Sakhir, Bahrain (2 November 2023) – The Heart of Racing (HOR) Team will head to the Sakhir desert for the 8 Hours of Bahrain to close out the World Endurance Championship (WEC) season this weekend. HOR will be competing in the No. 98 Aston Martin Vantage GTE under the Northwest AMR banner, which the team took over before the Spa-Francorchamps race in April.

The Heart of Racing team principal Ian James will be joined by Alex Riberas and Daniel Mancinelli. The trio scored a sixth place finish at Le Mans and two seventh place finishes at Spa-Francorchamps and Fuji Speedway so far this season. This weekend’s eight hour race will be the fourth start for the HOR team in WEC.

James, Riberas, and Mancinelli will all make their debut at Bahrain International Circuit starting with free practice 1 on Thursday.

“Last race of the season is always very special,” said Riberas. “This will also be the first time for Dani, Ian and I racing at Bahrain which is also exciting. I’m very much looking forward to learning the track and hopefully finishing the season on a high!”

The 8 Hours of Bahrain will mark the final race for the Aston Martin Vantage GTE as the book closes on the GTE regulations ahead of the 2024 season, which will feature the LMGT3-based specification. Aston Martin has proven to be a highly capable competitor in the global championship, having earned 11 world titles and over 50 wins in its 11 year run with the Aston Martin Vantage GTE.

The 2024 season will see a new platform from Aston Martin take to the track in international competition, with the Heart of Racing having recently completed a tire test with the new-era machine earlier this month.

Watch all eight hours of action starting Saturday at 7:00 am ET on MotorTrend or through the WEC TV app.