Heart of Racing Team set for Detroit debut

Detroit, Mich. (29 May 2024) - The Heart of Racing Team will make its first start on the streets of Detroit this weekend with its No. 23 Heart of Racing GTD PRO entry with Alex Riberas and Ross Gunn. 

Riberas will rejoin Gunn for the first time since Sebring, after missing the first sprint race of the season at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca earlier in the month due to a conflicting FIA World Endurance Championship event at Spa-Francorchamps. The pair started out the season with a fourth and fifth place finish alongside Mario Farnbacher. 

Though Riberas will make his first start on the Detroit Street Course, he has one start on Detroit’s Belle Isle, scoring a fourth place finish co-driving with Farnbacher in 2016. 

Most recently Gunn competed at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca where he and Farnbacher finished sixth. Gunn has yet to race on the streets of Detroit, but has tasted success in the iconic Motor City, having won on board an Aston Martin at Belle Isle in 2021 with Roman De Angelis driving alongside him for the Heart of Racing. 

“It’s a very unique weekend coming up in Detroit,” said Riberas. “The Motor City is going to provide a unique circumstance which is that nobody has really driven on that circuit before so it’s hard to know what to expect in terms of what the track is going to be like, what the car is going to feel like and that is super exciting. That uncertainty is going to provide a lot of opportunities. It’s also a very very tight schedule with practice and qualifying all on the same day. Starting on the right foot is going to be fundamental for us. I am definitely very much looking forward to trying to understand the new circuit as quickly as possible so we can have a strong showing on race day.”

The Detroit Grand Prix will kick off with qualifying on Friday afternoon on Peacock at 4:35pm ET with the 120 minute race taking the green flag on Saturday at 3:00pm ET. Catch the Detroit Grand Prix on USA Network or Peacock.