BOWMANVILLE, Ont., July 12-14 — Sometimes things just go right, even when at first it seems they are going wrong. Despite an electrical glitch during practice, it all came together for the Heart of Racing Team’s GTD entry during IMSA’s Chevrolet Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, beginning with driver Spencer Pumpelly delivering a front row seat during qualifying and teammate Roman De Angelis bring home the win on race day.

Last year De Angelis, who hails from Windsor, Ont., and considers CTMP his home track, set a record here during GTD qualifying in the team’s #27 Aston Martin Vantage GT3. This year Pumpelly broke that record with the new Evo Aston by just shy of a tenth of a second, though he was ultimately bested for pole position by Vasser Sullivan’s Frankie Montecalvo in his #12 Lexus RC F GT3.

During the two-hour, 40-minute race, however, after lap 4 when Pumpelly overtook Montecalvo, it was all Spencer Pumpelly (except for the usual pit rotations) — and then, all Roman De Angelis. This included a flawless driver change when Pumpelly handed #27 over to De Angelis, who exited the pits still in the lead.

Said Pumpelly after the race, “The car was awesome. The team was awesome. I knew as soon as I gave Roman the car it was a done deal, and just kind of relaxed the rest of the way. Roman nailed it, and the guys were awesome in the pit box.”

This was the first GTD victory this season for Heart of Racing. Their sister car, the #23 Aston piloted by Ross Gunn and Mario Farnbarcher, placed 5th in GTD Pro. That car, it will be remembered, won the class at Watkins Glen in June. The result at CTMP was good enough to push the team into 2nd place in championship points.

With a win and a top-five finish for the Astons, it was a pretty good day for British machinery. It was made all the sweeter by a podium finish in GTD by Inception Racing’s #70 McLaren 720S GT3 Evo, with driver Frederik Schandorff moving up through the field and grabbing and holding 3rd place in the race’s final seven minutes.

Another car to watch at CTMP — and in its plaid livery, special for this race, how could it be missed? — was Pfaff Motorsports’ #9 McLaren entry in GTD Pro.

Pfaff was celebrating two anniversaries, its 50th IWSC race and the 60th year since the founding of the Pfaff dealership group in 1964. With a 2nd-place finish at Watkins Glen just behind it, the Canadian team was looking forward to a good result on their home turf.

An unfortunately long pit stop caused by a seized wheel lug dropped driver Oliver Jarvis several positions, but he was able to regain position and finished right after Ross Gunn in the #23 Aston. Not top five, but 6th, which Jarvis after the race said was “disappointing” considering all the Pfaff fans that had shown up at CTMP, wearing plaid, to root for them. It was still good for 274 championship points.

A three-class race

Easing track traffic somewhat was the absence of GTP prototypes, the fastest cars (though not necessarily the nimblest) in a typical IWSC race. The “top” class at CTMP was Le Mans Prototype 2, and nearly all the entries were Oreca LMP2 07s. As British Marque readers know, all the cars in that class are powered by U.K.-built Gibson V8 engines, as opposed to the GTPs, which have engines of various configurations from proprietary manufacturers — Porsche, Acura, Cadillac, or BMW.

But there was still plenty of traffic, with the slower GT cars often presenting “rolling chicanes” for the prototypes to work around, and GT drivers constantly watching their rear view mirrors for fast-approaching LMP2s.

The mix of classes had other impacts as well. The crash of one of the LMP2s into the tire wall at Turn 9 in the last quarter-hour of the race led to a short caution period for everyone that was either welcomed or cursed by the GT crews — a chance for a last-minute dash into the pits for some, and a lost opportunity for others to run full-throttle and maybe gain position.

After seven-and-a-half minutes the race returned to green. The white flag waved for the leaders on their last lap, and then the checkered.

The overall victory went to Nick Boulle and Tom Dillman, in Inter Europol’s #52 Oreca LMP2 07. Alexander Sims and Antonio Garcia grabbed the GTD Pro win in Corvette Racing’s #3 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R, and, as already mentioned, it was Spencer Pumpelly and Roman De Angelis in Heart of Racing’s #27 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo in GTD.

Corvette Racing also took 2nd in GTD Pro with their #4 car, breaking the jinx about naming IMSA races after manufacturers — in case you remember how the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach and the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix turned out.

[With thanks to IMSA commentator John Oreovicz, IMSA Radio, the Heart of Racing Team, and Lee Driggers’ Pit Notes.]

ELKHART LAKE, Wisc., Aug. 4 — The 2024 edition of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship keeps going from strength to strength, with British machinery and British drivers the motivating force.

