The three drivers maintained a top three position for a majority of the race and led 21 laps. Gunn, Riberas and De Angelis each took their turn behind the wheel for a stint during a caution-filled first half of the race. De Angelis handed the Aston Martin to Riberas on lap 277 while in second. Riberas was able to keep the No. 23 in podium contention through his final stints.

Gunn finished the final three hours of the race for the No. 23 team and needed a second-place finish to win the championship, but the Brit came up short, finishing just 1.845 seconds behind the second-place Ferrari. This earned the No. 23 Heart of Racing team its fifth podium of the season.

Mario Farnbacher, Zacharie Robichon, and Marco Sorensen teamed up in the No. 027 Aston Martin Vantage GT3, the trio earned a fourth-place finish after Sorensen qualified eighth for the freshly upgraded GTD PRO team. 

The No. 027 Heart of Racing team steadily worked its way through the GTD PRO field on Saturday with great strategy calls, flawless driving and impeccable pit stops. Sorensen drove the first 50 laps, before the team strategist called the Danish driver down pit lane, beating a caution that closed the pits and placing the team towards the front of the field. From there the trio made great pace to finish in fourth.

The Heart of Racing Team’s racing season isn’t quite over yet, the team heads to Bahrain November 2nd for the FIA World Endurance Championship season finale.

Quoteboard:

Ross Gunn: “It's been an emotional roller coaster of a day. I would say, we got a nice present early on in the race. We knew that we needed some luck on our side to win the championship, and we definitely got that early on. But as Petit Le Mans proves, it's one of the most challenging races in the world and we threw everything at it. I’m so proud to be a part of this team. It's the end of my fourth year now and to see where the team was four years ago to now is just incredible.”

Alex Riberas: “Definitely a bittersweet feeling today. We gave it our all out there, and as a team, I have to say, I couldn't be any prouder of every single member on the strategy side, on the pit stops, the drivers, my teammates, they did a phenomenal job. Ross did one of the best stints I've ever seen. Unfortunately we came up just short of the championship, but we finished the year on a high with another podium and a season that we can be very proud of as a team. I think our worst result was sixth place in the entire year. I think that's a showcase of the consistency and the level of the team that has been outstanding all year long. I can only say thank you to the Heart of Racing and Aston Martin Racing.

Roman De Angelis: “I think the race went really well. Honestly, we did everything that we could have as a team and as a group of drivers to try to win the championship. Unfortunately, we fell short by one position. I’m really, really proud of everyone at the Heart of Racing, and honestly, really proud of Ross as well. The last stint he did was super impressive. Obviously, we know how great he is, but that was just awesome to see. We can all go home proud, thinking we basically did everything we could. I’m super fortunate to be given the chance to drive the No. 23 this weekend.”

Zacharie Robichon: “Our goal this weekend for the No. 027 was to see the No. 23 win the championship and we just came up so short, but not from a lack of effort from the team. Everybody did such a great job. Ross at the end of the race was just fantastic. I think the timing of the last caution didn't help them. From our side, it was a very average race, I would say. For me there was lots to learn, but it was fun sharing the car with Mario and Marco. This was a nice opportunity to be able to race in the GTD PRO class, but definitely an eye opening experience for me.”

Marco Sorensen: “I really feel for both Ross and the whole team, they actually deserve to get the championship. The No. 027 Aston Martin had a decent pace. I would say throughout the whole race, it was nice to be able to fight with the other cars. The race, for some reason, this year compared to last year was actually very clean, and it made it a more enjoyable Petit Le Mans. I think we can be happy about the race. We gained a few positions in the race with good strategy, and pit stops. I’m quite happy that we managed to actually be P4.”

Mario Farnbacher: “I would say we did everything we could to help the 23 today. First of all, it was a shame, it didn't work out, but I think the No. 23 and the No. 77 had a really good fight for the championship in the end. As far as the No. 027 our goal was to keep the car clean and to be in a good position at the end. I tried to learn each time I was in the car. I think P4 is a good result.”

