Aston Martin’s journey to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the Valkyrie race car is nearing its culmination, with the unveiling of the track-focused hypercar.
Aston Martin has joined forces with The Heart of Racing (THOR) to field the Valkyrie, built to LMH regulations, in the Hypercar and GTP classes of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) and IMSA SportsCar Championship in 2025.
The Valkyrie will be the first LMH car to participate in both the WEC and SportsCar Championships, and the first derived from a production vehicle.
The WEC calendar includes the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans, where Aston Martin aims for outright victory. Competition will be fierce, with rivals including BMW, Cadillac, Ferrari, Porsche, and Toyota.
The Valkyrie LMH features a bespoke, race-optimized carbon-fibre chassis, but shares its Cosworth 6.5-litre V12 engine with the road-going Valkyrie, though without the road car’s mild-hybrid system.
The racing engine will operate at lower revs and with a leaner fuel mixture to meet a 670 hp (499 kW) power cap and conserve fuel. Power is still sent to the rear wheels exclusively, mated to an Xtrac 7-speed sequential transmission with paddle shifters. For the SportsCar Championship, the car might use a straight-pipe exhaust for enhanced sound.
Two Valkyrie LMHs will compete in the WEC, and one in the SportsCar Championship, all run by the Aston Martin THOR team.
In the WEC, Harry Tincknell and Tom Gamble will drive the number 007 car, while Marco Sørensen and Alex Riberas will pilot the number 009 car. In the SportsCar Championship, Ross Gunn and Roman De Angelis will share driving duties in the number 23 car. Gunn and De Angelis will also join their respective WEC teammates at Le Mans, driving the 007 and 009 cars.
The Valkyrie LMH’s debut race will be the WEC’s opening round, the Qatar 1812 km, on February 28. The 24 Hours of Le Mans will be held in mid-June.