Traditionally, the motorsport year gets underway in January with the 24H Dubai. SPS automotive performance will also be back in 2023 for the first highlight of the year at the Persian Gulf. Here, the Willsbach-based team will be running the first entry of a Mercedes-AMG GT3 from the US team The Heart of Racing and will enter the race under the name Heart of Racing by SPS.
The 24H Dubai has been the first highlight of the motorsport calendar for many years. From 13 to 15 January, over 60 cars will battle again for positions in the first 24-hour race of the year at Dubai Autodrome, which is just under 5.4 km long. After finishing third overall and second in the GT3-AM class last year, SPS automotive performance will of course be getting into the action again at the upcoming edition.
As is often the case, the Dubai Autodrome is setting the stage for a premiere this year: for the first time, Heart of Racing from the United States will be fielding a Mercedes-AMG GT3 in competition, relying on the long-term expertise of SPS automotive performance. The team from Willsbach will be handling the Mercedes-AMG GT3 in Dubai and will be caring for both the car and the drivers in their first appearance in the 24H Series. Ian James (USA), Gray Newell (USA), Roman de Angelis (CAN) and Alex Riberas (ESP), all of whom have previously driven for Heart of Racing, will be the pilots. The Canadian Roman de Angelis clinched the highly competitive championship in the GTD class of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship together with the team in 2022. In the GTD Pro category, Alex Riberas finished fourth in the drivers’ standings with Heart of Racing. But Heart of Racing also uses its racing for a charity: the team utilises its motorsport programmes to raise awareness for high-quality paediatric care and also raises funds for this purpose every year. Last year, this was used to support the Seattle Children’s Cardiology Research Fund. SPS automotive performance also welcomes this commitment and is proud to be part of this campaign.
In the run-up to the Dubai 24h, the international drivers’ quartet will be tuning up to the Mercedes-AMG GT3 during the test sessions. On Saturday, 14 January, at 15:00 local time, the lights will finally go green for the first time in 2023.
Stephan Sohn, team principal SPS automotive performance: “We are very proud to welcome Heart of Racing to our team. In the past, the team has achieved very strong results with other manufacturers and deservedly won the championship in IMSA. Now we are happy to support Heart of Racing in their first steps with the Mercedes-AMG GT3 and offer advice and support. We have a lot of experience with the Mercedes-AMG cars and also with the race in Dubai, where we were very successful, especially last year. So the omens are good to be able to achieve a good result again.”