Source material - HoRT

 
“This is it. This is the most important race of the season,” said Gunn. “We’ve had such an amazing season and the team has worked so hard, so tirelessly and effectively. I cannot wait to give it one last try. We had an awesome season and Petit Le Mans is a race we have won in the past. Anything can happen in a ten hour race. We need a bit of luck our way to win the championship, but anything can happen. I’m sure everyone will be doing themselves proud and I just can't wait to get out to Road Atlanta and give it one last push.”

Gunn and Riberas are currently on their third season together competing in the No. 23 Aston Martin Vantage GT3. Heading into the final race of 2024, Gunn and Riberas have a win at Watkins Glen and three additional third place finishes. The duo have a pair of fourth place finishes at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta (2021,2022). 

“What a special opportunity to go to such an event like Petit Le Mans on a spectacular race track and to fight for the championship,” said Riberas. “That’s the dream. That has been the goal since the beginning of the season. The odds are stacked against us, we are 99 points behind the Porsche. However, if there is a place where anything can happen, that’s Road Atlanta. So I’m looking forward to doing whatever it takes to win the championship. Hopefully we can make some magic happen and bring the championship home.”

De Angelis and Riberas will co-drive the same car for the first time in IMSA, the only other time the two have shared the driver’s seat was the 2022 24H of Dubai where the team placed second. The 2021 WeatherTech Sprint Cup champion duo of De Angelis and Gunn will reunite once again. The pair won the 2021 Motul Petit Le Mans race co-driving with Team Principal, Ian James. 

“I always look forward to Petit every year,” said De Angelis. “It’s definitely one of the more exciting races for fans to be at. As a driver, it's a pretty overwhelming race, and a lot can happen. The No. 23 team is in a position to win the championship, so my job is to do everything I can to help support them. My goal is to just keep the Aston clean, do my job, and hopefully on Saturday night, we're celebrating a championship for the team.”

The Heart of Racing will have an additional GTD PRO entry with Zacharie Robichon, Mario Farnbacher, and Marco Sorensen onboard the No. 027 Aston Martin Vantage GT3.

Sorensen returns to the familiar No. 027 Aston Martin Vantage after completing the full 2023 season in the car with De Angelis. The duo was joined by James to finish fifth at Motul Petit Le Mans last year. The Danish driver will rejoin the IMSA field for the first time since January’s Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona.

“First of all I am happy to be back with the Heart of Racing,” said Sorensen. “Daytona feels like a long time ago. Petit is one of those races that you always aim to do. The ten hour race is such an intense race, there really isn’t a stint without a fight. I’m hoping to help the team get a good result and we can take it from there. I’m looking forward to it!”

Making his second start in the driver's seat of the No. 027 machine, Farnbacher looks to make his first Motul Petit Le Mans start since 2022 where he won with Gradient Racing. The German driver teamed up with Gunn and Riberas at Daytona and Sebring where the trio scored a fourth and fifth place finish. Farnbacher also filled in for Riberas during WEC event conflicts at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca and Canadian Tire Motorsports Park.

“I’m definitely looking forward to the special event,” said Farnbacher. “Petit Le Mans was my very first IMSA race back in 2012, it also doubled as my first win in IMSA because of that Road Atlanta and Petit Le Mans are pretty special to me. It is one of the best races on the calendar, it’s a ten hour battle and is usually pretty intense. I’m really looking forward to the challenge with the Heart of Racing. I can’t wait to get into battle!” 

Robichon will return to the team after co-driving with De Angelis for the better part of the 2024 season. The duo had a high finish of second place at VIRginia International Raceway. The Canadian driver will make his sixth start at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta with his highest finish being second in 2021, where he was a part of the championship winning team.

The Motul Petit Le Mans ten hour race will take the green flay Saturday, October 12th.

Source material - Heart of Racing

Gunn was in the driver's seat for the remainder of the race, but needed to fight his way back after a strategy call for the No. 23 Heart of Racing Team didn’t pan out, leaving the entry one lap down to the leader. Gunn drove his way through the field to finish the race in fifth.

