Aston Martin unveils Valkyrie hypercar to challenge at Le Mans
A return to the pinnacle of endurance motorsport
Aston Martin will be looking to achieve its first overall victory at Le Mans since 1959 in this season’s World Endurance Championship.
Racing in a green livery synonymous with previous Le Mans success, the car aiming to do this is a race-going version of its Valkyrie - the only competitor in its field derived from a road legal hypercar. It will also be competing - in a Heart of Racing blue livery - across the pond in the US-based IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship, making it the first hypercar built to the FIA’s regulations to compete in both series.
Testing of the Valkyrie hypercar began in July 2024, with over 9,000 miles being put on the clock since the summer. After initial runs in the UK at Donington Park and Silverstone, the Valkyrie made its way to Vallelunga and Jerez, before continuing in Bahrain, Qatar, Road Atlanta, Sebring and Daytona.
The Aston Martin Valkyrie Hypercar competing in the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship
Making the Valkyrie race ready
The Valkyrie racer shares much of its DNA with the road going version, namely its Cosworth-built 6.5 litre naturally aspirated V12 engine which has been adapted to meet the performance window of the Hypercar class and to stand up to the rigours of long distance competition. Built with a race optimised carbon fibre chassis and designed to be as fuel efficient as possible, the Valkyrie has a power limit of 680bhp, all controlled by an Xtrac seven-speed sequential transmission operated by semi-automatic paddle shift gear change.
The racing suspension has been configured using double wishbones on the front and rear, with pushrod actuated torsion bar springs with adjustable side and central dampers.
Aston Martin has followed the FIA’s technical regulations for competition when converting the Valkyrie to racer, including the implementation of quick change front and rear bodywork, a single-point rapid refuelling coupling, a high-speed pneumatic jack system incorporated into the chassis and a driver cockpit optimised for safety, quick access and visibility. The Valkyrie sits on mandatory 18 inch Michelin Pilot Sport tyres.
The racing Valkyrie (left) alongside its road going equivalent (right)
Aston Martin THOR Team driver line up
The factory Valkyrie racing campaign is being led in both WEC and IMSA by The Heart of Racing (THOR), which has previously run Aston Martin’s Vantage GT3 in both series.
#007 - Harry Tincknell and Tom Gamble
Tincknell is Aston Martin’s most recent British 24 Hours of Le Mans class winner and will be joined by fellow Brit and rising endurance star Tom Gamble.
#009 - Marco Sørensen and Alex Riberas
Danish driver Sørensen is a three time FIA GT World Champion and is joined by Alex Riberas of Spain, a WEC LMGT3 class race winner.
IMSA #23 entry in GTP class - Ross Gunn and Roman De Angelis
British driver Ross Gunn will race in the States for the second year running after competing in last season’s IMSA GTD Pro championship. His teammate will be 2022 GTD class champion Roman De Angelis, with Aston Martin only submitting one car in this championship. Gunn and De Angelis will join the WEC contenders at Le Mans to complete three-driver lineups.
Where will the Aston Martin Valkyrie be racing?
The 2025 World Endurance Championship season consists of eight races, with the Aston Martin THOR Team set to enter two Valkyries in the opening round at the Qatar 1812Km on 28th February. Following that race, the championship includes races in Imola, Spa, Le Mans, Interlagos, COTA in Texas and Fuji in Japan. The finale will take place in Bahrain on November 8th.
The IMSA season consists of 11 races, including the Sebring 12 Hours and Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta, along with major US tracks in Long Beach, Laguna Seca, Watkins Glen and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
words: Mike Booth
pictures: Aston Martin