British Marque Targets Dual Championships with Unique Hypercar
22 July 2024, Gaydon, UK – The highly anticipated Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR-LMH has made its track debut, signaling the start of an ambitious development program aimed at securing victory in the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans and competing simultaneously in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in 2025.
The Valkyrie AMR-LMH, crafted through a collaboration between Aston Martin Performance Technologies and The Heart of Racing, has undergone initial shakedown tests and installation runs in the UK. This marks the beginning of a rigorous testing schedule designed to prepare the hypercar for its competitive debut. The testing was conducted by a team of experienced drivers, including Aston Martin High Performance development driver Darren Turner, The Heart of Racing’s Mario Farnbacher, and Harry Tincknell, who has a victorious history at Le Mans.
Aston Martin aims to achieve FIA homologation for the Valkyrie AMR-LMH by autumn, ahead of its race debut in early 2025. This hypercar is unique in its class, being the only competitor that evolves directly from a roadgoing counterpart, the Aston Martin Valkyrie, renowned as the ultimate hypercar.
Adam Carter, Aston Martin’s Head of Endurance Motorsport, expressed his optimism, stating, “The Valkyrie AMR-LMH sets its own standard as a thoroughbred endurance competition car. It is a pure, leading-edge racing machine, and while it is very early in the testing cycle, from what we have witnessed so far, we are satisfied that it is achieving the targets and criteria we have set out for it to accomplish.”
The car boasts a race-optimized carbon-fiber chassis and a modified version of the Cosworth-built 6.5-litre naturally aspirated V12 engine, which in its standard form, revs to 11,000rpm and produces over 1000bhp. This power unit has been adapted to meet the performance requirements of the Hypercar class and is engineered to endure the demands of long-distance racing.
The Heart of Racing has set up a UK headquarters for its WEC program, close to where the Valkyrie AMR-LMH is being constructed in collaboration with Aston Martin Performance Technologies at Silverstone. The team will oversee the car’s development, which will shift to various European circuits over the summer for performance evaluation.
Ian James, Team Principal of The Heart of Racing, commented on the significance of the initial tests, saying, “The first runs for the Valkyrie AMR-LMH have been an immensely proud moment in the program. The birth of this project has been a couple of years in the making, so to get it to the track and to see it going around in the flesh, feels momentous. We’re looking forward to the journey ahead – it’s a steep hill to climb for everyone involved in this project. We know we are going up against the best, so we intend to represent Aston Martin at the same level. I believe, from what we have seen so far, and with the DNA of where this car came from, I think we have the right tools to be able to do this successfully.”
In addition to its WEC campaign, Aston Martin with The Heart of Racing plans to compete in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, running the Valkyrie AMR-LMH out of its Phoenix headquarters in North America.
Aston Martin’s entry into the Hypercar class underscores the brand’s commitment to endurance racing, ensuring a presence at all levels of the sport from GT4 to Hypercar, and even in the FIA Formula 1® World Championship. With over 240 drivers having raced Aston Martins at Le Mans over the past 95 years, this new venture reaffirms the brand’s rich legacy in motorsport and its relentless pursuit of excellence on the global stage.
