The Heart of Racing IMSA WeatherTech Event Recap | 2026 Road America
No. 23 Aston Martin THOR Team Valkyrie Information
Driver Lineup: Ross Gunn, Roman De Angelis
Class: GTP
Started: 8th - Ross Gunn (1:50.804-seconds)
Finished: 5th
Laps: 151/151
Laps Led: 0
Pit Stops: 10
Team Notes
Driver Rotation: Ross Gunn, Roman De Angelis, Ross Gunn, Roman De Angelis
After starting eighth, Ross Gunn ran 10th for the opening hour and a half before strong strategy calls moved the No. 23 Valkyrie into seventh just before the halfway mark.
At halfway, the Valkyrie pitted for a nose change after debris became lodged beneath the splitter, dropping the car one lap behind the leaders. The team also overcame two drive-through penalties during the second half of the six-hour race.
A caution with two hours remaining allowed the No. 23 to return to the lead lap, while another well-timed strategy call moved Roman De Angelis into sixth with one hour and 23 minutes to go. De Angelis made his final stop from fifth with 50 minutes remaining and rejoined in eighth, but fought his way back to fifth before the next caution.
With two laps remaining, De Angelis had climbed to fourth. When the two GTP leaders made contact, the No. 23 briefly moved into second and crossed the finish line on the podium. Unfortunately, a post-race penalty moved the Valkyrie to fifth in the final classification—still marking the car’s best finish of the season.
Chatting with the drivers…
Ross Gunn: “P5 is a fantastic result based on results this year. It was good to see the team lift from what has been a pretty difficult season this far. The race was as chaotic as IMSA races tend to be. I think we generally stayed on the good side of that chaos. I do feel it was a bit unfortunate to lose second place there at the end due to a post-race penalty. Thank you to everyone on the team for all their hard work. I’m looking forward to coming back in the last two rounds with a fight.”
Season Standings
Race 7 of 10: Road America
Highest Season Finish: 5th (Road America)
Completed Laps: 1,434 / 1,491
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: 2nd - Zacharie Robichon (2:04.855-seconds)
Finished: 15th
Highest Position: 1st
Laps: 142/142
Laps Led: 96/142
Pit Stops: 6
Team Notes
Driver Rotation: Zach Robichon, Dudu Barrichello, Tom Gamble
Zacharie Robichon started second and worked his way into the GTD lead by lap 14. When Eduardo Barrichello took over the No. 27 Vantage, he maintained the lead throughout his two stints behind the wheel.
Tom Gamble took over the class-leading Vantage on lap 109 and remained out front until the final pit stop. With the No. 27 requiring more fuel than its competitors, Gamble was passed by two cars on pit lane.
With less than 30 minutes remaining, Gamble was forced off track and lost another position. His return to the circuit was later deemed an unsafe re-entry, resulting in a post-race penalty. Because the race finished under caution with the field closely bunched, the penalty dropped the No. 27 Vantage to 15th in the final classification.
Chatting with the drivers…
Tom Gamble: “It was a bit of a tough race. We led for the majority of the race, and then just had a hiccup on strategy, and we dropped back. I tried everything I could to get back through, and then got a bit of an unfair penalty in the process, which was a bit frustrating. Nevertheless, The Heart of Racing provided us with a rapid car. We’re still leading the championship, thankfully. We are still more than capable of winning the championship for the team and Dudu. I’m looking forward to VIR, one of my favorite tracks, and hopefully we can get a win there.”
Zacharie Robichon: “Not much to say, honestly. Things didn’t quite go our way at the end of the day. Another one of those races where you feel like you deserve more, but that’s racing. I think everybody individually did a good job. We just missed a step on a couple of things along the way, and it’s frustrating. We’ll come back better for the next one.”
Season Standings
Race 7 of 10: Road America
Highest Season Finish: 2nd (Sebring International Raceway & WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca)
Completed Laps: 1,588/1,589
Provisional Championship Standings: 1st
2026 Motul SportsCar Endurance Grand Prix
Race Length: 6 hours
Cautions: Nine
Upcoming Race
The No. 27 GTD squad heads to VIRginia International Raceway August 21–23 for IMSA’s only GT-exclusive weekend of the season. Dudu and Tom will look to return to the podium as they continue their championship campaign.
