The Heart of Racing Event Preview | 2026 Canadian Tire Motorsports Park & Autódromo José Carlos Pace
The Heart of Racing at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park
The Heart of Racing has made seven Canadian Tire Motorsports Park starts since 2022, when IMSA came back after COVID.
Best Starting Position: 1st (2023 - Roman De Angelis - GTD)
Best Finish: 1st (2022, 2024)
Podium Finishes: 3
2022 - 1st in GTD (Roman De Angelis & Maxime Martin)
2022 - 3rd in GTD Pro (Ross Gunn & Alex Riberas)
2024 - 1st in GTD (Roman De Angelis & Spencer Pumpelly)
Team Notes
Roman De Angelis returns to the No. 27 Aston Martin Vantage alongside Dudu Barrichello this weekend as Tom Gamble competes with the team's WEC program in São Paulo.
Hannah Grisham and Hannah Greenemeier continue their rookie campaign by taking on another new circuit, making their Canadian Tire Motorsports Park debut this weekend.
The No. 27 crew enters the weekend looking to extend its lead in the IMSA GTD Championship standings.
No. 27 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage Team Information
Driver Lineup : Eduardo “Dudu” Barrichello, Roman De Angelis
Series / Class : IMSA WeatherTech - GTD
Current Championship Standings : 1st
Eduardo “Dudu” Barrichello
Making his CTMP debut
Roman De Angelis
19 starts at CTMP (First Start: 2017)
Best CTMP finish: 1st (2022, 2024 in IMSA WeatherTech)
Chatting with the drivers…
Eduardo “Dudu” Barrichello: “I’m super excited for another IMSA race week. CTMP is another new track for me. I’m happy to be sharing the No. 27 Vantage with the Canadian superstar, Roman. I’m looking forward to checking out the track and hopefully extending our points lead!”
Previous Race : 6 Hours of The Glen
Started: 1st
Finished: 5th
Laps: 171/171
Laps Led: 62
No. 26 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage Team Information
Driver Lineup: Hannah Grisham, Hannah Greenemeier
Series / Class: IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge - GS
Current Championship Standing : 6th
Hannah Grisham
Making her CTMP debut
Hannah Greenemeier
Making her CTMP debut
Chatting with the drivers…
Hannah Grisham: “I’m really excited to race at CTMP this weekend. It’s my first time at this track and first time in Canada. I think Hannah and I had a pretty strong showing at Watkins Glen and hope to continue that momentum up here.”
Hannah Greenemeier: “I’m ready to race in Canada; it’s a new track for me, and I’ve heard it’s a fun one. I can’t wait to see how it goes after a good weekend at Watkins Glen. It will be great being at Roman’s home track and having him there to ask questions.”
Previous Race: Watkins Glen International
Started: 1st
Finished: 6th
Laps: 59/59
Laps Led: 20
The Heart of Racing at Autódromo José Carlos Pace
The Heart of Racing has made four starts at Autódromo José Carlos Pace.
Best Starting Position: 9th (2024 - LMGT3)
Best Finish: 2nd (2024 - LMGT3)
Podium Finishes : 1
2024 - 2nd in LMGT3 (Ian James, Daniel Mancinelli, Alex Riberas)
Team Notes
Kobe Pauwels will fill in for Dudu Barrichello in the No. 23 Aston Martin Vantage LMGT3 entry as Barrichello competes at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, where he currently leads the GTD standings.
Jonny Adam and Gray Newell look to carry their Le Mans momentum into São Paulo after earning a podium finish at the 24-hour classic.
Harry Tincknell and Tom Gamble aim to extend their championship points streak after scoring in each of the season's first three races.
After a heartbreaking end to Le Mans while battling for a podium, the No. 27 crew looks to bounce back with a strong result in São Paulo.
Alex Riberas and Marco Sørensen will look to score their first points of the season after a strong showing at São Paulo last year.
No. 007 Aston Martin THOR Valkyrie Team Information
Driver Lineup: Harry Tincknell, Tom Gamble
Series / Class: WEC - HYPERCAR
Current Championship Standing: 10th
Harry Tincknell
1 start in São Paulo (First Start: 2025)
Best São Paulo finish: 16th (2025 - WEC)
Tom Gamble
1 start in São Paulo (First Start: 2025)
Best São Paulo finish: 16th (2025 - WEC)
Chatting with the drivers…
Harry Tincknell: “It was good to have a points-scoring race at Le Mans. I think we are heading into São Paulo with more confidence. Looking back to last year, that was really the point where our season turned, and we were getting closer to making Hyperpoles and scoring points. Brazil has a huge racing heritage and a very iconic track. It’s a track that probably doesn’t play to all of the Valkyrie’s strengths, with a lot of low- and medium-speed corners, and it’s relatively rough. But, you know, we’ve learned a lot with setups, and I’m hopeful for another good race.”
Tom Gamble: “I’m looking forward to heading back to Brazil for the next round of WEC. We’ve had a solid start to the season with point finishes in each race, so the plan is to keep that up. The team has been working hard and progressing a lot, so it would be amazing to clinch the Valkyrie’s first podium in WEC.”
