The Heart of Racing World Endurance Championship Event Recap | 2026 Lone Star Le Mans
No. 27 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage Information
Driver Lineup: Ian James, Zacharie Robichon, Mattia Drudi
Class: LMGT3
Started: 2nd - Zacharie Robichon (2:05.284-seconds)
Finished: 1st
Laps: 154/154
Laps Led: 71
Pit Stops: 5
Team Notes
Driver Rotation: James, Robichon, Drudi
The No. 27 Vantage secured its first win of the season and The Heart of Racing’s second Lone Star Le Mans victory, following the team’s win in 2024.
James advanced the Vantage to Hyperpole, where Robichon secured second on the grid and completed the team’s first-ever front-row lockout.
All three drivers kept the Vantage in podium contention throughout the race. A strong strategy call let Robichon undercut the competition before handing the race-leading Vantage to Drudi. Once Drudi inherited the lead through the pit-stop cycle, he pulled away and built a gap to second place.
Chatting with the drivers…
Mattia Drudi: “That was probably one of the toughest stints of my life. The team did a very good job with the strategy, undercutting the cars in front when Zach and I swapped. After one and a half seasons trying to get this win, we’ve always been tripped up by something that stopped us from achieving our goal. Now, finally, it feels good to get our first win, and to have the #23 in third position. I’m really happy.”
Zacharie Robichon: “Relief is the prevailing feeling right now. We’ve been so close so many times, and we’ve done so much to deserve this over the past two years. It just shows what we can do when we have a clean race. Right now we can be proud of ourselves and enjoy the moment.”
Ian James: “It feels like we have finally got the monkey off our back. We’ve been so close over the last two seasons, and to come here, have such an impressive weekend all around and finish first and third speaks volumes about this team and what we can do.”
Season Standings
Race 5 of 10: Circuit of The Americas
Highest Season Finish: 1st (Circuit of The Americas)
Completed Laps: 946/1,042
Provisional Championship Standings: 6th
No. 23 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage Information
Driver Lineup: Gray Newell, Dudu Barrichello, Jonny Adam
Class: LMGT3
Started: 1st - Dudu Barrichello (2:05.160-seconds)
Finished: 3rd
Laps: 154/154
Laps Led: 3
Pit Stops: 5
Team Notes:
Driver Rotation: Newell, Barrichello, Adam, Barrichello
During Saturday’s qualifying session, Newell advanced the Vantage to Hyperpole for the third time this season. Barrichello then set the fastest lap of the session, earning the No. 23 Vantage its second consecutive pole position.
After initially losing positions at the start, Newell fought his way back to fourth. Adam and Barrichello kept the No. 23 Vantage in podium contention before Barrichello brought the car home in third, securing The Heart of Racing’s first-ever double podium in WEC.
Chatting with the drivers…
Gray Newell: “It was a little bit rough at the start; I’m still getting used to doing those. The car was really well balanced in the race. We made some setup changes to tighten up the rear of the car, and it worked really well. I was able to get some positions in my stint. The other guys did a fantastic job. We kept our nose clean, and that’s what you really want to do to get a good result.”
Dudu Barrichello: “It was a hot one, really difficult physically. The car was difficult to drive, but really fast. I think Mattia made the difference there at the end in the No. 27, and that's why they won it. He’s got a lot more experience, and I still have to learn from him. Happy days! We are at the podium at our home race. It was just a positive weekend; I love working with everyone from The Heart of Racing.”
Jonny Adam: “What a team result! First and third here at our home event. The No. 27 executed the perfect race. We were in the mix, and Dudu did great in that final stint. It was a great points day too. A couple of points from qualifying on pole, and now third in the race. I’m just so happy for the team; we’ve worked so hard on the cars this weekend.”
Season Standings
Race 5 of 10: Circuit of The Americas
Highest Season Finish: 3rd (Circuit de la Sarthe & Circuit of The Americas)
Completed Laps: 1,038/1,042
Provisional Championship Standings: 4th
No. 007 Aston Martin THOR Team Valkyrie Information
Driver Lineup: Harry Tincknell, Tom Gamble
Class: Hypercar
Started: 4th - Harry Tincknell (1:52.495-seconds)
Finished: 4th
Laps: 167/167
Laps Led: 0
Pit Stops: 5
Team Notes
Driver Rotation: Tincknell, Gamble, Tincknell, Gamble
The No. 007 crew matched its best WEC result with a fourth-place finish at COTA, crossing the line just 2.292 seconds shy of the Valkyrie’s first podium.
Tincknell secured the No. 007 Valkyrie’s best starting position of the season by qualifying fourth.
Tincknell and Gamble kept the No. 007 Valkyrie inside the top six of the Hypercar field for the majority of the six-hour race.
Chatting with the drivers…
Harry Tincknell: “It was a fantastic day really, really proud of all four teams. We started fourth, finished fourth. We were up there all day really. We are getting closer and closer, getting there step by step. We go into Fuji with more points, we’ve scored points in every race this year. Hopefully we can get that first podium there.”
Season Standings
Race 5 of 10: Circuit of The Americas
Highest Season Finish: 4th (Spa-Francorchamps & COTA)
Completed Laps: 1,151/1,154
Provisional Championship Standings: 11th
No. 009 Aston Martin THOR Team Valkyrie Information
Driver Lineup: Marco Sørensen, Alex Riberas
Class: Hypercar
Started: 17th - Marco Sorensen (1:53.5070-seconds)
Finished: 14th
Laps: 167/167
Laps Led: 0
Pit Stops: 6
Team Notes
Driver Rotation: Sørensen, Riberas, Sørensen, Riberas, Sørensen
The No. 009 squad used an alternate strategy to move the Valkyrie into the top 10, successfully running there on several occasions before ultimately crossing the finish line in 14th.
Season Standings
Race 5 of 10: Circuit of The Americas
Highest Season Finish: 9th (Autódromo José Carlos Pace)
Completed Laps: 1,129/1,154
Provisional Championship Standings: 22nd
Upcoming Race
In just three short weeks, the FIA World Endurance Championship returns to action at Fuji Speedway in Japan. The LMGT3 crews look to continue their qualifying momentum after securing three consecutive pole positions across the two teams, while the Valkyrie squads aim to carry their momentum into the final three races of the season.
