12 Hour Report: Leading in the GTD Classes in Rolex 24
Daytona Beach, Fla. (29 January 2023) - With 12 hours in the books, The Heart of Racing (HOR) leads the 61st Running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona with the No. 23 Aston Martin Vantage. HOR drivers Alex Riberas, Ross Gunn, and David Pittard started the running of the famous 24-hour race on the front row and held the lead for 185 laps through the first half of the 24 hour season-opening IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar enduro.
Gunn started the race as 61 cars took the green flag under ideal weather conditions.Pittard took over and continued the forward progress to take the lead early in his stint. Riberas took his turn as the battle for GTD Pro lead heated up.
"Well, so far, so good," said Riberas. "We are having a trouble-free race, which is pretty much what you want for the Rolex 24 At Daytona. It's a very long race, and there is a long way to go. The Aston Martin feels good; we were leading the race at the six-hour mark and are now here at the 12-hour mark. It was nice to get some points there for the Endurance Cup.”
There is a long way to go, and the team is doing a great job and we are exactly where we want to be. It’s all for a good cause so hopefully we can continue like this.”
The sister car to the GTD PRO leader, the GTD class No. 27 Aston Martin Vantage entry, remains steady in the top five of the GTD class after having been in podium position for much of the early running. All four drivers – Roman De Angelis, Marco Sorensen, Ian James, and Darren Turner– have converted their confidence in the Aston Martin into a strong opening stanza of the race.
The HOR team has also delivered on the other side of the pit wall, with the team executing metronomic pit stops to keep the cars running into the night.
James was first behind the wheel, pulling a triple stint before passing the reins to De Angelis. After leading for 12 laps, De Angelis handed the driving duties to Sorensen, who battled for a position as he maintained second place throughout his stint. James returned to the controls ahead of handing the wheel over to Turner, who moved to the lead ahead of Sorensen strapping in for his night time urn.
"My stint went well," said Sorensen. "We were able to stay up at the front of the class, which is always a plus. Our Aston Martin feels excellent! We put a new set of tires on during my time in the car, and it was amazing how big of a difference it makes.”
