The Heart of Racing Looks for Repeat Podiums at Lime Rock Park
Lakeville, Conn. (18 July 2023) – The Heart of Racing team heads to Lime Rock Park July 21-22 for the FCP Euro Northeast Grand Prix looking to extend its podium streak at the historic Connecticut track.
HOR made itself known at the team’s first showing at Lime Rock Park during the return to the track after the COVID-19 Pandemic. Roman De Angelis and Ross Gunn scored their second win of the 2021 season at Lime Rock Park, helping secure their title as Sprint Cup Champions that season.
Officially in the final stretch of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season, the No. 27 Heart of Racing GTD Aston Martin team sits second in championship points standings. Piloting the Aston Martin Vantage will be De Angelis and Marco Sorensen. While Sorensen will be making his Lime Rock Park debut, De Angelis already has a winning record and lots of laps at the high-speed 1.53-mile circuit set in the Connecticut countryside.
“Lime Rock Park is another new track on my list this season,” said Sorensen. “From what I’ve been told it’s not like any track we have been to yet, and the Aston Martin really seems to like it there. We are going into the weekend second in championship points, so hopefully we get a good result that puts us in the top spot.”
De Angelis not only won his first time at Lime Rock Park, but followed it up in 2022 with a second place finish with his HOR teammate at the time Max Martin.
“I’ve always liked Lime Rock,” said De Angelis. “It’s definitely a different track and small. Qualifying really matters there. Hopefully we can have a good run like we did a few years ago. It’s always been a good track for us. I think the racing is very interesting there. It’s super difficult to pass and seems to suit the Aston Martin. I think we can do well this weekend and get some good points.”
The No. 23 Heart of Racing GTD PRO entry also has a strong record at the track. The team made up of Gunn and Alex Riberas have shown their speed at the quick short track. Just last year the duo scored a second place finish after starting from fourth.
“I have good memories at Lime Rock,” said Gunn. “We had a podium last year and won in 2021. It’s a very unique circuit because of how short it is. It’s a 50-second lap so qualifying is usually very, very tight and that’s an important part of the weekend because it’s difficult to pass. Looking after the tires is going to be essential. Going back to Lime Rock the most important thing going in is to try and get some good points on the board.”
“Lime Rock is a good track for us,” said Riberas. “We finished second last year there and the Aston has always been competitive. Even in 2021, Roman and Ross had a phenomenal run. It’s a good track for the Aston Martin and I don’t see a reason why we shouldn’t be competitive there. Similar to Mosport, it’s going to be a lot about strategy, especially with the tires. I think a lot of GTD versus GTD PRO fights are always very risky and tricky at Lime Rock, so that’s going to be another thing to watch out for, but overall I’m feeling confident.”
The Heart of Racing team will take the green flag for the FCP Euro Northeast Grand Prix at 12:10 pm ET on Saturday July 22nd with live coverage on the USA Network and the Peacock App starting at noon ET.
