 | |
| Founded | 2014 |
|---|---|
| Base | Seattle, Washington, United States |
| Teamprincipal(s) | Ian James |
| Founder(s) | Ian James Gabe Newell Yahn Bernier |
| Current series | FIA World Endurance Championship GT4 America Series IMSA SportsCar Championship Middle East Trophy GT America Series |
| Former series | D1NZ North Island Enduro Series GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup Porsche Carrera Cup Germany Porsche Supercup 24H Series |
| Current drivers |  Roman De Angelis Mario Farnbacher Hannah Greenemeier Hannah Grisham Ross GunnIan James Darren Kelly Daniel Mancinelli Gray Newell Alex RiberasZacharie Robichon |
| Noted drivers |  Maxime Martin Marco Sørensen |
| Teams' Championships | 2019, 2021D1NZ, 2021 North Island Enduro Series, 2022IMSA GTD |
| Drivers' Championships | 2019, 2021D1NZ, 2021 North Island Enduro Series, 2022IMSA GTD |
| Website | www |
The Heart of Racing (also known as theHeart of Racing Team or simplyHeart of Racing) is an Americanauto racing team established by British racing driverIan James,[1] American businessmanGabe Newell,[2] and American developer Yahn Bernier.[3][4] The team primarily competes insports car racing with factory support fromAston Martin. Additionally, Heart of Racing races in support ofSeattle Children's Hospital inSeattle,Washington.
The name “The Heart of Racing” began as a fundraising campaign created byTeam Seattle in 1997 to benefitSeattle Children’s Hospital inSeattle,Washington.[5] That campaign has continued ever since, with the hospital receiving proceeds from every race in which the team competes. FormerTeam Seattle driver Ian James subsequently founded a racing team of the same name; together withTeam Seattle andAlex Job Racing, it contested theIMSA SportsCar Championship for three seasons, concluding its initial programme in 2016.
From 2014 to 2016 the combined operation fieldedPorsche 911 GT3 cars and finished inside the top five ofIMSA’s GT Daytona (GTD) class in two of those three seasons. In 2015 The Heart of Racing also supportedMichael Ammermüller andLechner Racing in thePorsche Carrera Cup Germany, where Ammermüller placed fourth overall with six podium finishes. The team broadened its activities into drifting, winning theD1NZ series in both the 2019 and 2021 seasons with New Zealander Darren Kelly in a modifiedNissan GT‑R.
After a three‑year hiatus, The Heart of Racing returned toIMSA competition in 2020, once again in the GTD class, this time with factory support fromAston Martin. The driver line‑up comprisedRoman De Angelis,Alex Riberas,Ian James,Nicki Thiim andDarren Turner. The team’s best result that year was second place at the12 Hours of Sebring.[6]
The team’s first victory came at the2021 Detroit Sports Car Classic, whereRoman De Angelis andRoss Gunn were promoted to first place after CarBahn with Peregrine Racing was disqualified for breaching the mandatory 40‑second refuelling rule.[7] De Angelis and Gunn won again at the2021 Northeast Grand Prix. Joined by Ian James, they added a third win at that season’sPetit Le Mans, and the No. 23 Aston Martin ultimately finished third in the GTD championship standings.
The Heart of Racing also entered the2021 GT4 America Series with anAston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 driven by Ian James and Gray Newell, son of Gabe Newell. The pair finished 13th in Pro‑Am, taking a victory in the second race atWatkins Glen. In the2023 GT4 America season, De Angelis and Newell placed fourth in Pro‑Am, while Hannah Grisham and Rianna O’Meara‑Hunt finished sixth in the Am class. Additionally, Alex Riberas and Darren Kelly secured the 2021 North Island Enduro Series title in New Zealand.[8]
For the2022 season, The Heart of Racing expanded its IMSA programme by entering a second No. 23 Aston Martin Vantage in the GTD Pro class, with Alex Riberas and Ross Gunn contesting the full season. Roman De Angelis returned to drive the No. 27 entry in the GTD class. Ian James, Darren Turner,Maxime Martin, andTom Gamble also joined the team for selected rounds across both classes.[9]
Each car secured two race victories during the season, including a standout performance at the2022 Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen, where the team achieved a rare double class win - triumphing in both GTD and GTD Pro.[10] The No. 23 car concluded the season fourth in the GTD Pro standings, while the No. 27 entry and De Angelis were crowned GTD class champions.[11]
The team also supported the development of Darren Kelly’sFormula DriftAston Martin Vantage, which debuted in the2022 Formula D season. The drift car was powered by a twin‑supercharged6.0‑litre Aston Martin V12 and incorporated components from both the GT3 and GT4 versions of the Vantage.[12]
In the2023 season, both Heart of Racing entries finished inside the top five of their respective IMSA championship classes: the No. 23 Aston Martin placed fifth in GTD Pro, while the No. 27 car secured second place in the GTD standings. A major highlight of the year came at the24 Hours of Daytona, where The Heart of Racing claimed its first class victory at the iconic event. The No. 27 GTD entry, driven byRoman De Angelis,Marco Sørensen,Ian James, andDarren Turner, not only won its class but also finished ahead of the GTD Pro-winning car - a rare feat.[13]
The No. 23 car also added two more wins during the season, with victories atRoad America andLime Rock Park. The No. 27 entry also triumphed at Lime Rock, marking another double class win for the team.[14]
