James Explains Two-Driver Valkyrie Lineups for COTA

The Heart of Racing team principal Ian James says he believes sticking to two-driver lineups for its Aston Martin Valkyrie Hypercars for this weekend’s Lone Star Le Mans round of the FIA World Endurance Championship is the right solution for the team given its lack of experience at the Circuit of The Americas.

Only the two Valkyries are running without third drivers for this weekend’s sixth round of the WEC season, with Porsche Penske Motorsport notably opting to bring back its additional drivers due to concerns about the high temperatures at COTA.

It means Harry Tincknell and Tom Gamble are driving as a duo in the No. 007 Aston Martin, while Marco Sorensen and Alex Riberas share the No. 009 car.

Despite the fact that Heart of Racing third drivers Ross Gunn and Roman De Angelis have no clashing commitments this weekend, James said he felt the benefits of the regular quartet getting more track time outweighed any fitness concerns.

“None of the drivers have been here with this car before, and track time in the practice sessions is so valuable leading up to it,” James told Sportscar365.

“Even in FP1, we saw how disjointed it was with the red flags and interruptions. That is more important than having a third driver trying to slot in.

“I talked to the drivers and they feel physically up to it. They are super-fit and I think the best way to manage learning the track and evolving the car is to stick to two drivers.”

Asked whether the team has either Gunn or De Angelis on-site as a reserve driver, James replied: “No. We’re all in! But Roman is only a quick flight away.”

For his part, Tincknell agreed that sharing the cockpit with just one other driver in the hot conditions was manageable, pointing out that the Valkyrie had received an update to its air conditioning system in time for this weekend’s race.

“It’s not going to be easy with two drivers, but we have been training hard and Aston believe in our fitness regime,” he said. “We’ve got great physios here and we’ve got our ice-cold paddling pool ready to jump into after our stints!

“At the end of the day, this is a learning year for us, so if it’s a bit harder for us in the race, it’s good conditioning for next year.

“We’re testing the car and we’re testing ourselves. I’m not overly concerned. I won’t be easy, but we’ll get through it.”

Heart of Racing enjoyed a positive start to the COTA weekend in terms of performance on Friday practice, as both cars were inside the top four in first practice, with Tincknell second in the No. 007 car, with Riberas going third-fastest in FP2 aboard the No. 009.

While keen to manage expectations for the rest of the weekend, James said he was “very encouraged” by the form shown by both Valkyries on Friday.

“We’ve been grinding it out, making improvements,” said James. “The IMSA car has been helping us to evolve as well, so I think we’re learning fast and making good steps forward.

“We shouldn’t get too far ahead of ourselves. It’s still a young program. I think we just have to show improvements and the results will come when they come.

“Even being in the top six in practice with both cars, that’s already the headline for the weekend. We’re happy with that. It shows we’re making genuine progress.”

Looking back on Friday’s running, Tincknell paid tribute to the team’s work in further refining the Valkyrie during the break since July’s Sao Paulo round, while also pointing out the high temperatures at COTA may be boosting the car’s competitiveness.

The British driver said: “Straight out of the pits, the car felt like you could push on the cold tires. That was nice because the warm-up has been one of our weaker points. The hot temperatures here are really helping us.

“To maintain that pace through the session, and be right up there in FP1 was great. In FP2 we had traffic on our qualifying sim, but both cars were still inside the Hyperpole range, so it’s pretty exciting.

“All the work we’ve been doing on the test track and simulator, it’s nice to take it to a big track and it not only works but makes us quicker.

“The steps forward in electronics, they all add up to lap time. You don’t need to rotate the car more or get the car working better with the traction control by much to gain a lot of time when it’s nearly a two-minute lap. A couple of tenths make a big difference.”