racing during the 2000s Julien competed in high-profile series and events including the Blancpain Endurance Series, British GT, the Spa 24hrs and Goodwood Revival.
The Story of the Livery
In 2023, Blackthorn engaged Frank Stephenson to create a bespoke livery for its new Aston Martin Vantage GT3 with a design brief that sought to fuse the elegance of Aston Martin with the coolness of James Bond.
The result is a striking and unforgettable design revelation.
Widely regarded as "one of the most influential automotive designers of our time", Frank has designed some of the most iconic supercars including the McLaren P1, the Maserati MC12 and the Ferrari FXX.
Blackthorn Historic Racing
As an Aston Martin Racing AMR Partner Team, Blackthorn brings its GT sportscar racing approach honed at the top circuits in Europe, Asia, Middle East and the UK to historical racing in an arrive-and-drive format or running customer cars.
Blackthorn's historic race cars include a 1961 Austin Healey 3000 and a Duqueine D08 LMP3 Gen2.
Blackthorn Motorsport
A Great Environment to Get Stuck In — Blackthorn has an extensive experience in running sportscar and prototype cars in Europe, Asia, Middle East and the UK in both an arrive-and-drive format or running customer cars.
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Start the Conversation
Whether you are interested in sponsorship partnerships, driver opportunities, or simply want to learn more about the Blackthorn Racing programme, we welcome your enquiry.
Commercial partnership opportunities, livery sponsorship, and brand activation across our GT3 endurance programme.
Driver programme opportunities, co-driver arrangements, and Pro-Am pairings for our championship entries.
For enquiries to our sister companies, please visit:
www.blackthorn.autos →www.blackthorn-advisors.com →
We aim to respond within one business day.