Heart of Racing Moves No. 27 Aston to GTD Pro for Indy

Photo: Jake Galstad/IMSA

Heart of Racing Team will campaign two Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evos in the GTD Pro class for this weekend’s Battle on the Bricks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with its No. 27 entry switching classes with a revised driver lineup.

Announced on Wednesday, Roman De Angelis will make his GTD Pro debut alongside Mario Farnbacher in the second Aston.

It comes amid the team’s fight for the GTD Pro championship with Ross Gunn, who sits 17 points from the class lead. Gunn will share the No. 23 car with Alex Riberas, who missed several previous races due to his FIA World Endurance Championship commitments.

The change is also in the wake of the No. 27 GTD entry being stripped of its second place class finish at Virginia International Raceway due to the car being equipped with non-homologated parts.

The class and lineup adjustment results in both Zach Robichon and team principal Ian James, who were scheduled to drive the No. 27 GTD entry with De Angelis, standing down from driving duties this weekend.

It also means, per IMSA regulations, that the No. 27 entry cannot return to the GTD class for the season-ending Motul Petit Le Mans, likely meaning the car will continue in GTD Pro through the ten-hour season finale.

“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.”

Farnbacher added: “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.”

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John