North of the Border for IMSA, South of the equator for WEC

(9 July 2024) - The Heart of Racing Team will head to Canada and Brazil for a doubleheader weekend with the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) this weekend as the team heads into the second half of a very busy 2024 season. 

The Heart of Racing Team’s IMSA squad will head to Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada for the two hour and forty minute race at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park (CTMP) on July 14, with the No. 23 Heart of Racing GTD PRO entry featuring drivers Ross Gunn and Mario Farnbacher. The duo last teamed up at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca where they finished sixth.

Farnbacher will race in the stead of Alex Riberas, who will be competing in the Six Hours of São Paulo with WEC this weekend. Gunn most recently won the Sahlen’s Six Hours At The Glen, co-driving with Riberas after the duo scored a third place finish on the streets of Detroit. Gunn will be making his third start at CTMP, having raced with Riberas to a podium finish in 2022.

Competing alongside the No. 23 Heart of Racing entry will be the No. 27 GTD Aston Martin Vantage entry with Canadian Roman De Angelis and Spencer Pumpelly. The De Angelis / Pumpelly pair last co-drove at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, finishing sixth. Pumpelly will head to Canada fresh from a drive to the Sahlen’s Six Hours At The Glen podium, racing for Magnus Racing in an Aston Martin Vantage GT3. 

Hailing from Windsor, De Angelis will head to his home track of CTMP where he secured pole position last season ahead of a run to fourth place at the finish. De Angelis has two wins in the  Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada (2019) as well as an IMSA WeatherTech victory at the track for Heart of Racing (2022). 

The Heart of Racing’s WEC program will compete in São Paulo, Brazil for the first time at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace. Alex Riberas, Ian James, and Daniel Mancinelli will reunite once again in the No. 27 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 where all three drivers will make their debut at the Brazilian circuit. 

The trio is coming off the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June looking to rebound after a late race incident ended the race for the team while running in podium contention. The No. 27 Heart of Racing WEC team has scored one podium this season at Qatar and one front row start at Imola. 

Most recently Riberas won the Sahlen’s Six Hours At The Glen with Gunn under the Heart of Racing banner. Just two weeks ago, James won the Crowdstrike 24 Hours of Spa with the Crowdstrike by Riley team in the Pro-Am category. 

Both races will take the green flag on Sunday, July 14th. IMSA’s Chevrolet Grand Prix at CTMP on USA Network with coverage starting at 11:00am ET. WEC’s Rolex Six Hours of São Paulo will be live streamed on the MAX app as well as WEC TV starting at 10:30am ET. 

Quoteboard: 

Mario Farnbacher (No. 23 GTD PRO) : “I’m really looking forward to being back behind the wheel of the No. 23 Aston Martin Vantage. Thanks to the Heart of Racing and Ross for putting the trust in me to be his co-driver this weekend. Hopefully we can get another good result like Alex and Ross has achieved in the last two races ending on the podium. I’m also looking forward to being back at CTMP, it has been a while since I’ve been there. I’m excited to be back behind the wheel in Canada and getting more miles in the Aston Martin Vantage.”  

Roman De Angelis (No. 27 GTD) : “My hope this weekend is that my home race will bring some good luck. I think if there is anywhere that it should happen, it should be at CTMP. I know the track quite well and have had success there in the past few years with a win in 2022 and pole position last year. Let’s hope that it’s our place to get a win or at least a podium!” 

Spencer Pumpelly (No. 27 GTD) : “Our trip up North to CTMP is always a great time. The track is one of the fastest on our schedule and the fans are epic. The No. 27 Aston Martin has had some bad luck this year so hopefully this will be our chance to turn it around. I know I’ll be bringing my “Eh” game.” 

Alex Riberas (No. 27 LMGT3) : “I’m definitely excited to race in Brazil for the first time. São Paulo has always been an iconic race track. It is one that has been on my bucket list for many, many years, to finally check it off is a dream come true. We are definitely very motivated to get a good result there as well. Le Mans was disappointing in the finish, but very encouraging in the process. I think we have proved how strong we are as a team and the potential that we have. Now that our championship chances are slipping away, the goal now is to go race by race. We are going for a win.” 

Daniel Mancinelli (No. 27 LMGT3) : “I can’t wait to be back in the Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 car after a difficult episode in Le Mans. The team has been working really hard to get the car back ready to go. I just want to say thanks so much! It will be our first time ever racing in Brazil at Interlagos, the track looks amazing and has great history. I’ve always watched the F1 races there. I’m very motivated as we are heading into the second part of the championship. All of us want to score solid points.”