The No. 23 Heart of Racing Team is provisionally 99 points behind the GTD PRO championship leader going into the final 10 hour race, Motul Petit Le Mans.

“It was a difficult race today with the different weather conditions,” said Riberas. “We experienced a lot of rain then the track went dry. We were trying to drive on slicks on a wet track, and that made everything a little bit more influenced by luck, and we tried to maximize everything we had. P5 is not the result we wanted today, but I think that that is a solid position for how our day went. It should still keep us in the mix for the championship going into the last race. I’m looking forward to Petit Le Mans and we know that anything can happen there.”

Roman De Angelis and Mario Farnbacher teamed up for the first time together In the No. 27 Aston Martin Vantage GT3, marking De Angelis’ debut in the GTD PRO category. The GTD PRO rookie qualified for the pair setting the seventh fastest lap.

On Sunday, De Angelis drove the first two stints of the six hour enduro where he passed for sixth on the first lap and maintained position until the first caution period. During that time, the No. 27 Heart of Racing team decided to pit, placing the Aston Martin in 10th. The Canadian drove up to fifth over the course of the next 16 laps. De Angelis passed the wheel to Farnbacher in fourth at the three hour mark.

Farnbacher was behind the wheel for the next two stints on a fuel saving strategy before handing the Aston Martin back to De Angelis in sixth for the final hour of the race. De Angelis took the checkered in sixth.

“It was my first weekend in GTD PRO,” said De Angelis. “The whole team did a great job. We ended up fifth and sixth with both cars, which I think is a good result. I had lots of fun in the first first few stints in the wet. I also was able to get to race with some great drivers. I had some really good, strong battles and felt really good about the performance. We struggled a bit in the last stint with pace. We hope to come back a bit stronger at Petit and hopefully get the team their championship.”

“It was a difficult race,” said Farnbacher. “The weather conditions at the beginning of the race mixed up the strategy quite a bit. When I got in the car I jumped in with slicks and damp conditions and just tried to keep the nose clean. Then in my second stint, I struggled quite a lot through my whole time in the car. I just tried to keep the car in a good, clean position for Roman to finish.”

The Heart of Racing IMSA teams will be back in action October 10-12 at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta for the IMSA WeatherTech season finale. In the meantime, the team’s SRO teams will head to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the SRO season finale October 3-6.

Source material - HoRT

Their sister #23 GTD Pro car of Ross Gunn and Mario Farnbacher finished ahead of the #27 car on track but only P5 within their own class of nine runners.

For this race it will be all change again within each car as Gunn will again be partnered by Alex Riberas whilst Zacharie Robichon gets his next turn within the #27 car alongside De Angelis for this Sundays two-hour forty minute race.

Results from CTMSP sees Pumpelly leap frog De Angelis within the GTD Drivers table into P6 thanks to his other results gained with the Magnus Racing AMR team with De Angelis P8. Being the constant force within the #23 car, Gunn stand second overall within the GTD pro class ninety eight points behind the leading Porsche crew with all still to race for this weekend.

Photo credits – Team / IMSA / Michelin 

Long term Aston Martin Racing test, development and racing driver Darren Turner was again at hand to conduct yet another race car development from the factory alongside that of Heart of Racing IMSA driver Mario Farnbacher with the return of Harry Tincknell to the British marque.

Speaking with Heart of Racing’s Ian James at the Spa round of the WEC earlier this year, he was confident then of a third quarter debut for the new race car directly attributed from the extreme Valkyrie AMR Pro production road car – the only car within the topflight IMSA GTP and WEC LMH classes that can claim that.

“The first runs for the Valkyrie AMR-LMH have been an immensely proud moment in the programme. The birth of this project has been a couple of years in the making, so to get it to the track and to see it going around in the flesh, feels momentous for The Heart of Racing. We’re looking forward to the journey ahead – it’s a steep hill to climb for everyone involved in this project.

