Another first of many for the Heart of Racing team after FIA WEC Hyperpole at CoTA

Saturday, August 31, 2024

Two stellar performances from the Aston Martin Racing Vantage LMGT3 entries of the Heart of Racing and D’Station Racing teams during this afternoons Qualifying session saw one car take class position and the other a fourth row start ahead of tomorrow’s FIA World Endurance Championship Lone Star Le Mans race.

Despite widespread changes to the Balance of Performance characteristics of all nine LMGT3 class manufacturer entries, earlier Free Practice sessions had seen both the #27 Heart of Racing entry of Ian James, Alex Riberas and Daniel Mancinelli and the #777 D’Station Racing of Clement Mateu, Erwan Bastard and Marco Sorenson complete mid to low table times as they all got to grip with the package that they found beneath them in the searing heat of Texas.

Free Practice times all obviously count for nothing ahead of both Qualifying and Hyperpole sessions before moving onto the complexities of the six-hour race which usually proves to be something entirely different again as crews aften find the longevity of their racing package to be inferior to other slower cars in qualifying.

For the qualifying process at least, the #27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin proved quick as James threw down an early claim to the top spot within the eighteen-car strong session, clocking a 2:06:146 second time around whilst Mateu wasn’t too far behind with a 2:06:380 to claim a provisional third.

With lap times quickly falling away as the laps were clocked in, the #27 car eventually lost its P1 position to the #85 Iron Dames Lamborghini but that mattered not as both Aston Martins were quick enough to go through into the later LMGT3 Hyperpole session.

This time, just ten minutes separated them from a possible class pole position and both #27 and #777 cars were eager to get out and going, quickly passing the slower lead Corvette for track position.

Warm up lap in, James didn’t have things all his own way again as his opening lap time was deleted for track limits whilst Mateu posted a 2:07:312 to claim an early quickest lap – a position that soon dropped to fifth by the time all other cars had posted their banker lap time. Not to be out done though, James quickly posted a time that would end up being quick enough to claim class Pole Position next time around with a 2:05:587 as Mateu struggled to maintain his then mid table position as he posted two further lap times.

By the time the chequered flag was shown, the #27 was quickest to claim the new Vantage GT3’s first WEC pole position in LMGT3 just 0.172 of a second ahead of the #85 Iron Dames car whilst the #777 finally finished with a P8 start for tomorrows race. Like any event, qualifying is one thing – the race is usually something completely different.