For Mattia Drudi, the closing laps of Sunday’s 6 Hours at Circuit of The Americas stretched on interminably after the cooling system failed in his No. 27 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo.
The Aston Martin factory driver carried the final 45-minute green-flag run to the chequered flag in the heat through without functioning A/C, delivering the American squad its second FIA World Endurance Championship LMGT3 class win, two years on from its maiden triumph.
Moreover, for Drudi and his FIA Silver-rated co-driver Zach Robichon, it marked their maiden victories in the car they share with team principal Ian James.
“The team made a really smart call when we swapped, Zach and me, by undercutting the Porsche ahead,” Drudi explained.
“I had clear air on fresh tires and managed to pull away a bit from the pack behind me.”
“After the last safety car, there was a Hypercar behind me on the restart that created a small gap, easing my task a little.”
“I tried to push as hard as I could during the first four, five laps. It paid off because I held a five- or six-second cushion to manage.”
However, during the race’s second Virtual Safety Car-turned safety car period, which came out with 1 hour and 10 minutes to go, the A/C began to malfunction.
“It wasn’t easy,” said Drudi. “It was getting hotter and hotter.”
“I was more fighting with myself then with other cars. It was just not ideal. Of course the track is quite physical.”
“There’s a long straight but the first sector is quite demanding for the car and drivers. It was not easy but the last laps were like never ending, but it worked out.”
Drudi, however, still managed to take a controlling victory, finishing five seconds ahead of second-placed Ayhancan Guven in the No. 91 Manthey Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo.
The class win broke a 14-race winless streak for the team and came on home soil of sorts for the U.S.-based Briton James and Canadian Robichon.
“It feels like a weight off our shoulders, a little bit of a ‘finally,’” Robichon told Sportscar365.
“We’ve done a lot of the right things in different races this year and last year for that matter, and for one reason or another, haven’t been able to close the deal.
“Today I was very happy that we didn’t find a way to lose. The team did a great job. They always do. I have full confidence in them.
“Ian and Mattia both did perfect jobs. It made my life easy in that middle stint and kept our head down. We knew we had the pace and the car would make it to the end if we were nice to it.
“I think that was a big part of it, making sure we didn’t take any unnecessary risks because we knew we had the pace around here. High speed, high grip is exactly what the Aston loves the best.”
James: Double LMGT3 Podium, Valkyrie Result “Testament” How Far Team’s Come
For James, Sunday proved to be a landmark day, with the LMGT3 pole-sitting No. 23 entry driven by Eduardo Barrichello, Jonny Adam and Gray Newell finishing third in class, marking Heart of Racing’s first double podium in the WEC.
Additionally, the No. 007 Aston Martin Valkyrie driven by Harry Tincknell and Tom Gamble equaled the Valkyrie’s best WEC finish with fourth place.
“There’s a strong American influence within the team and the funding comes from America,” James said. “We go racing for Seattle Children’s Hospital every time we hit the track. It’s always meaningful to do it on home soil.”
“Getting the sister car onto the podium was also a big deal. To have two machines in the WEC on the podium speaks to how far we’ve come.”
“The Valkyrie was only a couple of seconds away from its first podium. To be out there, battling with these Hypercars alongside the Valkyrie, I think it proves the progress it has made.”
“Honestly, as a race fan, watching today’s action was gripping. I’m almost out of nails. The six hours delivered top-tier racing across the field, and that’s what it’s all about.”
