The Heart of Racing IMSA WeatherTech Event Recap | Grand Prix of Long Beach
No. 23 Aston Martin THOR Team Valkyrie Information
Driver Lineup : Ross Gunn, Roman De Angelis
Class : GTP
Started : 7th - Ross Gunn (1:11.997-seconds)
Finished : 9th
Highest Position : 4th
Laps : 69/70
Laps Led : 0
Pit Stops : 1
Team Notes
Gunn pitted from eighth on lap 14 to hand over the No. 23 Valkyrie to De Angelis.
On lap 30, a caution came out, giving the rest of the GTP field an opportunity to pit, putting De Angelis in fourth at the restart. During the restart, a competitor made contact with the No. 23 Valkyrie in turn one, forcing De Angelis to narrowly miss the tire barrier. The Valkyrie was able to continue a lap down.
Chatting with the drivers…
Ross Gunn : “The improvements since Long Beach last year were evident from first practice through the race and that’s something we can all be proud of. We took a gamble early on strategy that was due to pay off, but unfortunately some desperate contact prevented us from fourth place. Thank you to the team, they were faultless all weekend.”
Season Standings
Race 3 of 10 : Long Beach Street Circuit
Highest Season Finish : 9th
Completed Laps : 1,061 / 1,118
Provisional Championship Standings : 9th
No. 27 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage Information
Driver Lineup : Dudu Barrichello, Spencer Pumpelly
Class : GTD
Started : 3rd - Spencer Pumpelly (1:18.704-seconds)
Finished : 10th
Highest Position : 2nd
Laps : 68/68
Laps Led : 0
Pit Stops : 1
Team Notes
Pumpelly fought in podium contention when he came down the pit lane at the 35-minute mark. Barrichello took over the No. 27 Vantage but, unfortunately, had to serve a drive-through penalty for Pumpelly speeding in the pit lane, dropping the No. 27 Vantage to sixth.
Barrichello spent the 20 minutes making up for the penalty before a caution came out on lap 53. The No. 27 Vantage caught up to the rest of the GTD field and ultimately finished tenth.
Chatting with the drivers…
Spencer Pumpelly : “We had a really good car from the guys at The Heart of Racing. I really appreciate all the effort that went into the weekend. Unfortunately, we had a couple of mistakes that set us back, but I’m proud to be a part of the effort this weekend. I love this event. I love being able to work with this team when I can.”
Season Standings
Race 3 of 10 : Long Beach Street Circuit
Highest Season Finish : 2nd (Sebring International Raceway)
Completed Laps : 1,047/1,047
Provisional Championship Standings : 1st
2026 Grand Prix of Long Beach Information
Race Length : 100 minutes
Cautions : 5
Upcoming Race
The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship returns to action May 1–3 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca for the fourth round of the 2026 season. The Heart of Racing Team will also see the No. 26 Aston Martin Vantage GT4, driven by Hannah Grisham and Hannah Greenemeier, back on track that same weekend in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge competition.