We are at the pinnacle of sportscar racing, the competitors are formidable, and they have been doing it a long time. Some of them have endless resources. We know we are going up against the best, so we intend to represent Aston Martin at the same level. I believe, from what we have seen so far, and with the DNA of where this car came from, I think we have the right tools to be able to do this successfully” said James after last weeks test runs.

Adam Carter, Aston Martin Head of Endurance Motorsport, said: “The Valkyrie AMR-LMH sets its own standard as a thoroughbred endurance competition car. It is a pure, leading edge racing machine, and while it is very early in the testing cycle, from what we have witnessed so far, we are satisfied that it is achieving the targets and criteria we have set out for it to accomplish.”

The race-optimised carbon-fibre chassis Valkyrie AMR-LMH uses a modified, lean-burning version of the sensational Cosworth-built 6.5-litre naturally aspirated V12 engine, which in standard form revs to 11,000rpm and develops over 1000bhp. The power unit is enhanced and adapted to meet the performance window of the Hypercar class and developed to withstand the rigours of top-level long-distance competition and comes with a sound note to die for within current motor racing.

Another interesting fact the follows on from the inclusion of the Valkyrie within the Aston Martin/Aston Martin Racing 2025 programme sees them compete at the highest levels right through from F1, GTP/LMH through to LMGT3, GT3 and GT4 series.

The future is looking bright already in 2025.

Photo credits – Aston Martin / Heart of Racing

This follows Ross Gunn (GBR) and Alex Riberas’s (ESP) maiden victory with the car in the GTD Pro class at the previous round, three weeks ago, at Watkins Glen. The Briton, this time partnered by Mario Farnbacher (DEU), finished fifth in the GTD Pro class at Mosport, bringing the Aston Martin works driver within 60 points of the class lead (350 are awarded for a win), with four rounds left to race this season.

The win marked the 13th IMSA victory for the Aston Martin Vantage in the GT classes and was the eighth time THoR had won the GTD class since it first entered IMSA with the famous Wings in 2020. In total, THoR crews have raced Aston Martins to IMSA podium positions no less than 26 times in four and a half years, while another partner team Magnus Racing, has added a further three podium finishes from its exclusive Endurance Race programme.

“This was a great day for the Heart of Racing team and another fantastic win for Vantage,” said team principal Ian James, who was racing the team’s FIA World Endurance Championship [WEC] Vantage LMGT3 in Brazil. “Winning in IMSA, at the Canadian Tires Motorsport Park, was an awesome way to start the day, and a well-deserved reward for all the hard work this year from everybody on the #27 crew. Then we finished second, equalling our best result, in WEC. It’s a great feeling to be on the podium again and hopefully there will be many more moments like this to come!”

James and his WEC THoR co-drivers Riberas and Daniel Mancinelli (ITA), so nearly made it a glorious double for the brand and the team in the 6 Hours of São Paolo, after a fiercely competitive performance brought them closer than ever before to claiming a maiden win in the series.

Starting ninth in the LMGT3 class, James raced up to third by the end of his opening double-stint, handing over to Mancinelli, who fought past rivals on track to place the Aston Martin firmly in second place. When the leading Lamborghini retired, the race became a straight fight between the #92 Porsche and Riberas, now in the #27. But a late-race Full Course Yellow meant the Spaniard ran out of time and was forced to settle for second place.

Adam Carter, Head of Endurance Motorsport, said: “The new Aston Martin Vantage GT3 is really hitting its stride now, and to see it win its class with The Heart of Racing for the second successive IMSA race is extremely satisfying. The team also came very close in WEC, once again demonstrating race-winning pace just as it had in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, last month. It feels like if the competitive level can be maintained, a first WEC victory with Vantage is within our grasp in 2024.”

The next round of the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship takes place at Road America (USA) on 4 August, while WEC now takes a summer break before returning to the Circuit of the Americas (USA) for round six of the championship on 1 September.

