GTD PRO Win at Long Beach Is Latest Accomplishment
By Mark Robinson
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Chalk up another milestone for Aston Martin in IMSA competition, the latest racing achievement for the brand coming at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Saturday.
It was there that The Heart of Racing Team drivers Alex Riberas and Ross Gunn piloted the No. 23 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 to the GTD PRO victory, the first win in the new class for team and manufacturer.
“I’m super happy to get the first win of the season for The Heart of Racing,” Gunn said. “It’s been a tough start to the year, with a lot of setbacks and a lot of bad luck. But we were there to capitalize on some good fortune for a change. We were able to do that thanks to a great strategy, an awesome car and great teamwork.”
The Heart of Racing, in fact, nearly pulled off a GT double at Long Beach. The team’s No. 27 Aston Martin was battling the No. 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 for the GT Daytona (GTD) class lead with less than 30 minutes remaining in the race when the two cars made contact. The No. 1 BMW escaped without injury and went on to win. The No. 27 Aston, however, sustained damage when it side-swiped a concrete wall and failed to finish.
“Vantage’s potential continues to shine across all levels of world-level GT competition and this latest win by The Heart of Racing is testament to the excellent performance, resilience and hard work of the team and drivers,” said Huw Tasker, head of AMR Partner Racing. “It’s incredibly unfortunate for the sister car, but once again both Vantages were in podium contention and that is all you can ask for in such a competitive series as IMSA.”
The No. 23’s GTD PRO triumph continues a string of recent success that Aston Martin has put together in both the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge. Among the recent accomplishments have been:
- Capturing the 2020 Grand Sport (GS) manufacturer championship in the Michelin Pilot Challenge with the Vantage GT4, just one year after finishing eighth.
- Powering Gunn and Roman De Angelis to the 2021 IMSA WeatherTech Sprint Cup title and third place in the WeatherTech Championship’s GT Daytona (GTD) season standings. The driver duo won three races in 2021, including the Motul Petit Le Mans to close the season with team principal and third driver Ian James.
- Supporting The Heart of Racing in expanding to a two-car GTD effort for three races late last season, a precursor to the team running fulltime entries this year in GTD and GTD PRO.
- Adding Magnus Racing to the Aston Martin stable this year, resulting in the marque’s first-ever podium in the Rolex 24 At Daytona, where the No. 44 Magnus Aston finished second.
- Continuing its growth in the Michelin Pilot Challenge. Aston Martin leads the 2022 GS manufacturer standings after two races, thanks to a pair of podium finishes by Volt Racing that has the No. 7 Aston Martin Vantage GT4 and drivers Alan Brynjolfsson and Trent Hindman tied for the team and driver lead in points.
The WeatherTech Championship and Michelin Pilot Challenge both return to action April 29-May 1 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California. The Michelin Pilot Challenge race, the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca 120, streams live on Peacock at 7 p.m. ET Saturday, April 30. The WeatherTech Championship race, the Hyundai Monterey Sports Car Championship Presented by Motul, airs live at 5 p.m. Sunday, May 1 on NBC. Tickets for the race weekend are available at laguna-seca.com.