Previous Race: 24 Hours of Le Mans
Started: 11th
Finished: 8th
Laps: 379/381
Laps Led: 0
No. 009 Aston Martin THOR Valkyrie Team Information
Driver Lineup: Marco Sørensen, Alex Riberas
Series / Class: WEC - HYPERCAR
Current Championship Standing: 20th
Marco Sørensen
2 starts in São Paulo (First Start: 2024)
Best São Paulo finish: 9th (2024 - WEC LMGT3)
Alex Riberas
2 starts in São Paulo (First Start: 2024)
Best São Paulo finish: 2nd (2024 - WEC LMGT3)
Chatting with the drivers…
Marco Sørensen: “Racing in São Paulo is always special. The fans' passion and the circuit's character make it one of the most exciting events on the calendar. I’m excited to be going back, especially since that was the circuit where we started to show some of the pace the car has, and it will be interesting to see how much further we have come since then.”
Alex Riberas: “I’m very much looking forward to Brazil, as always. It’s one of my favorite events of the year. I love Interlagos, I love São Paulo. I think it’s a track that suits the Valkyrie very well. We realized that last year, when we arrived here for the first time with the Valkyrie. I think everyone on the team was surprised at the step forward after Le Mans. I don’t see why we can’t make the same step this year.”
Previous Race: 24 Hours of Le Mans
Started: 7th
Finished: 14th
Laps: 372/381
Laps Led: 0
No. 23 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage Team Information
Driver Lineup: Gray Newell, Kobe Pauwels, Jonny Adam
Series / Class: WEC - LMGT3
Current Championship Standing: 6th
Gray Newell
Making his Autódromo José Carlos Pace debut.
Kobe Pauwels
Making his Autódromo José Carlos Pace debut.
Jonny Adam
Making his Autódromo José Carlos Pace debut.
Chatting with the drivers…
Kobe Pauwels: “I’m really looking forward to my second WEC race this weekend. We just finished the track walk, and it looks really cool! I can’t wait to do my first laps around here tomorrow before an exciting race on Sunday with potential rain in the forecast."
Previous Race: 24 Hours of Le Mans
Started: 8th
Finished: 3rd
Laps: 335/336
Laps Led: 8
No. 27 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage Team Information
Driver Lineup: Ian James, Zacharie Robichon, Mattia Drudi
Series / Class: WEC - LMGT3
Current Championship Standing: 10th
Ian James
2 starts in São Paulo (First Start: 2024)
Best São Paulo finish: 2nd (2024 - WEC LMGT3)
Zacharie Robichon
2 starts in São Paulo (First Start: 2024)
Best São Paulo finish: 7th (2024 - WEC LMGT3)
Mattia Drudi
1 start in São Paulo (First Start: 2025)
Best São Paulo finish: 14th (2025 - WEC)
Chatting with the drivers…
Mattia Drudi: “I’m looking forward to racing here in Brazil. Last year for car No. 27 it was probably the most difficult race of the season. We really want to bounce back from last year’s outing. We lost a lot of points due to bad luck at Le Mans, with a retirement in the last few hours of the race. Two years ago, the No. 27 Vantage was on the podium, and last year our sister car made it there, which shows the Vantage is quick around this track. It’s looking like it will rain on Sunday, making life a bit more difficult for everyone. I’m confident we can have another good weekend and get some points for the championship; we still have a long way to go.”
Previous Race: 24 Hours of Le Mans
Started: 1st
Finished: DNF
Laps: 291/336
Laps Led: 56
Catch the Action
IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge RACE: Saturday, July 11 – 1:25pm ET
Peacock Streaming Coverage: LIVE – 1:20pm ET
International Streaming Coverage: LIVE – 1:20pm ET IMSA YouTube Channel
FIA World Endurance Championship QUALIFYING : Saturday, July 11 – 1:30pm ET
FIAWEC+.com
HBO MAX
IMSA WeatherTech Championship QUALIFYING : Saturday, July 11 – 3:55pm ET
Peacock Streaming Coverage: LIVE – 3:55pm ET
IMSA YouTube Channel: LIVE – 3:55pm ET
International Streaming Coverage: LIVE – 3:55pm ET IMSA YouTube Channel
FIA World Endurance Championship RACE : Sunday, July 12 – 10:30am ET
FIAWEC+.com
HBO MAX
IMSA WeatherTech Championship RACE : Sunday, July 12 – 2:00pm ET
Peacock Streaming Coverage : LIVE – 2:00pm ET
International Streaming Coverage : LIVE – 2:00pm ET IMSA YouTube Channel
IMSA WeatherTech Race 7 of 11: Canadian Tire Motorsports Park
Track Length / Type: 2.459 miles, 10-turn Road Course
Race Length: 2 Hours and 40 minutes
FIA World Endurance Championship 4 of 8: Autódromo José Carlos Pace
Track Length / Type: 2.677 miles, 15-turn road course
Race Length: 6 Hours
IMSA Michelin Pilot Race 6 of 10: Canadian Tire Motorsports Park
Track Length / Type: 2.459 miles, 10-turn Road Course
Race Length: 2 Hours
Join The Drive
Use #IMSA, #WEC, and #6HSaoPaulo to join the conversation on social media, and be sure to follow and tag The Heart of Racing on Instagram, Facebook, and X to share the weekend’s excitement.
