The all-new Aston Martin Valkyrie hypercar crossed the finish line on its global debut in the opening round of the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), the Qatar 1812km at Lusail International Circuit, marking a solid first step on its historic quest to the summit of sportscar racing glory.
The Aston Martin THOR Team’s #009 Valkyrie, driven by triple FIA WEC title-winner Marco Sørensen (DEN), LM GT3 and IMSA GTD Pro winner Alex Riberas (ESP) and former IMSA GTD champion Roman De Angelis (CDN), completed 295 laps on its way to an eventual 17th position.
The debut event for Valkyrie would always provide a steep learning curve in a grueling 10-hour race. But while a points finish eluded Valkyrie on its maiden competitive outing, the British-built hypercar showed encouraging race pace during several stints completed by the #009 car and sister #007 entry, providing substantial clues to its future potential in the world’s most prestigious endurance competition.
The two Valkyries comfortably tracked the pace of the Hypercar class in the early stages of the event and settled into an accomplished rhythm.
While the #009 was forced to pit to replace a missing door in the second hour, and the #007, driven by British trio Tom Gamble, Ross Gunn, and Harry Tincknell, was eventually forced to withdraw from the race with a transmission issue, when on-track, both cars were able to deliver lap times comparable with competitors running at the front of the pack.
The first ‘Le Mans Hypercar’ (LMH) to be produced by Aston Martin, Valkyrie is the only car in the WEC’s premier category derived from a road-legal hypercar. Its global debut, masterminded by the works Aston Martin THOR team in Qatar, begins an historic season for the British challenger, which will be the only LMH to compete in both the FIA WEC and in North America’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
Directed by Aston Martin Performance Technologies and The Heart of Racing and bred from the Valkyrie production model, the competition version blends a race-optimised carbon fibre chassis with a modified 6.5-litre, Cosworth-developed V12 naturally aspirated engine that revs to 11,000rpm and produces over 1000bhp in standard form. However, as per hypercar regulations, it adheres to a strict 500kw (680bhp) power limit.