The latest IWSC session was at Road America and called the IMSA Sports Car Weekend. The overall win was taken in dramatic fashion by the Porsche Penske 963 piloted by British driver Nick Tandy and France’s Mathieu Jaminet, who finished just ahead of their Penske sister car.

In LMP2, it was a British team (United Autosports) taking their first IMSA win, with American Ben Keating and Manchester, England native Ben Hanley sharing the driving duties.

In GTD Pro, Ferrari took top honors, with BMW 2nd — but the Heart of Racing Team’s Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo completed the podium.

In GTD, BMW came out on top, with Inception Racing’s McLaren 720S Evo taking 2nd and the popular “Roxy” Porsche, resplendent in pink and sporting dinosaur teeth, finishing 3rd. Heart of Racing’s GTD entry placed 9th, a disappointment after taking the class win at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park in July.

The details

For the United Autosports’ “two Bens” (Keating and Hanley), the LMP2 victory was all the more sweet considering the work the team had to do to even get into the race after Keating heavily damaged the #2 machine in practice. The team repaired the car in time for qualifying, and then the two drivers put in an excellent combo drive to lead most of the race, and most importantly be in the front at the finish.

Ben Hanley said in a post-race interview, “Around here, a gap of four or five seconds can go away in a lap. It depends on when you are catching the GT traffic. That can make or break your race around here. I was still pushing hard right to the end.”

Heart of Racing’s GTD Pro podium was a mix of good pit strategy and luck. Alex Riberas started the #23 Aston in 8th place, a position he held until he pitted for fuel on lap 9 under a full-course caution. Gaining position in the scramble, he passed the car on to Ross Gunn on lap 28, who got a full tank of fuel and new tires.

There were multiple caution periods throughout the two-hour, 40-minute race. During the third caution, Gunn was called to pit lane for a splash of fuel and collided with another GTD Pro car that was pulling out of its pit box. Gunn was forced to pass his own pit box, unable to get fuel. Bad luck? Not really. The other car was assessed a penalty for the incident, and when the race restarted Gunn found himself in 2nd place.

There were two more yellows to come, which slackened the pace of the field and stretched fuel supplies. Gunn later commented that for him that was fortunate, as #23 was “very, very tight on fuel.”

Heart of Racing’s GTD team, Zach Robichon and Roman De Angelis, started strong with an excellent qualifying run by Robichon that placed their #27 Aston 2nd. Pit rotations worked against them on race day, however, and by the time De Angelis took over #27 was running 7th. Their misfortune continued when De Angelis had contact with a GTD Pro cars on at least two occasions and then had to deal with a steering issue.

A late call into the pits for new tires during the race’s final caution had De Angelis restarting 11th, but he was able to gain two positions by race’s end.

Inception Racing’s Brendan Iribe meanwhile benefited from an excellent pit stop and exit during the second caution period, even gaining praise from IMSA commentator Shea Adam for gaining a couple of GTD positions.

Iribe’s co-driver, Frederik Schandorff, drove most of his race in 3rd place, which changed when the leading Ferrari had a lengthy pit stop in the last 23 minutes of the race. This boosted Schandorff’s McLaren into 2nd and a Lexus into the lead. But a BMW then passed the McLaren, the Lexus had to pit at the last minute for fuel, and the shuffle brought the McLaren once again to 2nd, where it finished behind the BMW.

A record crowd

The race at Road America, “America’s National Park of Speed,” certainly built upon the fantastic season of racing that started in January at Daytona and will conclude at Petit Le Mans in October. A record crowd showed up to watch the cars and drivers of IMSA compete on the 4.08-mile, natural-terrain road course that winds up and down the hills around the picturesque village of Elkhart Lake.

The weather was perfect all weekend, if a bit hot, but for once there was no rain to interfere with the racing action that took place on a course that many, if not most, of the IMSA drivers list as their favorite in the United States.

Now we are getting down to the end of the 2024 IMSA racing season, with three rounds remaining for the GT classes (VIR, Indianapolis and Petit Le Mans), and only two left for the prototype classes, GTP and LMP2 (Indianapolis and Petit Le Mans).

Championships are still up for grabs in all classes, with Aston Martin in a solid 2nd place among manufacturers in both GTD Pro and GTD, and Heart of Racing driver Ross Gunn 2nd among drivers. Anything is liable to happen in the final races of the season and the outcome might not be determined until the last lap of Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta on October 12th.

We are looking forward to seeing how this year’s IWSC plays out in the coming weeks. There is a chance that we could see British drivers come out on top of all the class championships: GTP, LMP2, GTD Pro and GTD. Stay tuned.

[With thanks to the Heart of Racing Team, IMSA Radio, and Lee Driggers’ Pit Notes.]