Following the retirement ofPaul Dalla Lana, The Heart of Racing took over theNorthWest AMR entry in the2023 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) as part of a mid‑season transition, beginning with the6 Hours of Spa‑Francorchamps.[15] The revised driver line‑up featuredAlex Riberas,Ian James, andDaniel Mancinelli.[16] Although the team continued to race under the NorthWest AMR banner in compliance with WEC regulations,[17] they delivered consistent results, finishing in the top seven at all remaining rounds - exceptMonza - including a third-place podium finish at the8 Hours of Bahrain.[18]
Later in 2023, The Heart of Racing announced that it would leadAston Martin’s revivedValkyrie AMR Pro programme for the2025 season, marking the manufacturer's renewed commitment to top-class endurance racing following its earlier decision in 2020 to pause the project in favour ofFormula One.[2] The team is partnering withMultimatic to support the technical and operational aspects of the programme.[19]
In 2024, The Heart of Racing confirmed its plans to field two Aston Martin Valkyrie prototypes in the Hypercar class for the2025 FIA World Endurance Championship and the24 Hours of Le Mans.[20][21] This announcement followed a regulation change byWEC organisers requiring all Hypercar entrants to run a minimum of two cars in order to compete at Le Mans.[22] The car, officially named theValkyrie AMR‑LMH, completed its firstshakedown tests in July atSilverstone Circuit andDonington Park. Participating in the test were Aston Martin factory driverDarren Turner, Multimatic driverHarry Tincknell, and Heart of Racing’sMario Farnbacher.[23][24]
In the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship, The Heart of Racing entered under its own name for the first time, fully replacing NorthWest AMR as the second official Aston Martin team. The team retained its existing driver line-up of Ian James, Alex Riberas, and Daniel Mancinelli. During the season, the team secured its first LMGT3 class victory at the2024 Lone Star Le Mans,[25] having started from pole position. Over the course of the campaign, they collected three podium finishes and concluded the season fifth in theLMGT3 championship standings.
In the2024 IMSA SportsCar Championship,Mario Farnbacher joined the team to replaceDavid Pittard in the No. 23 GTD Pro entry, partnering withRoss Gunn andAlex Riberas.Spencer Pumpelly andZacharie Robichon took over fromDarren Turner in the No. 27 GTD entry.[26] At theIMSA Battle on the Bricks, the No. 27 car was reclassified to the GTD Pro class and ran under the number No. 027. Late in the season,Ross Gunn entered a close battle for the GTD Pro Drivers’ Championship withAO Racing’sLaurin Heinrich. At the final round, the2024 Petit Le Mans, Gunn had a chance to claim the title following a gearbox issue that hindered Heinrich’s team. However, Gunn was unable to overtakeDaniel Serra for second place, ultimately finishing third in the race and second in the final championship standings.[27]
In the2024 GT4 America Series, The Heart of Racing participated in the first four rounds.Roman De Angelis and Gray Newell achieved two podium finishes during that span.
| Year | Entrant | Class | No | Chassis | Engine | Drivers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Pos. | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | SEB | POR | SPA | LMS | MZA | FUJ | BHR | |||||||||
| NorthWest AMR[a] | LMGTE Am | 98 | Aston Martin Vantage AMR | Aston MartinM177 4.0 L Turbo V8 | Ian JamesDaniel MancinelliAlex Riberas | 7 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 9th | 51 | |||||
| 2024 | QAT | ITA | SPA | LMS | SAP | COA | FUJ | BHR | ||||||||
| Heart of Racing Team | LMGT3 | 27 | Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo | Aston MartinM177 4.0 L Turbo V8 | Ian JamesDaniel MancinelliAlex Riberas | 2 | 5 | 11 | Ret | 2 | 1 | 9 | 11 | 5th | 83 | |
| 2025 | QAT | ITA | SPA | LMS | SAO | COA | FUJ | BHR | ||||||||
| Aston Martin THOR Team | Hypercar | 007 | Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR-LMH | Aston Martin RA 6.5 L V12 | Tom GambleRoss GunnHarry Tincknell | Ret | 18 | 13 | 14 | 16 | Ret | Ret | 15 | 8th | 24 | |
| 009 | Roman De AngelisAlex RiberasMarco Sørensen | 17 | 17 | 14 | 12 | 13 | Ret | 5 | 7 | |||||||
| Heart of Racing Team | LMGT3 | 27 | Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo | Aston MartinM177 4.0 L Turbo V8 | Ian JamesMattia DrudiZacharie Robichon | 6 | Ret | 5 | 4 | 14 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 4th | 86 | |
* Season still in progress.
| Year | Entrant | No. | Car | Drivers | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | NorthWest AMR[a] | 98 | Aston Martin Vantage AMR | Ian JamesDaniel MancinelliAlex Riberas | LMGTE Am | 310 | 33rd | 6th |
| 2024 | Heart of Racing Team | 27 | Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo | Ian JamesDaniel MancinelliAlex Riberas | LMGT3 | 196 | DNF | DNF |
| 2025 | Aston Martin THOR Team | 007 | Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR-LMH | Tom GambleRoss GunnHarry Tincknell | Hypercar | 381 | 14th | 14th |
| 009 | Roman De AngelisAlex RiberasMarco Sørensen | 383 | 12th | 12th | ||||
| Heart of Racing Team | 27 | Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo | Mattia DrudiIan JamesZacharie Robichon | LMGT3 | 341 | 36th | 4th |
| # | Season | Date | Classes | Track / Race | No. | Winning drivers | Chassis | Engine |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2024 | September 1 | LMGT3 | Circuit of the Americas | 27 | Ian James /Daniel Mancinelli /Alex Riberas | Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo | Aston MartinM177 4.0 L Turbo V8 |