Endurance racer Rianna O’Meara Hunt spoke exclusively with Motorsport Week about her dreams of racing Le Mans.
Rianna O’Meara Hunt is a young driver from New Zealand, who was recently inducted into the Aston Martin Driver Academy.
Hunt found her love for motorsport at four years old when she was introduced to karting by her father who enjoyed racing Mini Challenge cars with a friend.
After visiting a local go-kart track in Wellington, New Zealand, Hunt eagerly convinced her father to buy a kart on sale.
With big dreams and a great on-track record, she set her sights on the big prize of endurance racing.
“I aspire to be in endurance racing, so WEC, IMSA, to get to Le Mans,” Hunt said.
“I want to be the first woman to win it, but also be the first female Kiwi to race it, because no one has yet.”
It didn’t take long to realise that she would not be able to fight her way to Le Mans in New Zealand.
As much as Kiwis and Aussies love motorsports, the progression opportunities were limited so Hunt opted for a career abroad.
She spent some time racing in America, winning two rounds of the SRO GT4 Championship in 2023.
In the Worldwide GT4 driver search, Hunt was the shoot-out winner – a feat which earned her a spot in the Aston Martin Driver Academy.
Hunt explained: “It’s near impossible to get picked up by big brands like Porsche or BMW to become a factory driver.
“In America, I flew to Europe and back for every race, it was a lot of travel especially once a month.”
Hunt earns a double victory at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Her double win with teammate Hannah Grisham at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the SRO GT4 Championship put her on the map.
The victory pushed her into Aston Martin’s loving arms, after winning in the Vantage, further pushing her to the UK.
It was a big decision to relocate to the UK, but it was a necessary one according to Hunt.
She said: “I got selected to be part of the Aston Martin Driver Academy this year, so it’s helped moving over here and building that relationship a little bit more with Aston Martin.
“I think America prepped me well to come over to the UK, I turned up to my first event and there were 45 cars.
“The culture and the people are very different here, I feel more comfortable in the motorsport scene here.”
Moving to the UK was the first step in her five-year plan to Le Mans, she explained: “I know racing can take random turns, but I want to be in Le Mans.
“I want another year in GT4, then the next year doing British GT before trying some GT3 testing,” she explained.
“2026 is where I’d like to be a part of the ELMS or WEC paddock, then from there I’d love to become a factory driver and race in IMSA before committing to WEC.”
With her goals as clear as ever, Hunt knows exactly what she wants to do and understands the work she has cut out for her.
This manic schedule and the pressure she puts on reaching her goal can be overwhelming, but luckily it’s all in the five-year plan.
Hunt works with a sports psychologist who she credits with keeping her mentality right before and after racing.
Hunt boasts a great family relationship
As well as this, her family is in full support of her moving across the world to be closer to her dreams.
Hunt shared: “Not being with them all the time has been a struggle, but their support is… I can’t even describe it because they make me feel so loved from the other side of the world.
“At 3 in the morning, if I need somebody to call, they’re always awake just to check in – they make sure that I know that if you know I need anything, they’re there.”
On the hunt for Le Mans, Hunt has worked hard to perfect her race craft and is constantly learning.
She recently joined Walero Motorsports’ athlete roster, upgrading from brand ambassador to their official roster.
Things are looking great for Rianna O’Meara Hunt, and the trajectory looks even brighter.
