Gunn to lead Aston Martin charge in Daytona
Ross Gunn has been announced as lead driver for Aston Martin's The Heart of Racing Team for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s 63rd running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona next month.
The famous Daytona International Speedway in Florida will once again play host to the most significant endurance race in the United States held annually, and Gunn's participation has now been confirmed.
The Vale-based racer will drive the number 007 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 in the event's GTD PRO class, sharing driving duties with Roman De Angelis, Alex Riberas and Marco Sorensen. The team will field a second car in the race, that will wear the number 27, and be driven by Zacharie Robichon, Mattia Drudi, Casper Stevenson and recent Aston Martin factory driver signing, Tom Gamble.
Ian James, Team Principal of the Heart of Racing Team, said, “We have two really strong line-ups this year for Daytona. Though it is a little bittersweet for me, it will be the first Rolex 24 I will not be driving in since we started the team in 2020. I think these young guys will do a great job and hopefully we can come out after 24 hours with a podium finish.”
Prior to the twice round the clock race on January 25-26th, the Aston Martin team will take part in the pre-race 'Roar Before the Rolex 24' test event at the Florida track between January 17-19th.
Speaking last week, Gunn said: “I love kick-starting the year off at Daytona. It’s one of the classics that is important to drivers, teams, and manufacturers competing in sportscar racing.
"Our target is to try for the victory, we have a really great team and great car. I’m really happy to be teaming up with Alex (Riberas) and Roman (De Angelis) who did an excellent job at Petit Le Mans at the end of the '24 season. Adding Marco in our line-up is just a cherry on top. I’m really looking forward to starting the season, it’s going to be a big challenge with lots of great teams and drivers out there but we are pretty confident and will give it our best shot.”
Roman De Angelis commented, “I’m super happy to be back with the Heart of Racing in the GTD PRO category for Daytona! It’s always great pairing up with such a strong driver line-up especially with friends and teammates I’ve driven with and had success with in the past. I am looking forward to racing alongside Ross again. Hopefully we can get a good result and start the season off strong.”
*The Heart of Racing Team are also responsible for representing Aston Martin in the FIA World Endurance Championship and IMSA races with the new marque's Valkyrie Hypercar. The V12-powered Aston Martin has already been seen in test action at Daytona, with Gunn driving, but the racer will not appear in in the Daytona 24 Hours, instead waiting for further homologation tests before making a race debut in the WEC opener in Qatar in February.