Source material - AMR

Photo credits - AMR / Team

Not being an endurance round this time around sees the Magnus Racing AMR team again sit out after they gained a warranted P3 finish within the GTD class at the Six Hours of the Glen but the two Heart of Racing AMR Vantage crews within the #23 Pro class and the #27 GTD class will be running within this GTD and LMP2 Class only event.

Having also enjoyed the spoils of their first podium finish together this season last time out at Watkins Glen, sees the #23 entry sees Ross Gunn again swap drivers as Alex Riberas is again on WEC driver duty with his seat again being taken by Mario Farnbacher.

It’s a similar case within the #27 Heart of Racing GTD class car as Roman de Angelis is again partnered by Spencer Pumpelly with the continued absence of Marco Sorenson.

That means that we unfortunately only get to see the #23 Heart of Racing Vantage GTD entry but that does see the return of Alex Riberas to the fold alongside that of Ross Gunn, after he has spent the last couple of rounds away from America whilst he competes within the teams World Endurance Championship entry abroad. Riberas's place then was taken by Mario Farnbacher who this weekend takes a back seat.

The typical America street circuit layout will see a varying degree of straight track, heavily punctuated with the braking demands of right-angled corners which, with the inclusion of two massively different classes on track, will obviously lead to some excitement along the way.

Again racing in support of the IndyCar Series, the IMSA series will make use of another compact track timetable starting with two Free Practice and Qualifying on Friday, another Free Practice session on Saturday morning before the start of their 100minute race later in the afternoon.

Photo credit - HoRT

“The weekend was difficult, I would say,” said Farnbacher. “I mean, we started from zero where other cars had a test here since the repave, so I think that we did a good job. I think we needed a bit more time to work with the front of the car, that was one of the limiting factors. We did the best we could and we got points, which was the main goal. We basically just drove with the flow, but ultimately we are lacking speed a little bit.”

Gunn was in the driver's seat for just 16 laps when a caution came out which unfortunately put the No. 23 team back on strategy with the rest of the GTD PRO class. Gunn worked his way up to third before his second pit stop on lap 70. The English driver crossed the finish line in sixth after spending the final 49 laps in the position. 

“First of all, it was a really fun weekend driving a track as high grip as this,” said Gunn. “We've become very used to a kind of low grade dusty surface here. But to come here and experience lap times three to four seconds faster is really good fun. The race kind of played out as we expected. Great pit stops and great strategy by the guys here at Heart of Racing Team. It really gave us a chance to fight for the top five. We've got some work to do and a few things to look at but this team has a lot of character and I'm sure that will come back stronger in Detroit.”

Roman De Angelis and Spencer Pumpelly joined forces once more after co-driving for the first time in Long Beach in April. Pumpelly qualified the No. 27 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 securing a fourth place in class starting position for the duo.

Pumpelly drove the No. 27 Heart of Racing GTD entry for the first 37 laps and was able to keep the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 in the top five ahead of handing it over to De Angelis.

“It was great working with the Heart of Racing Team and Roman again,” said Pumpelly. “I really appreciate the opportunity and how hard everyone works to give us a good car. I think there were some things out of our control that put us back today. Despite a great effort from Roman there at the end, he just got beat up by some competitors and we had to replace parts on pit road. A big thanks to everyone at the Heart of Racing Team for having me.”

A caution came out just two laps after De Angelis took the wheel. De Angelis had a run in with another car which took off the left side mirror just before pitting for the last time on 76 where the team was forced to replace the drivers side door. On lap 97 De Angelis was forced off track by a GTP car putting the Canadian driver in eighth, but De Angelis was able to make up two spots in the final 21 laps. 

“I wish I could say it was a great day here at Laguna Seca, but it's probably one of the most difficult races I've ever driven,” said De Angelis. “We seemed to just not be able to catch a break today, with issues with tire pressures, our camera going out, and contact with other cars. I'm more disappointed in not being able to get the team a good result after this many weekends of bad luck. I just hope that at some point our luck changes, once again, thank you to the guys for hanging in there with us. They did everything they could, but it was a frustrating day. It will make our next good result even better.”

