Bowmanville, ON
The Heart of Racing Team's Aston Martin Vantage GT3 No. 27 entry of Roman Den Angelis and Spencer Pumpelly emerged victorious at the IMSA Chevrolet Grand Prix at Canadian Motorsport Park.
Going into the weekend, the highest result of the season was fourth place in Sebring, making this a well-deserved victory after bad luck struck on more than one occasion leading up to the event.
Electrical issues hampered practice sessions for Roman De Angelis and the No.27 Heart of Racing, which the team worked diligently to resolve prior to hitting the track for qualifying. Despite the issues throughout the practice sessions, De Angelis' teammate Pumpelly qualified for the P2 car, showing that the team had the speed to vie for a win.
Pumpelly started the race, moving into the lead early in the going. During an early race caution, Pumpelly relinquished the lead on the restart, but after 18 laps of patience, persistence and strategic attack, things finally paid off, retaking the lead.
De Angelis took the reigns of the Aston Martin on lap 70 and showed his home track experience, growing the lead that Pumpelly had built and eventually taking the win for the No.27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin.
"What a feeling to win here at home with friends and family in attendance. Spencer did an excellent job putting us in a position to win. I was able to build on that momentum. It's been a tough year for us, so it's great to get our first victory of 2024. It shows what the team already knew: we have a car that can compete, and we've just been having bad luck. I'm looking forward to the rest of the season and carrying over the momentum from this event."