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y., Jun. 22-23 — The Heart of Racing Team finished at the top of IMSA’s GTD Pro class at the 2024 running of the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen — marking the first North American victory for their new Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo.

The team played the strategy just right and took over the class lead on the last lap of the race when the class-leading #4 Corvette Z06 GT3.R driven by Tommy Milner had to peel off and into the pits for a splash of fuel at the beginning of the last lap.

Ross Gunn in the winning Aston Martin knew the Corvette was low on fuel and kept the pressure on, forcing the Corvette’s hand and grabbing the lead at the very last moment.

Gunn commented later than he and the team knew it was “really important not to take any unnecessary risks, but if there was a chance, take it” — and so he did.

“I could see that whenever [Milner in the Corvette] had a tiny gap, he was lifting and coasting in Turn 8 and Turn 1. I just made sure I pressed him as hard as I could. In the end, it was enough.”

While Heart of Racing took the top spot in GTD Pro, their sister car, running in the GTD class, failed to finish after getting caught out on slick tires when a sudden rainstorm quickly flooded the circuit. The #27 Aston slid off the track and was hit by another GTD car in the process. With left front suspension damage and lots of body damage, driver Zacharie Robichon made it back to the pits but the Aston’s day was done.

The huge rainstorm caught a lot of the competitors by surprise, and cars were sliding off all around the 3.4-mile historic Grand Prix circuit. Drivers had difficulty keeping up with the safety car as they followed it under yellow, on slicks, and spins and slides continued. It actually got so bad that the race was red-flagged for some 40 minutes so the flooded track could drain.

The skies eventually cleared, the track dried — and it set up a mad 16-minute dash to the finish.

It turned out to be a good day for British marques in GTD Pro. Not only did Aston Martin snag the win, McLaren finished 2nd. Pfaff Motorsports’ #9 McLaren 720S GT3 Evo, driven by Marvin Kirchhöffer, came in just 1.34 seconds behind Ross Gunn.

Said Kirchhöffer’s co-driver Oliver Jarvis, “It was a fantastic result for the team. Coming into the race, we knew it was going to be difficult, not having the outright pace of our competitors, but as usual the team did an outstanding job: perfect strategy and a little bit of luck got us to the podium, getting some good points.

“For us, the turning point was the downpour,” Jarvis added. “We were on a slightly different strategy than everyone in front, and when the heavens opened, at one point it looked like it was going to hurt us. But as the track dried, our slicks on the restart were key, allowing us to move up a number of positions.

“It was a small reward for all the hard work the team put in. Now we look forward to our home race and hopefully fight for a win there.”

Also in the mix for the Six Hours were the #44 Magnus Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo, finishing 4th in GTD, and the #70 Inception Racing McLaren 720S GT3 Evo, finishing 14th in GTD.

Inception’s McLaren led the class for 22 laps at the hands of driver Ollie Millroy but lost several positions after the restart following the red flag. While winding up 14th, Millroy’s co-driver Frederik Schandorff failed to meet the minimum driver time and the car was moved to last place in class (21st) by race officials.

Meeting a similar fate was the 2nd-placed #120 Porsche 911 GT3R of Wright Motorsports and driver Jan Heylen. Dropping that car to the back of the GTD field elevated the Magnus Aston to 3rd and the podium.

As the man said, it’s not over till it’s over.

Next up for the IMSA WeatherTech series: Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, July 14th. That’s the home track for Pfaff Motorsports, which explains Jarvis’ comment about their “home race.” Read the September issue for more.

[With thanks to John Dagys, Sportscar365, for the post-race results update, and Lee Driggers’ Pit Notes.]

DETROIT, Mich., Jun. 1 — The Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic. Like Long Beach, except in Detroit. A 100-minute race named after a participating manufacturer, only two classes, and a street course. With the turns mostly at right angles, even more challenging than Long Beach.

But in the end, the Heart of Racing Team and their #23 GTD Pro Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo came through it with a 3rd-place finish, their first podium in the new car.

It was a race characterized by five different caution periods, incidents where it was difficult to lay blame, and gutting reversals of fortune. Here are the details.

The two classes running were Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) and GT Daytona (GTD) Pro. A split-start lap bunched the GTPs ahead of the GTD Pros before the green flag waved. The adrenaline flowed right away as cars at or near the top of the grid faltered almost immediately, some never really recovering.

Most dramatic was GTD Pro pole sitter Antonio Garcia’s #3 Corvette taking a dive into the pits with alternator problems — advancing teammate Tommy Milner in the #4 Corvette to the class lead and Ross Gunn in Heart of Racing’s #23 Aston Martin to 5th.

Meanwhile, Harry Tincknell’s #64 Ford Mustang, which had started behind Gunn, had slowed and stopped on the track and waited for a tow rope. This brought out the first full-course caution.

