The Heart of Racing IMSA WeatherTech Event Recap | Sebring International Raceway
No. 27 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage Information
Driver Lineup : Dudu Barrichello, Tom Gamble, Zacharie Robichon
Class : GTD
Started : 1st - Dudu Barrichello (1:58.856-seconds)
Halfway : 12th
Finished : 2nd
Highest Position : 1st
Laps : 318 / 318
Laps Led : 100
Pit Stops : 13
Team Notes
Barrichello piloted the No. 27 Aston Martin Vantage until lap 52, leading 29 of those laps and building over an eight-second lead on the second-place car.
Around the six-hour mark, the team received a drive-through penalty for “too many crew over the wall”, taking the No. 27 crew from second to 13th with Barrichello behind the wheel.
On lap 199, Barrichello made an unplanned pit stop due to what he thought was an issue with the car; thankfully, it was just debris buildup, and the issue resolved on its own. The extra pit stop put the No. 27 Vantage a lap down behind the GTD leader.
Barrichello was able to get back on the lead lap when a caution came out on lap 221. He then passed the Vantage to Robichon.
Chatting with the drivers…
Eduardo “Dudu” Barrichello : “We worked great as a team, and my teammates did an amazing job. We had a lot of ups and downs during the twelve hours. It seemed like we had it until we didn’t, but that’s just racing. Tom did such a great job there at the end, holding off the other, quicker guys. We are fortunate enough to get P2; it’s good for the championship. It’s a happy day on the podium. IMSA is one of the toughest championships in the world.”
Tom Gamble : “A bit of a bittersweet end to a very back-and-forth race. We were leading at times, then would fall back, then back up to the front again. Thanks to the team's amazing work, we were up front again at the right moment at the end of the race. I’m sorry for the team, who was amazing all weekend, as always, it would have been nice to convert this into a win that they very much deserve.”
Zacharie Robichon : “We had a lot of good and some bad this weekend. Obviously, when you’re so close to victory, it feels more difficult to take second. Looking back on the whole day, I think we would have been happy with second place. It was just the way it ended up that made it a bit tougher. We are super happy with the team; the car was extremely quick. Dudu and Tom were just perfect out there. This was one you hate to lose, but at the end of the day, we’re going to wake up tomorrow, and life’s going to be the same.”
Season Standings
Race 2 of 10 : Sebring International Raceway
Highest Season Finish : 2nd (Sebring International Raceway)
Completed Laps : 979/979
Provisional Championship Standings : 1st
No. 23 Aston Martin THOR Team Valkyrie Information
Driver Lineup : Ross Gunn, Roman De Angelis, Alex Riberas
Class : GTP
Started : 10th - Ross Gunn (1:47.363-seconds)
Halfway : 9th
Finished : 9th
Highest Position : 5th
Laps : 331/343
Laps Led : 0
Pit Stops : 16
Team Notes
By lap 52, Gunn had made his way to fifth when the second caution came out. The team was forced to do an emergency pit stop, but unfortunately, miscommunication led to a drive-through penalty for the No. 23 Valkyrie. The pit stop put the No. 23 squad back in tenth.
Riberas came down pit lane on lap 208 for a scheduled pit stop, but upon leaving the pit box, the No. 23 Valkyrie wouldn’t restart. With under five hours to go, the No. 23 crew brought the Valkyrie back to the garage, where they diagnosed the issue within 17 minutes and put the car back out on track 14 laps down.
De Angelis finished the twelve-hour for the trio, crossing the finish line in tenth. The team finished ninth due to a competitor's disqualification.
Season Standings
Race 2 of 10 : Sebring International Raceway
Highest Season Finish : 9th
Completed Laps : 992 / 1,048
Provisional Championship Standings : 10th
2026 12 Hours of Sebring Information
Race Length : 12 Hours
Cautions : 9
Upcoming Race
From April 17-18, the team will tackle the tight, unforgiving streets of Long Beach, while across the globe, their FIA World Endurance Championship campaign roars to life at Imola Circuit - marking the start of a pivotal WEC season.
