First full-season WEC campaign for Aston Martin squad in 2024 ahead of 2025 Hypercar effort

(27 November 2023) – The Heart of Racing Team entry for the 2024 World Endurance Championship (WEC) has been confirmed as the team prepares for its first full season campaign under the Heart of Racing (HOR) banner in the No. 27 Aston Martin Vantage.

The Heart of Racing team contested a partial schedule in 2023, having absorbed the Northwest Aston Martin banner in April of 2023. The 2023 HOR WEC lineup of Alex Riberas, Daniel Mancinelli, and team principal Ian James scored a seventh place finish in the trio’s first WEC LMGTE race at Spa-Francorchamps.

HOR made its 24 Hours of Le Mans debut in June, securing a sixth place result. After having to miss a race due to a conflict with the team’s IMSA program, the Aston Martin Vantage rejoined the field at Fuji Speedway, scoring a second seventh place finish. The trio earned their first WEC podium in Bahrain with a third place finish to close the season out on a high note.

HOR will rejoin the WEC field for the full eight race 2024 schedule with an Aston Martin Vantage as the championship deploys a new ruleset for the GT runners, moving from the sunsetted LMGTE specification to the new “LMGT3” class.

“The Heart of Racing team are already a proven force in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, and their first foray into the FIA World Endurance Championship last season concluded with an exceptional podium,” said Adam Carter, Aston Martin Head of Endurance Motorsport. “This team has repeatedly shown that they know how to maximise the potential of Vantage, and we’re excited to see what they can do in this first season of the LMGT3 class. HOR is our chosen partner for the works Valkyrie hypercar programme that begins in 2025, so this season will be all about strengthening those ties and creating a successful platform for us to build on in the future.”

Aston Martin and the Heart of Racing recently announced a partnership to compete in both the FIA World Endurance Championship and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship starting in 2025. The program will utilize a racing prototype version of the Aston Martin Valkyrie to target overall victories in sports car races around the globe.

“The Heart of Racing team is excited to build on our first season of competition in WEC and return to the championship for the full 2024 campaign,” said team principal Ian James. “We had an encouraging first season, and it was very satisfying to be on the final LMGTE podium with Aston Martin. We want to build on that incredible record of success for the Vantage as everything moves to the new specification in 2024, and are looking forward to building the team as we consider our plans for 2025 and beyond with the Aston Martin Valkyrie.”

The team will announce a full lineup for the No. 27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin team in the coming months. The World Endurance Championship will kick off the season on March 2nd in Qatar.