Метка: Heart of Racing Team

Title contender Gunn reacts to Priaulx’s exit from IMSA-leading Porsche

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Heart of Racing’s Ross Gunn says it’s “business as usual” following the shock departure of IMSA SportsCar Championship GTD Pro title rival Seb Priaulx from the points-leading AO Racing Porsche squad.

AO revealed last week that 23-year-old Priaulx is stepping down from partnering Laurens Heinrich “to focus on his growing commitments with Multimatic”.

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A statement from the team, which has recruited Porsche-contracted Julien Andlauer to replace him at Road America this weekend, added: “Increasing obligations and schedule conflicts have necessitated the transition sooner than expected.”

Priaulx and Henrich scored back-to-back GTD Pro victories at Laguna Seca and Detroit, and hold a 98-point lead over Gunn, who’s also had multiple team-mates in Mario Farnbacher and Alex Riberas this year in the #23 HoR Aston Martin Vantage.

When asked by Motorsport.com for his thoughts on Priaulx’s exit from the car he’s chasing for the title, Gunn replied: “For us, I think it doesn’t really change anything. The AO guys have been really strong all year already, and I’m pretty sure Andlauer did some IMSA races last year, so I don’t think there’ll be any sort of time for him getting up to speed.

“Obviously, he’s a very experienced Porsche guy and very quick. So, to be honest, I don’t think there’s any change on that front for us. It’s just about focusing on our job and making sure that we execute in the best possible way.

“Those guys have been phenomenally quick this year and have also done a very good job in getting podiums consistently and, yeah, I think they’re still gonna be the ones to beat going forward for sure.”

#23 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo: Ross Gunn, Alex Riberas

#23 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo: Ross Gunn, Alex Riberas

Photo by: Jake Galstad / Motorsport Images

Although Gunn said it would be “business as usual” from his side, he did suggest that mid-season driver swaps with non-regular IMSA drivers could risk some pitfalls.

He added: “Of course, there are some things that a driver will have to get used to, and there’s only two practice sessions to get used to communicating with the team, get used to the style of racing and also the pitstops and rules set. That’s a big change from Europe and the WEC.

“I’ve raced (Andlauer) quite a few times, and Heinrich is obviously a very quick driver as well, so I’m sure they’re going to the guys to beat. They still have a pretty big gap, and been quick in the last few races, so it’s up to us to do the best job that we can and that can open some doors.”

#23 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo: Ross Gunn, Alex Riberas, Ian James

#23 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo: Ross Gunn, Alex Riberas, Ian James

Photo by: Michael L. Levitt / Motorsport Images

Gunn pointed to recent successes for Heart of Racing in IMSA and WEC competition, as well as Aston Martin’s Spa 24 Hours victory with Comtoyou Racing, a race he finished in fourth place with Walkenhorst Motorsport.

He feels that momentum can help in his quest to overhaul AO in IMSA GTD Pro.

“The last few months have been very, very good for Heart of Racing and also Aston Martin,” said Gunn. “We’ve had several wins in the WeatherTech Championship, we had a podium in WEC and Aston won the Spa 24 Hours, so it’s been an awesome period.

“I think the energy is really positive right now and everyone is feeling it. For us, we’re in a very good position in the championship, not quite where we want to be but we’ve gradually been progressing throughout the year. We were fourth at the start of the year, then third and now second.

“There’s a gap to the Porsche in front, but we’re gonna give it everything we can. We’ve got some really positive momentum right now.”

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Aston Martin Valkyrie Hypercar set for «full-blown test programme»

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


The maiden runs for the Aston Martin Valkyrie Le Mans Hypercar have been billed as a “great foundation” for the test programme leading into its competition debut next season.

Adam Carter, Aston’s head of endurance motorsport, made the claim after the Valkyrie AMR-LMH undertook its first two days of circuit testing at Silverstone and then Donington Park last week, as the British manufacturer builds up to its entry into the respective Hypercar and GTP classes of the World Endurance Championship and IMSA SportsCar Championship.

“We set an ambitious but achievable target and we completed our aims,” he told Motorsport.com.

“It has been a long journey with a lot of commitment from a lot of parties to get to this milestone, but it just marks the beginning of the next stage of the journey. It was a great foundation to take the car forward into a full-blown test programme.”

That will begin imminently, Carter explained. “Between now and going into competition next year we have a very sizeable test programme planned and we will be active every few weeks,” he said.

“We have a very solid target and our first running in the shakedown has given some cautious optimism of being able to achieve that.”

Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR-LMH

Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR-LMH

Photo by: Aston Martin

The car was run over the course of the two days by a mixture of personnel from the US-headquartered Heart of Racing team, which will field the Valkyrie in both WEC and IMSA, and the Aston Martin Performance Technologies group leading the programme.

It completed more than 300 miles over last week’s test outings at Silverstone on Tuesday and Donington on Thursday.

The test at Silverstone was undertaken by Harry Tincknell, who is contracted to Multimatic Motorsport, a key partner in both the development and running of the Valkyrie. Longtime Aston driver Darren Turner and HoR regular Mario Farnbacher then took over driving duties at Donington.

Carter wouldn’t be drawn on whether Aston and HoR would give the AMR-LMH its race debut at next January’s Daytona 24 Hours, the opening IMSA round of the season.

That was put into doubt by Aston’s press statement on the release of photographs of the Valkyrie running at Donington in camouflage livery. It talked of a “competitive debut early in 2025” without mentioning Daytona, which suggests its first race could be delayed until the 10-hour WEC season-opener in Qatar at the end of February.

“The first milestone was to get the car running, the next one for me is the homologation date,” Carter told Motorsport.com. “There is a lot to be learned between now and the homologation — that is my key focus. Let’s get to the homologation point and see where we are.”

HoR will field a single Valkyrie in IMSA, while it will make a pair of entries in WEC in line with the new rule mandating that manufacturer teams in Hypercar run two cars.



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