The Heart of Racing Team enters two GTD PRO entries at Battle on the Bricks

The Heart of Racing Team has updated its plan for the upcoming Battle on the Bricks event this weekend, as the team moves from campaigning one GTD PRO and one GTD entry to having two GTD PRO entries for the first-ever 6 hour IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship enduro at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Ross Gunn and Alex Riberas will pilot the No. 23 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 looking to take the GTD PRO championship lead. Roman De Angelis will make his GTD PRO debut, co-driving with Mario Farnbacher in the No. 27 Aston Martin Vantage GT3. 

Gunn, Riberas and the No. 23 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 team are fresh off of a third place finish at VIRginia International Raceway after recovering from a tough qualifying result with a big push forward in the race. Gunn and Riberas head into the penultimate weekend with four podium finishes including a win at the Six Hours at the Glen in June. 

In 2023, IMSA made its return to the Brickyard for the first time since 2014. Gunn and Riberas made their mark on the moment in history by securing a second place finish after starting from fourth for the two hour and 40 minute race. This year IMSA has made the Indianapolis race a six hour enduro as the 2024 calendar featured five rounds of races six hours or more. 

“This point in the season is getting really exciting,” said Gunn. “We have just two races to go and our full focus is on the races ahead. Last year we had a strong run at Indianapolis and this year the goal is to replicate that same success. The Heart of Racing Team has done an awesome job this season to bring consistent results in the championship and I’m very proud of the efforts they have put in up to this point. Everyone is incredibly motivated going into these next two races and from my perspective, I have been preparing as hard as ever and I’m really excited to get back out on track.” 

“I’m really looking forward to Indy,” said Riberas. “We did well last year there, finishing in second place. We head back this year with it being a six hour race, which presents its own increase in difficulty and increased challenge for everybody. It will also be a challenge to be competitive just based on the nature of the track. I think we are going to have to be scrapy and be fighting for every inch through the whole race. I know we come to the track with good strategy, good decision making, good pit stops and hopefully a clean race for us.” 

De Angelis will be making his first start in the GTD PRO class, the Canadian was moved from Silver to Gold driver ranking after the 2023 season, making him eligible for the class move. Last year at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, De Angelis scored fourth after leading the GTD field for 28 laps. 

“I’m looking forward to another IMSA endurance race, especially with this one being the first endurance race at Indy,” said De Angelis. “It’s exciting to be joining the GTD PRO field and driving with Mario! My mindset really doesn’t change much as we always have GTD and GTD PRO cars mixed in and battling. I’m looking forward to the experience and new challenge!” 

Joining De Angelis for the first time this season is Farnbacher, who has been the endurance and fill-in driver for Riberas in the No. 23 Heart of Racing entry for four races so far this season. Farnbacher is no stranger to the Brickyard having competed at the 2.439-mile circuit in 2014 with Team Principal, Ian James, securing a sixth place finish. Since then, the German driver has scored a second (2022) and fourth (2023) place finish there in SRO’s GT World Challenge America eight hour endurance race. 

“I’m really looking forward to teaming up with Roman this weekend,” said the 2020 IMSA GTD Champion, Farnbacher. “This weekend I will be working with the No. 27 team instead of the No. 23 team like I have been with. I’m looking forward to the challenge with Roman, it will be cool to team up with him; he’s a really good, fast, young guy. It’s fantastic to get a chance to get selected from the drivers to be there and a big thank you to the team. We also get to be at the famous Brickyard. I’m really looking forward to the challenge of the endurance race there.” 

The Heart of Racing’s 2022 female driver shootout winner, Hannah Grisham, will make her first IMSA Lamborghini Super Trofeo start with Forty7 Motorsports at Indianapolis Motor Speedway as part of the Battle on the Bricks weekend. Grisham currently drives the No. 26 Heart of Racing SRO Pirelli GT4 America entry alongside Hannah Greenemeier. The duo currently have five podium finishes on the season including a win at Sonoma Raceway. 

“I’m very excited to be racing at Indy this weekend with IMSA in Super Trofeo,” said Grisham. “Indy is a track I’ve had some good fortune at in the past and I’m hoping to carry that into this coming weekend. I’ve only made one prior IMSA start in the Mazda MX-5 Cup, and I’m excited to have the opportunity to be back competing as part of the IMSA weekend.”