The Heart of Racing will be entering an Aston Martin Vantage GT3 into the GTD class for the 2020 IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Championship, marking the British marque's return to the championship.
The new team will be led by Ian James, who has teamed up with Gabe Newell and Yahn Bernier to bring The Heart of Racing back to IMSA competition after three years. It last appeared in 2016, entering a Porsche 911 GT3 R into the same category. Back then, the team was run in association with Alex Job Racing and featured James, Alex Riberas and Mario Farnbacher as drivers.
This new effort will be run with support from Aston Martin Racing, who will be supporting the team as the new Vantage GT3 makes its competitive debut in North America.
“There are so many things to be excited about for 2020,” James commented. “To set up a new team and align ourselves with the Aston Martin brand in North America is an amazing opportunity.
"The car has been competitive all around the world in 2019, and we are delighted to partner with Aston Martin Racing and bring it to North America.
"The Heart of Racing and Aston Martin have both had a three-year break from the IMSA championship, so we’ve got a lot of making up to do, but are under no illusion on how tough the IMSA series is with all the great teams and drivers we have to compete against.”
“The United States obviously represents a huge market for Aston Martin Racing and as such it is fantastic to see Heart of Racing return to IMSA with one of our Vantage GT3s,” said Aston Martin Racing president David King.
“The success of the new Vantage in its first year of customer racing means that we will see more exciting programs extend our reach further around the world next year, and we very much expect Heart of Racing to be a key pillar in our overall U.S. motorsport strategy in 2020.”
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