Heart of Racing’s Ross Gunn says it’s “business as usual” following the shock departure of IMSA SportsCar Championship GTD Pro title rival Seb Priaulx from the points-leading AO Racing Porsche squad.
AO revealed last week that 23-year-old Priaulx is stepping down from partnering Laurens Heinrich “to focus on his growing commitments with Multimatic”.
A statement from the team, which has recruited Porsche-contracted Julien Andlauer to replace him at Road America this weekend, added: “Increasing obligations and schedule conflicts have necessitated the transition sooner than expected.”
Priaulx and Henrich scored back-to-back GTD Pro victories at Laguna Seca and Detroit, and hold a 98-point lead over Gunn, who’s also had multiple team-mates in Mario Farnbacher and Alex Riberas this year in the #23 HoR Aston Martin Vantage.
When asked by Autosport for his thoughts on Priaulx’s exit from the car he’s chasing for the title, he replied: “For us, I think it doesn't really change anything. The AO guys have been really strong all year already, and I'm pretty sure Andlauer did some IMSA races last year, so I don't think there'll be any sort of time for him getting up to speed.
“Obviously, he's a very experienced Porsche guy and very quick. So, to be honest, I don't think there's any change on that front for us. It's just about focusing on our job and making sure that we execute in the best possible way.
“Those guys have been phenomenally quick this year and have also done a very good job in getting podiums consistently and, yeah, I think they're still gonna be the ones to beat going forward for sure.”
Although Gunn said it would be “business as usual” from his side, he did suggest that mid-season driver swaps with non-regular IMSA drivers could risk some pitfalls.
He added: “Of course, there are some things that a driver will have to get used to, and there’s only two practice sessions to get used to communicating with the team, get used to the style of racing and also the pitstops and rules set. That’s a big change from Europe and the WEC.
“I’ve raced (Andlauer) quite a few times, and Heinrich is obviously a very quick driver as well, so I’m sure they’re going to the guys to beat. They still have a pretty big gap, and been quick in the last few races, so it’s up to us to do the best job that we can and that can open some doors.”
Gunn pointed to recent successes for Heart of Racing in IMSA and WEC competition, as well as Aston Martin’s Spa 24 Hours victory with Comtoyou Racing, a race he finished in fourth place with Walkenhorst Motorsport.
He feels that momentum can help in his quest to overhaul AO in IMSA GTD Pro.
“The last few months have been very, very good for Heart of Racing and also Aston Martin,” said Gunn. “We've had several wins in the WeatherTech Championship, we had a podium in WEC and Aston won the Spa 24 Hours, so it’s been an awesome period.
“I think the energy is really positive right now and everyone is feeling it. For us, we're in a very good position in the championship, not quite where we want to be but we've gradually been progressing throughout the year. We were fourth at the start of the year, then third and now second.
“There's a gap to the Porsche in front, but we're gonna give it everything we can. We've got some really positive momentum right now.”
