Heart of Racing Team earns first WEC win at COTA

Austin, TX (September 1, 2024) - The Heart of Racing Team broke through for a significant maiden victory on Sunday, earning the team’s first-ever FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) win just over one year after joining the globe trotting championship. Racing on home soil in the United States, the team delivered a convincing effort with the Aston Martin Vantage GT3, starting from pole and leading 160 of 164 laps of the Lone Star Le Mans to win on the strength of the driving effort of Ian James, Daniel Mancinelli, and Alex Riberas along with strong team strategy and team execution on pit lane. 

The North American team’s victory marked Aston Martin’s tenth win at Circuit of the Americas (COTA), with the team having also set the fastest lap of the race on the way to taking its first ever WEC victory.

The weekend opened with a promising start, as James scored the team's first WEC pole position with the No. 27 Aston Martin Vantage in Saturday’s Hyperpole session. James' best lap of 2:05.587-seconds also marked the Heart of Racing’s first-ever pole position with the new Aston Martin Vantage GT3.

During Sunday’s race, James took the first two stints in the Texas heat with a track temperature of 116℉. The team’s American-flagged driver defended his pole position as Mancinelli took the wheel of the Aston Martin Vantage just shy of two hours into the six hour enduro. 

The Italian driver not only maintained the lead, but built a gap between the No. 27 Aston Martin Vantage and the remainder of the field. As the clock ticked into its final hours, Riberas took his turn in the driver’s seat to conserve the gap his teammates created. Riberas drove across the finish line with over a 20-second lead on the nearest rival. 

“To win here on American soil in WEC, is just an amazing achievement and a dream come true for the three of us and the team,” said James. “We have been knocking on the door with two second place finishes this season, so to come here and get the win is extra special. We managed to execute great pit stops, then Alex and Dani drove amazingly. To cross the finish line first and to stand on the podium with the American flag is a very proud moment.” 

“When I left the pits it was time to focus on building a gap behind us,” said Manicnelli. “Ian had a great stint, the team was perfect in the pits, strategy was great, and I just had to give 100% to build a gap. Alex finished the job, driving the car to the checkered flag in first place. I’m so proud of our win in front of our fans here in America as the U.S. team. I’m also very proud to be the first Italian driver to win in an Aston Martin in a World Championship race.” 

“The credit of this win goes to the entire team,” said Riberas. “We had flawless execution on all levels, the team just did a phenomenal job. Ian had an amazing performance both yesterday and today. Then Dani building the gap made my life a lot easier at the end of the race once I got in. I just had to manage the gap and bring it home. It's amazing when everything clicks like this, and what a better place than our home race for that to happen.”

The No. 27 Heart of Racing team gained championship points on the weekend. The team heads in the final two rounds of the season just nine points behind second place and 37 points behind the championship leader.

The Heart of Racing’s No. 27 WEC team will be back in action in Japan for the Six Hours of Fuji in just two weeks. In the meantime, the Heart of Racing’s SRO program will compete in the pendulum round of the championship at Barber Motorsports Park September 6-8.