​Daytona dismay for Vale-based Ross Gunn

It was a disappointing end to the race for the GT3 specification GTD Pro class car that Gunn was sharing at the Daytona International Speedway with Roman De Angelis, Alex Riberas and Marco Sorensen.

De Angelis was just five laps into his stint behind the wheel of the car that had just moved into top five contention when the right rear wheel fell off, ending the Aston Martin's hopes of success.

Gunn said: "After all the preparation for the event, it was a shame for us to park early. It was disappointing for the team and crew of the 007 Aston Martin, although the team were able to celebrate a podium finish with the number 27 Aston Martin."

The Rolex Daytona 24 Hours is America's leading endurance event, the race having good links to the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the famous Automobile Club de l'Ouest. Once again the race in Florida attracted a large international entry of GT and Prototyope classes, with the Heart of Racing Team’s two Aston Martin Vantage cars forming part of the packed GTD Pro and GTD classes.

The number 27 Heart of Racing car crossed the line third in class at the end driven by Casper Stevenson, Mattia Drudi, Zacharie Robichon and Tom Gamble - scoring the team’s first podium of the new 2025 IMSA WeatherTech season.

Heart of Racing team principal, Ian James, said, “What a great way to end the 24 Hours at Daytona with the number 27 car. It's a special place for the team here, and to get on the podium is an amazing achievement. It is though unfortunate what happened to the 007 car during the night, they were in a really good position to have a good result as well.

"Everybody on the number 27 crew, and everybody working with 007 really joined together, and we executed as well as we possibly could. The team did 100% what they needed to do and to be leading the GTD class with fifteen minutes to go. We were daring to believe there for a while but still a podium is a great way to start the year in our IMSA campaign. We have lots to look forward to this year."