The Heart of Racing IMSA WeatherTech Event Recap | 2026 Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta
No. 23 Aston Martin THOR Team Valkyrie Information
Driver Lineup: Ross Gunn, Roman De Angelis, Alex Riberas
Class: GTP
Started: 8th - Ross Gunn (1:10.363-seconds)
Highest Position: 1st
Finished: 5th
Laps: 368/368
Laps Led: 23
Pit Stops: 16
Team Notes
Driver Rotation: Gunn, Riberas, De Angelis, Riberas, Gunn, De Angelis
Ross Gunn started eighth and moved into seventh early while running on rain tires. The No. 23 Valkyrie made its first stop just 18 minutes into the race, switching to slick tires and topping off on fuel as conditions evolved. Gunn continued through the opening portion of the race before handing the Valkyrie over to Alex Riberas during a caution.
Riberas restarted 10th and worked his way up to eighth before turning the Valkyrie over to Roman De Angelis two hours and 38 minutes into the race. Amid a series of cautions and changing weather conditions, De Angelis moved as high as sixth before the race was red-flagged.
As strategies began to diverge through the middle portion of the race, De Angelis took the No. 23 Valkyrie to the front, leading the Aston Martin Valkyrie’s first laps in IMSA competition. Riberas returned to the cockpit at the next driver change, but an ill-timed caution dropped the No. 23 Valkyrie back to eighth.
A strong strategy call put the Valkyrie back at the front, with Gunn behind the wheel. He led 17 laps before handing the V12-powered machine back to De Angelis for the final stint. De Angelis remained in podium contention until the final 10 minutes, when the No. 23 Valkyrie was called down pit lane to serve its second drive-through penalty for incident responsibility, ultimately crossing the finish line in fifth.
Chatting with the drivers…
Ross Gunn: “It was a very unfortunate finish for us in Petit Le Mans. We showed great promise all race, led some laps, had incredible strategy, pit stops, and my teammates were awesome. I think the yellows didn’t fall our way at the end. We are disappointed to come away with a P5 because I think we had podium potential, minimum. I think we can be very proud that we all stuck together this year. It’s been a very tough year. Lots of things were going against us, and we kept fighting all the way to the end, which shows true teamwork ethic and spirit. Definitely a tough one to take, but we’ll reset, have a good winter, have some time off, and then come up with a plan for next year.”
Season Standings
Race 10 of 10: Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta
Highest Season Finish: 5th (Road America)
Completed Laps: 1,914 / 1,971
Provisional Championship Standings: 11th
No. 27 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage Information
Driver Lineup: Dudu Barrichello, Tom Gamble, Zacharie Robichon
Class: GTD
Started: 6th (Zacharie Robichon - 1:19.233-seconds)
Finished: 17th
Laps: 37/346
Laps Led: 0
Pit Stops: 0
Team Notes
After replacing the engine as a precaution Thursday night, the team completed qualifying without issue. However, electrical issues surfaced during Saturday’s reconnaissance lap, preventing the No. 27 Vantage from making the race start and forcing it back to the garage.
An hour and 45 minutes into the race, Robichon brought the Vantage on track and completed 37 laps before returning to the garage, where the team retired the car for the remainder of the race.
Chatting with the drivers…
Dudu Barrichello: “My first season here in IMSA was nice. It was great to be here in America. The Vantage was really good, and I think the team is doing a very good job. We were able to get some podiums and pole position with good fun along the way. It was a shame that the season ended the way it did.”
Tom Gamble: “It’s been a bit of a tough day for us. We came in with a chance to win the championship, but sadly we had car issues before the race that kept us from finishing. The team did a really good job trying to get the car back out there, but it just wasn’t meant to be. It’s been a difficult second half of the season, but we still had some podiums and good memories. Big thank you to the team.”
Season Standings
Race 10 of 10: Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta
Highest Season Finish: 2nd (Sebring International Raceway & WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca)
Completed Laps: 1,709/2,019
Provisional Championship Standings: 3rd
2026 Motul Petit Le Mans
Race Length: 10 hours
Cautions: 16
