With the start of the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship right around the corner. Operations are in full force in the Heart of Racing camp as they attempt to return to greatness at the Rolex 24. The Heart of Racing No. 27 Aston Martin secured an in class GTD win at the 2023 Rolex 24, and is looking to repeat that result this year. While the Heart of Racing Team’s IMSA program is in full swing, the team will also be competing internationally for the 24 Hours of Dubai (January 26-28), which will now occur simultaneously with the Rolex 24 At Daytona.
2024 IMSA duties kick off at the ROAR Before the Rolex 24 this coming weekend at Daytona International Speedway where the team will navigate multiple practice sessions before qualifying on Sunday which will set the grid from the race the following week. There are 60 entries in the GTD and GTD Pro classes for the Rolex 24. With a full field every practice session leading up to qualifying will be a valuable opportunity to gather data for the race.
Returning to the No. 23 Heart of Racing Aston Martin GTD PRO entry will be Alex Riberas and Ross Gunn, the duo will be joined by multi time champion Mario Farnbacher. The No. 27 Aston Martin will be piloted by Roman De Angelis, Marco Sorensen, Zach Robichon, and team principal Ian James.
Alex Riberas
“I’m definitely so excited to go back to Daytona. I cannot wait to be back with the team and enjoy taking the challenge of racing at Daytona for 24 hours. I think it’s a very special race for everybody in the paddock with it being the first event of the year. Everyone has super high hopes and expectations so the environment is always very unique and there is no better place to be at the start of the season. I’m looking forward to having Mario with the team. We are ready to give it all we have and hopefully make the most out of every situation.”
Mario Farnbacher:
“I’m really looking forward to joining the Heart of Racing team. A big thank you to Ian (James) and Gabe (Newell) and my teammates for welcoming me to the team. A lot of them I knew from the past and it will be good to work with them again. There are a lot of things to learn this year and improve and it all starts with Daytona. I think we are a team that everyone will have to keep an eye on this year. We are ready for the challenge, but first we need to have a good ROAR.”
Roman De Angelis:
“Starting the year and the first race being the 24 hours at Daytona is always such a special feeling. With a few months off and lots of time to prepare, new cards, new teams and teammates. It’s a great catapult into what I hope is another amazing year. Having had great success in Daytona last year we really hope to do the same as always, but as we know most of this race isn’t in our hands. I think my main focus is to improve on myself from last year in some areas we’ve evaluated with the team, which is always good to have some main areas to focus on and set a goal towards.”