The Heart of Racing takes home seventh in Suzuka 1000KM

Suzuka, Japan (September 15, 2025) - The Heart of Racing Team traveled to the famous Suzuka International Circuit in Japan this weekend, securing a seventh-place finish in the team’s International GT Challenge Suzuka 1000KM debut.

Ian James, Zacharie Robichon, and Alex Riberas teamed up in the No. 27 Heart of Racing Mercedes AMG, each making their first start at the famous Japanese circuit. After three practice sessions on Friday, each driver had a 15-minute qualifying session on Saturday.

For the Suzuka 1000KM, each driver had 15 minutes to set a fast lap. The field’s starting position was determined by a combined average of the fastest laps from each session. The team had a combined lap time of 2:03.283 seconds, earning a tenth-place starting position.

James started the six-and-a-half-hour race for the trio, moving the car from tenth in class to fifth in class before Riberas took over for a stint. Robichon took the middle two stints, continuing to battle for fourth. Riberas was in fourth going into the last hour, but had to make an emergency stop for a driver change due to excessive heat in the car. 

The Heart of Racing team will be back in action next weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Series’ six-hour enduro. The team’s World Endurance Championship will return to Japan September 26-28 for the six hours of Fuji.