The Heart of Racing finishes fifth at Lone Star Le Mans
Austin, TX (September 8, 2025) - The Heart of Racing secured a fifth-place finish in the World Endurance Championship’s LMGT3 category on Sunday at Circuit of the Americas. Unfortunately, the Aston Martin THOR Valkyries had to retire with just 30 minutes remaining in the Lone Star Le Mans; both the No. 007 and No. 009 Valkyries had competed in the top ten for a majority of the challenging six-hour race.
The No. 27 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage, driven by Ian James, Zacharie Robichon, and Mattia Drudi, battled through heavy rain conditions to finish fifth after starting from tenth. James qualified for the trio on Saturday, once again moving the car into the HYPERPOLE round. Robichon took over for the next 15-minute session, setting the tenth fastest lap in the LMGT3 category.
The six-hour enduro started with the field circulating the track behind the safety car due to heavy rain. James was behind the wheel for the first hour of the race when the field was called to a halt for a red flag. James had to finish the final 30 minutes of his stint once the field went back to green and was called down to the pit lane from second for a driver change, two tires, and fuel.
Robichon battled heavy rain and several safety car laps, ultimately handing the Vantage to Drudi with just under two hours remaining. As the rain slowed and the track dried, Drudi made his way to ninth before pitting for a set of slick tires for the remainder of the race. Drudi ultimately crossed the finish line in fifth place.
“Super happy with what Mattia did, he did a fantastic job,” said Robichon. “He kind of saved it for us today. We were basically last, and he made the right decision, keeping the car clean, and was able to bring it back to finish fifth. I think we can all be happy with that. From my side, it was a tough day. We need to honestly figure out exactly what happened. Luckily, we still got a top five and will reset and head to Fuji.”
The Aston Martin THOR Valkyries continued to build momentum at Lone Star Le Mans, showing clear progress and front-running pace throughout the weekend. The No. 009 machine, driven by Alex Riberas and Marco Sørensen, delivered the team’s best WEC qualifying result to date with a ninth-place grid position. Both cars impressed right from the start, with the No. 009 clocking the fourth-fastest lap time in Practice One and going on to finish third overall in Practice Two.
Riberas carried that form into qualifying, securing the team’s second-ever HYPERPOLE appearance after Sørensen first placed the Valkyrie there at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In the race, Riberas kept the No. 009 firmly inside the top ten for the opening four hours before handing over to Sørensen, who continued to battle at the sharp end until an overheating issue ended their run prematurely.
“It was a bittersweet Lone Star Le Mans here in Austin,” said Riberas. “But it was also a very encouraging race. We looked really strong out there, even in conditions we had never experienced before. The car felt great, and we were right in the mix fighting against some of the biggest manufacturers. Although we had to retire with a mechanical issue, we took a big step forward this weekend, and we’ll carry that momentum into the next races.”
The No. 007 Aston Martin THOR Valkyrie, piloted by Harry Tincknell and Tom Gamble, was equally competitive. The pair set the tone early with the second-fastest lap time in Practice One, before charging from fourteenth on the grid into the top ten during the race. Their effort was cut short by the same technical issue, but the pace shown by both Valkyries underlined the team’s growing strength and potential heading into the remainder of the season.
The Heart of Racing WEC program will be back in action at Fuji Speedway September 26-27. Until then, the team will be competing at the Suzuka 1000K next weekend (September 12-14) and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s Battle of the Bricks on September 21st.
