The Heart of Racing World Endurance Championship Event Recap | 2026 6 Hours of Fuji
No. 27 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage Information
Driver Lineup: Ian James, Zacharie Robichon, Mattia Drudi
Class: LMGT3
Started: 16th - qualifying canceled; starting grid set by practice times
Finished: 2nd
Laps: 187/187
Laps Led: 0
Pit Stops: 8
Team Notes
Driver Rotation: James, Robichon, Drudi
Ian charged from 16th to third before handing the Vantage to Zach.
An unfortunately timed FCY dropped the team to eighth through the pit cycle, and a drive-through penalty for an earlier pit lane speeding violation put them 10th.
Mattia took over for the final two hours, but contact with a McLaren punctured the left rear tire and forced an emergency stop. When racing resumed with 21 minutes to go, he was P8. He fought his way into contention for the win and brought the No. 27 home second.
Chatting with the drivers…
Mattia Drudi: ”The race was tough, but fun. In the first stint, I didn’t have proper pace; I was struggling with the car a bit, and we lost some time to the cars in front. We had that contact with the McLaren, which was really unfortunate. I’m sorry for them. We had a puncture from the contact, but we are lucky that we didn’t get more damage. We had a really good pit stop at the end and were able to jump some positions. The field had a mix of fresh and used tires, and since we were on new tires, I could use that to my advantage. It was great fun to overtake cars and have the opportunity to win the race. After how the race started and what it looked like going into the final hour, we can be happy with a second-place finish.”
Season Standings
Race 6 of 8: Fuji Speedway
Highest Season Finish: 1st (Circuit of The Americas)
Completed Laps: 1,133/1,229
Provisional Championship Standings: 2nd
No. 009 Aston Martin THOR Team Valkyrie Information
Driver Lineup: Marco Sørensen, Alex Riberas
Class: Hypercar
Started: 6th - qualifying canceled; starting grid set by practice times
Finished: 9th
Laps: 203/203
Laps Led: 0
Pit Stops: 6
Team Notes
Driver Rotation: Sørensen, Riberas, Sørensen
Sørensen moved into fifth at the start and held the position until passing for fourth with three hours and 42 minutes remaining.
Riberas took over the No. 009 Valkyrie at the end of Sørensen’s stint and was running fourth at the halfway point.
A Safety Car came out with an hour and 45 minutes remaining. The No. 009 pitted, and Sørensen returned to the car in third. He remained third through another Safety Car with just under an hour to go.
After losing one position during the final pit cycle, Sørensen restarted fourth with 21 minutes remaining. Contact with an LMGT3 car in the final five minutes dropped the No. 009 to ninth.
Chatting with the drivers…
Marco Sørensen: “A positive day all around until the last safety car came out. It was a sure podium for us. If that safety car hadn't come out and we hadn't made a little mistake on the last stop, we would have finished on the podium. It's not good enough that we didn't get the result we deserved today, because I think both cars had the pace to be up there. It feels like we're not far away now. I mean, last year we could have been fighting for a win over here too. We need to dust it off and focus on getting a result in the last races of the year.”
Season Standings
Race 6 of 8: Fuji Speedway
Highest Season Finish: 6th (Fuji Speedway)
Completed Laps: 1,332/1,357
Provisional Championship Standings: 23rd
No. 007 Aston Martin THOR Team Valkyrie Information
Driver Lineup: Harry Tincknell, Tom Gamble
Class: Hypercar
Started: 4th - qualifying canceled; starting grid set by practice times
Finished: 14th
Laps: 202/203
Laps Led: 11
Pit Stops: 7
Team Notes
Driver Rotation: Tincknell, Gamble, Tincknell
The No. 007 Valkyrie ran in podium contention with Tincknell behind the wheel through the first two hours of the six-hour race.
Gamble took over just before halfway, running third. With two and a half hours remaining, he moved into the Hypercar lead and led 11 laps before serving a drive-through penalty. He rejoined in seventh.
An unfortunately timed Safety Car came out just after the No. 007 pitted, with Tincknell back behind the wheel in 14th. Contact with another Hypercar as he exited pit lane added a five-second penalty to the team’s next stop. The No. 007 ultimately finished 14th.
Chatting with the drivers…
Tom Gamble: “Disappointment is probably the word for today. We had an incredible car, probably the fastest car we’ve had in the whole program, and there was the potential for a great result. The team was focused all weekend, the car was so fast, but with both cars we didn’t achieve our potential. I made a small mistake which had very big consequences, and I’m sorry to the team. It’s not what we want. Hopefully we can repay them with a podium, or even better, a win, in one of the final two races. It’s definitely going to be a painful few days getting over this one.”
Season Standings
Race 6 of 8: Fuji Speedway
Highest Season Finish: 4th (Spa-Francorchamps & COTA)
Completed Laps: 1,353/1,357
Provisional Championship Standings: 13th
No. 23 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage Information
Driver Lineup: Gray Newell, Dudu Barrichello, Jonny Adam
Class: LMGT3
Started: 15th - qualifying canceled; starting grid set by practice times
Finished: DNF
Laps: 37/187
Laps Led: 0
Pit Stops: 0
Team Notes:
Just over an hour into the six-hour race, a Hypercar hit the No. 23 Vantage, sending Newell into a spin and nose-first into the barrier. Despite minimal damage, the car would not restart, forcing the team to retire. Newell had climbed from 15th to 11th before the incident.
Season Standings
Race 6 of 8: Fuji Speedway
Highest Season Finish: 3rd (Circuit de la Sarthe & Circuit of The Americas)
Completed Laps: 1,075/1,229
Provisional Championship Standings: 8th
Upcoming Race
The Heart of Racing will return to action October 16-18th for the 6 Hours of Barcelona, the team’s first race at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The four-car WEC lineup will look to build on its Fuji performance as the championship heads to Spain.
