Gunn on track at Daytona

PIT STOP PRACTICE: Aston Martin's Team Heart of Racing Valkyrie AMR-LMH was in action at the Daytona International Speedway last weekend. (Photo courtesy of IMSA)

Vale-based racing star Ross Gunn joined fellow Heart of Racing Aston Martin drivers, Alex Riberas and Roman De Angelis, at the Daytona International Speedway in Florida last weekend.

They were there to participate in a pre-season IMSA sanctioned test at the wheel of the marque's brand new V12-powered Valkyrie AMR-LMH car, write James and Freddie Beckett.

Ahead of the car's competition debut during the 2025 season, the Heart of Racing Team’s Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR-LMH completed a total of 274 laps over the course of the two-day test at the famous Florida track.

It does though remain unclear if the car will make its competition debut in January’s Rolex 24 at Daytona or instead wait until the FIA World Endurance Championship season-opener in Qatar, some four weeks later.

Carrying the number 23, the Aston Martin’s best lap of the weekend came at the hands of Vale-based Ross Gunn, whose lap time of 1:37.169 around the Daytona International Speedway road course was the quickest out of the three Valkyrie AMR-LMH drivers, although the time was some 1.5 seconds slower than the pace-setting No. 63 Iron Lynx Lamborghini SC63 of former Grand Prix racer, Romain Grosjean.

“We were in Bahrain for a Michelin tyre test. It’s going to plan so far,” Heart of Racing Team Principal Ian James said.

“We’ve just tested in Atlanta, we have conducted this test at Daytona and we continue at Sebring in Florida next week, and then we will regroup and look through the car's data.

“I think with any new car there are a few new car niggles, but other than that, it’s been a pretty good run.

"It's safe to say it was great to see the car on the high banks of Daytona and it was rewarding for Ross [Gunn] to set the fastest time in the car."

The Heart of Racing Teaam are set to run a single entry car in the US-based IMSA WeatherTech Championship effort, but will field a two car line-up in the FIA World Endurance Championship.

Ross Gunn is a factory contracted Aston Martin GT racer, and is enjoying a good career with the famous British manufacturer, but Ian James adds, “There are no confirmed drivers at this time for race seats in 2025, but everybody that’s driven the car seems to be enjoying it.”