Heart of Racing’s Ross Gunn insists it’s “business as usual” following the shock departure of IMSA SportsCar Championship GTD Pro title rival Seb Priaulx from the championship-leading AO Racing Porsche team.
AO revealed last week that 23-year-old Priaulx was stepping down from Laurens Heinrich “to focus on his increasing commitments at Multimatic.”
An announcement from the team, which has hired Julien Andlauer to exchange him at Road America this weekend, added: “Increasing commitments and scheduling conflicts have forced a quicker-than-expected change.”
Priaulx and Henrich have taken back-to-back GTD Pro victories at Laguna Seca and Detroit to open up a 98-point lead over Gunn, who also has a pair of teammates this 12 months – Mario Farnbacher and Alex Riberas – within the #23 HoR Aston Martin Vantage.
Asked by Motorsport.com for his thoughts on Priaulx stepping out of the automotive he’s racing to win the title, Gunn replied: “I believe it doesn’t really change anything for us. The AO guys have been really strong all 12 months and I’m pretty sure Andlauer did a number of IMSA races last 12 months, so I don’t think he’s had time to get on top of things.
“Of course, he's a really experienced Porsche driver and really fast. So, to be honest, I don't think we're going to vary in that regard. It's nearly specializing in our job and ensuring we do it in one of the best ways possible.
“These guys have been phenomenally fast this year and have done a great job of consistently getting on the podium. I think they’ll definitely be the guys to beat in the future.”
#23 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo: Ross Gunn, Alex Riberas
Photo: Jake Galstad / Motorsports images
While Gunn said it could be “business as usual” for him, he suggested the mid-season driver swap with drivers who’ve been in IMSA regulars could include some risk of creating mistakes.
He added: “Of course, there are some things that the motive force can have to get used to, and there are only two practice sessions to get used to the communication with the team, to get used to the sort of racing, and likewise to the pit stops and the foundations. It’s a giant change in comparison with Europe and the WEC.
“I've raced (Andlauer) quite a few times and Heinrich is obviously a very fast driver as well, so I'm sure they'll have to beat who needs to be beaten. They've still got quite a big lead and they've been fast in the last few races, so it's up to us to do our best and that could open doors for us.”
#23 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo Team: Ross Gunn, Alex Riberas, Ian James
Photo: Michael L. Levitt / Motorsports images
Gunn highlighted Heart of Racing’s recent successes in IMSA and WEC competition, in addition to Aston Martin’s victory on the Spa 24 Hours with Comtoyou Racing, where he finished fourth for Walkenhorst Motorsport.
He believes this dynamic will help him in his quest to perfect AO in IMSA GTD Pro.
“The last few months have been very, very good for Heart of Racing and also for Aston Martin,” said Gunn. “We’ve had a few wins within the WeatherTech Championship, we’ve had a podium within the WEC and Aston won the Spa 24 Hours, so it’s been an incredible period.
“I believe the energy is admittedly positive right away and everybody feels that. For us, we're in a superb position within the championship, not quite where we wish to be, but we've been progressively making progress all year long. At the beginning of the 12 months we were fourth, then third and now second.
“There is a gap to the Porsche at the front, but we will give it our all. We have really positive momentum now.”
