After the Roar comes the 24 for the Heart of Racing AMR team

Monday, January 22, 2024

The Heart of Racing Team goes into the Rolex 24 At Daytona looking to move forward to score a strong result in the 24 hour race next weekend at Daytona International Speedway. The No. 23 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage piloted by Ross Gunn will start 11th in class for Saturday January 27th’s race, while the No. 27 Aston Martin Vantage will start from 22nd in class.

The Roar Before the 24 weekend consisted of five test sessions through a wide range of different conditions during the unseasonably cold weekend to help prepare for the 24 hour race next weekend. The weekend closed with a 15 minute qualifying session on Sunday afternoon with cool windy conditions.

The No. 23 Heart of Racing GTD PRO entry with a driver lineup of Gunn, Alex Riberas, and Mario Farnbacher have 22 combined starts at the Rolex 24 At Daytona event and are prepared to make the most out of the enduro race. During the fourth test session of the weekend, Farnbacher found the top of the leaderboard with a 1:46.066 second lap.

Gunn will start the race for the No. 23 Heart of Racing squad from 11th after completing five laps in the Aston Martin Vantage. The 15 minute qualifying session was cut short due to a car going off and causing a lengthy red flag. As the clock counted down to 1:20 seconds left on the qualifying clock, IMSA added an additional 10 minutes to give the GT field a chance to get multiple laps under green flag conditions. Gunn ultimately crossed the finish line with a fast lap of 1:45.528 seconds.

The Heart of Racing team’s No. 27 GTD entry will feature Roman De Angelis, Zach Robichon, Marco Sorensen, and Ian James behind the wheel. Last year’s Rolex 24 At Daytona GTD winning team looks to repeat history with the addition of Robichon to the lineup. The No. 27 team focused on perfecting pit stops and gaining as many laps as possible in preparation for next weekend's twice around the clock classic.

De Angelis qualified the No. 27 Aston Martin Vantage machine for the team, but was unfortunately only able to complete two timed laps after a technical issue forced a return to the pits. Before he would have a chance to return the checkered flag flew, the Canadian will look to move up from the 18th row on the grid next weekend.