All this happened in the first two minutes of the race. There were still 98 to go.

The race returned to green soon enough and all the cars seemed to settle into position, with Brit driver Nick Tandy taking his #6 GTP Porsche into a four-second lead over Felipe Albuquerque’s #10 GTP Acura. In GTD Pro, Milner stayed at the front, Gunn was still 5th, and another Brit driver, Oliver Jarvis, had placed his #9 McLaren 6th.

The top five cars in GTD Pro were within 10 seconds of leader Milner, but the 6th-place McLaren was nearly 45 seconds behind — and more than 35 seconds behind the Aston.

About this time the pit rotations began with driver changes and most cars taking fuel and tires. Each team had the same strategy — the new driver would finish the race, even though there was nearly an hour and a half to go. Gunn handed the Aston to Alex Riberas, and Jarvis gave the McLaren to Marvin Kirchhöfer.

Five more yellows would follow, with more misfortune for the Corvette team.

Fifty-three minutes into it the #4 car, now driven by Nick Catsburg and still leading its class, had to head for the pits after the #14 Lexus of Ben Barnicoat hit it on one of the course’s tight turns. Catsburg returned to the race, only to return to the pits for an extended stop afterward that dropped him to 9th.

Barnicoat’s car, meanwhile, was shedding pieces of broken carbon fiber that some were saying would surely lead to a mechanical black flag. (It didn’t.)

Then came a spectacular incident involving contact between two GTP cars, again on a turn, with one spun almost 180° and facing the oncoming traffic. The track was blocked completely and the ensuing logjam had safety crews called out as drivers tried to free their cars to salvage their positions. Some were more successful than others, particularly in GTP. The #7 GTP Porsche driven by Felipe Nasr, for example, went from 8th to 4th under the yellow.

Riberas was 3rd and Kirchhöfer was nipping at the Aston’s heels. It looked like a British manufacturer was headed for the podium, but which one? With 36 minutes to go, Kirchhöfer passed Riberas but their street fight was far from over.

With less than three minutes on the clock, the McLaren was in the tires at Turn 3 after what looked like a nudge from Riberas’ Aston. Fortunately for the Heart of Racing Team, race control recommended no action be taken against Riberas after reviewing the circumstances.

The Aston was on the podium, with Laurin Heinrich’s #77 Porsche taking the GTD Pro win and Ben Barnicoat’s #14 Lexus, still scarred and dropping carbon fiber, placing 2nd.

The result means major championship points for Ross Gunn, now 3rd in the drivers’ championship, Heart of Racing, now 3rd in the team championship, and Aston Martin, now 3rd among the manufacturers, behind Porsche and Lexus.

IMSA commentators are fond of offering “three takeaways” from each IWSC race. Here are mine from Detroit.

Street races are mean. There is little space to pass, and virtually no space to run off, get your bearings, look for a clearing and rejoin the race. If you start at the front, you have a good chance of ending there or at least with a respectable finish if your car stays in one piece. But expect a lot of yellows that can upend this if you snag a penalty or are outfoxed when leaving the pits. Not to mention all the bumping that was seen in Detroit…

Fortune favors the brave. And the brilliant, which is how reporter Lee Driggers of Pit Notes described the move by #10 GTP Acura driver Ricky Taylor to pass race leader Mathieu Jaminet in the #6 GTP Porsche on the inside of Turn 3 — where most drivers would ease up and brake — and go on to take the win.

But as IMSA Radio’s John Hindhaugh observed before the race, patience may be more important than pace on a tight course like this. Many drivers were not as lucky as Taylor (or Alex Riberas) when choosing to make their move and had to face the penalty.

Riberas would comment afterward, “We arrived with a car that was not really a car to be in the top five in terms of pace, but the team once again performed to simple perfection. The strategy, the pit stop driver change, the car set-up, it was all optimized as much as we could. At the end of the day, that’s what great teams do.”

Maybe automobile manufacturers shouldn’t name races. Acura lent its name to the Grand Prix of Long Beach, and the two Acura GTPs finished near and at the bottom of the grid, 8th and 10th in class. The race in Detroit was named after Chevrolet, and the GTD Pro Corvettes #3 and #4 ended up 10th and 9th — after #3 had taken the pole in qualifying and #4 placed 2nd. (See takeaway #1.)

Perhaps that jinx will be broken at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park in July, when the Chevrolet Grand Prix takes place. We’ll see. We still have the Six Hours of the Glen to go at press time, and we’ll be concentrating our coverage on that one next issue.

[With thanks to IMSA TV, the Heart of Racing Team, and Lee Driggers’ Pit Notes.]