Aston Martin: Top 10 finish on IMSA debut at Sebring “unbelievable”
The Valkyrie not only finished the race but also bagged some points on its maiden appearance
Aston Martin driver Alex Riberas has described the British manufacturer’s top 10 result on its IMSA SportsCar Championship debut at the Sebring 12 Hours as “unbelievable”.
After skipping January’s Daytona 24 Hours season opener, Aston Martin joined the GTP field at Sebring last weekend, with Riberas, Ross Gunn and Roman de Angelis finishing a solid ninth in the #23 Valkyrie LMH, two laps down on the winning #7 Porsche 963 driven by Nick Tandy, Laurens Vanthoor and Felipe Nasr.
The Heart of Racing-squad encountered a few issues along the way, including a drive-through penalty for failing to adhere to controlled powertrain perimeters, but it was largely a smooth outing for the #23 crew.
The result was also encouraging for Aston after a troubled first outing for the V12-powered Valkyrie in the World Endurance Championship season opener in Qatar, where the #009 car finished 23 laps down and the sister entry retired from the race.
Riberas, who set the fastest time in the #23 Valkyrie at Sebring, praised the team for producing a car that could tackle the bumpy former airfield track for 12 straight hours.
“It’s an amazing feeling,” he said. “We came here with really no expectations because we knew that Sebring was going to be one of the toughest challenges we would face as a team with a new car.
“We really didn’t think we could come here and do what we just did – to finish the race, and not just that but in the top ten as well. It’s unbelievable. I’m very happy and very proud of the whole team and everybody at The Heart of Racing and Aston Martin.
“It’s a great start and this is only the beginning.”
Heart of Racing team principal Ian James described Aston’s debut IMSA appearance as “momentous” for the Valkyrie programme.
At Sebring, it became the sixth different manufacturer to join the premier GTP class after Porsche, Cadillac, Acura and Lamborghini.
“If we could have wished for something going into this race, a top ten finish would have been the dream,” said James, who also drives an Aston Martin Vantage GT3 in the WEC’s LMGT3 class.
“We’ve beaten a couple of really good cars out there, and 12 hours around this place is momentous for us in terms of the programme. Every lap we do we learn something and we are going to come back stronger every time.”
