Gamble on THOR's Indianapolis objective: "Our goal is to get back on the top step"
- Ghazlan Atqiya Firmansyah
- Sep 20
- 3 min read
This weekend's Battle on the Bricks in Indianapolis could be a championship-deciding race for the Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) team, The Heart of Racing (THOR), and another opportunity to further develop their Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR-LMH Grand Touring Prototype (GTP).
Indianapolis is crucial for THOR's GTD title hopes
The GTD side of the team has claimed a single victory this season at Watkins Glen and finished third in the previous round in Virginia. As things stand, they currently sit second in the GTD Teams' Championship with 2358 points, 171 points behind the defending champions, the No.57 Winward Racing.
Indianapolis offers a maximum of 385 points, comprising 35 from pole and 350 for winning the race. No doubt that the Seattle-based team is targeting a victory at the "Brickyard" after finishing second in GTD Pro back in 2023 and fifth last year.
Their drivers, Tom Gamble, Casper Stevenson and Zacharie Robichon, are making their Indianapolis debut and are eager to bring the No.27 Aston Martin to the top step of the podium this time.
Gamble said: "I can’t wait to head to Indianapolis for the first time this weekend.
"We had a strong result last race at VIR, but our goal is to get back on the top step to help our championship chances. Let’s see what we can do this weekend!"
Stevenson added to his co-driver's excitement about racing in Indianapolis and explained how they have been focusing on learning about the track in the simulator.
"I'm excited to get on track at Indy this Friday.
"It's a very iconic place, and it will be my first time there. Tom and I have been in the sim at our shop in Phoenix, learning the track ahead of the weekend. Hopefully we can have another good weekend!"
The learning continues for the GTP crew
For the GTP crew, the Battle on the Bricks is a return to action after a long break, last appearing in the SportsCar Grand Prix at Road America back in August.
Their Road America outing was the team's best GTP result of the season, finishing sixth. One of their drivers, Roman De Angelis, spoke to DIVEBOMB last month. He hoped to master restarts and avoid falling behind in traffic now that they are fighting other cars more seriously.
Joining the Canadian in the No.23 Valkyrie's cockpit is regular co-driver Ross Gunn. The Briton is no stranger to Indy, as he was part of the squad that finished second in 2023. De Angelis himself has already made several starts here as well.
Gunn said: "I’m looking forward to getting back on track, after what has felt like a very long break for us.
"During our break, the Aston Martin THOR team has worked hard on making improvements to the Valkyrie package that is blossoming with every race we compete in. Arriving at the famous Brickyard is always a moment to pinch yourself, given its rich history.
"We are entering the final phase of the championship, where our goal is to build on our previous result. We had our best result last time out at Road America, so the aim is to get one better and continue our learning."
With both the GTD team fighting to get back on the top step and the GTP program continuing to make progress, the Battle on the Bricks provides a crucial opportunity for THOR to build momentum as it enters the final phase of the season.
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