Source material - HoRT

Farnbacher was first behind the wheel for Saturday’s 9:40am start, completing the first two stints while maintaining a top three position before handing the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 to Riberas. Gunn was next in the driver's seat as the team raced in podium position at the halfway mark.

The second half of the twelve hour enduro saw seven caution periods and the Farnbacher, Riberas, Gunn trio each took another turn in the Aston Martin Vantage GT3. The trio was able to stay in the top five for a majority of the second half until a late race drive through penalty forced the team to the back of the GTD PRO field. Undeterred, Gunn was able to push forward in the last hour of the enduro, to cross the finish line in fifth.

After the race, Gunn added that “Sebring was a tough day at the office for everyone but I’m super proud of everyone that pulled together to get a P5. I don't think we had a P5 pace car today, unfortunately but it gave us more time and more mileage on the car for everybody to learn. You know, this is only the second race for the car. To be fighting some of the best teams, drivers and cars in the world. Its early stages are very encouraging. We've got a few things to analyze and few things to work on. But overall, good points again. Compared to last year, we are way more ahead points wise from Daytona and Sebring than last year. I think that's a positive that we can take through to Laguna.” 

The No. 27 Heart of Racing GTD entry featured Ian James, Roman De Angelis, and Zacharie Robichon.

James started from the ninth row after qualifying for the team on Friday afternoon. James completed his three stints in the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 in the first four hours of the twelve hour enduro, setting the stage for De Angelis and Robichon to finish the remainder of the race. De Angelis was in the fourth place position as the halfway mark ticked away. 

Taking turns each stint, De Angelis and Robichon battled through the remaining caution filled six hours that featured a typically warm afternoon. The duo was able to maintain their fourth place position as De Angelis took the checkered flag in fourth.

“I mean finishing Sebring in fourth is kind of bittersweet. It’s nice to get some points on the board after Daytona but then there is ‘what could have been.’ Just lacked a little bit of pace all day today but I think we were one of the cars that just kept our nose clean and defended. The Heart of Racing did a great job, we had a good result for both cars. Ready to come back stronger. Now we start sprint racing and I’m looking forward to that" said De Angelis after the race.

The Heart of Racing IMSA program will be back in action on the streets of Long Beach, April 19-21st.

Source material - HoRT

The provisional entry list confirms a fifty-eight-car entry spread amongst the GTP, LMP2, GTD Pro and GTD classes with both the Heart of Racing and Magnus Racing teams featuring within the latter two classes.

Whilst the Rolex 24 from Daytona can with disappointing conclusions for both the #27 Heart of Racing and #44 Magnus Racing GTD entries, the #23 GTD Pro effort from Heart of Racing did at least recover from their tail end qualifying position to finish just off the podium in P4 at the end. This race did of course represent the first competitive contest for the new 2024 Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT3.

The only difference within crews competing this time around is within the #27 Heart car as Marco Sorensen will be pre-disposed in Japan where he will be testing along with the D’Station Racing AMR team at their final Japanese Super GT test at Okayama. That means that the #27 car will be piloted by just Roman de Angelis, Ian James and Zacharie Robichon.

The #23 GTD Pro effort from Heart of Racing meanwhile, well they will remain with their season opening group set of drivers including Ross Gunn, Alex Riberas and Mario Farnbacher so far as the endurance rounds are concerned and for as long as Riberas’ World Endurance Championship commitments allow.

Finally, but certainly by no means least, the Magnus Racing AMR effort will also drop back down to their usual trilogy of drivers as Nicki Thiim again takes a back seat leaving just John Potter, Spencer Pumpelly and Andy Lally to guide the #44 AMR around the bumps of the former wartime airbase.

Track action for these guy starts next Thursday with the first Free Practice session before Qualifying on Friday and a 09:40am (Local) race start on Saturday.

Photo credits – D Gibson / J Price / Teams