The dream of many endurance enthusiasts has become reality. Aston Martin will field the Valkyrie at Le Mans from 2025, with the intention of participating in the WEC and IMSA championships. After pausing the endurance program at the beginning of 2020, Aston Martin is now preparing to develop a racing version of the famous model whose signatures include that of Adrian Newey. The return of the English company to the premier category at Le Mans takes place 66 years after the victory of Roy Salvadori and Carroll Shelby with the DBR1 in 1959.
The program
There are many changes that Aston Martin will have to make to the Valkyrie to adapt to the technical specifications of the WEC. The initial regulations for the Hypercar class in fact envisaged power in the order of 1000 horsepower, now significantly reduced to around 670. The British company, however, confirms that its car will use a modified version of the current naturally aspirated V12 Cosworth 6.5 liters, capable of reaching 11000 rpm. Contrary to the majority of its direct opponents, the Valkyrie will not have a hybrid powertrain.
Development will be handled by Aston Martin Performance Technologies directly inside the Formula 1 team’s brand new Silverstone campus. On-track management will instead be entrusted to Heart of Racing, an American team that won the IMSA title in the GTD class in 2022 with the Vantage. Aston Martin’s intention is to homologate the Valkyrie for both WEC and IMSA competition, stating that at least one car will compete for overall victory at the 24 Hours of Daytona, the 12 Hours of Sebring and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The debut is scheduled for 2025, the year in which the WEC could have on the starting grid, in addition to Aston Martin, also Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche, Toyota, BMW, Alpine, Cadillac, Peugeot and Isotta Fraschini, without counting the recent rumors started circulating on Acura and private Vanwall and Glicknehaus.
The statements
Lawrence Stroll, Executive Chairman of Aston Martin Lagonda, commented on the announcement: “Performance is the lifeblood of everything we do at Aston Martin and motorsport is the ultimate expression of the aspiration for excellence. We have been present at Le Mans since the early days and during those glorious adventures we managed to win Le Mans in 1959, as well as our class 19 times in the last 95 years. Now let’s return to the stage of those first triumphs, aiming to write a new story with the racing prototype inspired by Aston Martin’s fastest production car ever.”
“Obviously, the complex skill set that we’re building with the Formula 1 team offers data that Aston Martin Performance Technologies can exploit to further enhance the Valkyrie’s racing potential at Le Mans, WEC and IMSA. At the same time, the lessons learned in endurance racing will flow directly into road programs, improving the performance of our products.”
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