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Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR-LMH

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Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR-LMH
CategoryLe Mans Hypercar
ConstructorAston Martin (Multimatic)
PredecessorAston Martin AMR-One
Technical specifications
EngineAston Martin-Cosworth RA 6,499 cc (396.6 cu in) 65° V12
Power671 bhp (680 PS; 500 kW)
TyresMichelin slicks
Competition history
Notable entrantsUnited Kingdom Aston Martin THOR Team
Notable driversCanada Roman De Angelis
United Kingdom Tom Gamble
United Kingdom Ross Gunn
Spain Alex Riberas
Denmark Marco Sørensen
United Kingdom Harry Tincknell

The Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR-LMH[1] is an upcoming sports prototype developed by Aston Martin Racing and Multimatic to compete in the FIA World Endurance Championship in the Hypercar category and the IMSA SportsCar Championship in the GTP category respectively.[2][3] The car is a heavily modified racing version fitted to Le Mans Hypercar regulations based on Aston Martin's Valkyrie AMR Pro track car.[4]

The Valkyrie AMR-LMH is set to make its debut at the 2025 Qatar 1812 km.[5] The car was originally slated to make its first appearance at the 2025 24 Hours of Daytona, however, Aston Martin opted to skip the event in favour of completing more internal testing.[6]

History

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Initial plans

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The Valkyrie AMR-LMH is based on the Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro.

Aston Martin was one of the first manufacturers to commit to the Le Mans Hypercar class in 2019, with plans to start competition with at least two factory cars in the 2021 FIA World Endurance Championship. The car was planned to compete without a hybrid system, despite the road car containing one.[7] Alongside the factory entries, two further cars were planned to be fielded by R-Motorsport.[8]

In February 2020, Aston Martin announced that they would be cancelling the project, following the decision of the Automobile Club de l'Ouest to allow LMDh vehicles to participate in the Hypercar project. The brand also joined Formula One around this time, meaning they had limited finances to support their Hypercar programme. The manufacturer stated to still be open to joining in the future.[9]

2023 revival

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In October 2023, Aston Martin officially announced the return of the Valkyrie Le Mans Hypercar project. They planned to enter at least one car in both the FIA WEC and the IMSA SportsCar Championship in 2025, run by The Heart of Racing.[2][3] This would make Aston Martin the first Le Mans Hypercar manufacturer to enter the IMSA series, which up to that point only had LMDh cars participate.[10]

The car, now recognized as the Valkyrie AMR-LMH,[1] was rolled out in the summer of 2024, ahead of an extensive testing program by Aston Martin and The Heart of Racing at Silverstone Circuit and Donington Park, alongside drivers Darren Turner, Harry Tincknell, and Mario Farnbacher.[11][12] The team also participated in sanctioned tests with the Valkyrie AMR-LMH later that year, testing at Bahrain International Circuit and Daytona respectively.[13]

Unlike the majority of Le Mans Hypercars that compete with a hybrid system, the Valkyrie AMR-LMH was developed to run without one. The car uses the same 6.5-litre Aston Martin-Cosworth RA V12 used by all versions of the Valkyrie sports car, but has been extensively modified to run leaner in order to meet the Le Mans Hypercar class performance window and to stay reliable throughout all stages of an endurance race.[1][14]

On the 21st of November, Aston Martin announced that the Valkyrie AMR-LMH would make its global racing debut at the 2025 Qatar 1812 km, opting to skip the 2025 24 Hours of Daytona to perform further testing and development.[6] They also announced that both cars that would be racing in the FIA WEC would be using numbers #007 and #009, both taken from their Le Mans-winning Aston Martin DBR9. Tincknell and Alex Riberas were also announced as the first two drivers to race the car, driving the #007 and #009 respectively.[15] The official lineups would be confirmed in February 2025, with Tom Gamble joining Tincknell in the #007 and Marco Sørensen joining Riberas in the #009 for FIA WEC, and Roman De Angelis and Ross Gunn forming the #23 lineup for IMSA racing.[16]

Racing results

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Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results

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Year Entrant Class Drivers No. Rds. Rounds Pts. Pos.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
2025 Aston Martin THOR Team Hypercar United Kingdom Tom Gamble[16]
United Kingdom Harry Tincknell[16] 		007 QAT ITA SPA LMS SÃO COA FUJ BHR
Spain Alex Riberas[16]
Denmark Marco Sørensen[16] 		009 QAT ITA SPA LMS SÃO COA FUJ BHR

Complete IMSA SportsCar Championship results

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Year Entrant Class Drivers No. Rds. Rounds Pts. Pos. MEC
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
2025 Aston Martin THOR Team GTP Canada Roman De Angelis[16]
United Kingdom Ross Gunn[16] 		23 DAY SEB LBH LGA DET WGL ELK IMS ATL

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR-LMH hypercar hits the track | Aston Martin". www.astonmartin.com. Retrieved 2024-09-14.
  2. ^ a b Dagys, John (2024-06-14). "Heart of Racing Set for Two-Car Valkyrie Hypercar Effort – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 2024-09-14.
  3. ^ a b "Heart Of Racing Confirms GTP Aston Martin Valkyrie For 2025 IMSA Season". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 2024-10-09.
  4. ^ "Aston Martin returns to Le Mans to fight for overall victory with Valkyrie hypercar". media.astonmartin.com. Retrieved 2024-09-14.
  5. ^ "Aston Martin names first drivers for Valkyrie LMH race car". Motor Authority. 2024-11-21. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
  6. ^ a b Dagys, John (2024-11-21). "Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR-LMH Set for Qatar Race Debut – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
  7. ^ "Aston Martin To Bring Valkyrie Hypercar To FIA WEC & Le Mans". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 2023-12-12.
  8. ^ "Hypercar/ DPi 2.0/ Class One & All That". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 2023-12-13.
  9. ^ "Aston Martin Has Cancelled Its Valkyrie-Based WEC Entry | News | CarThrottle". www.carthrottle.com. 2020-02-19. Retrieved 2023-12-12.
  10. ^ "Aston Martin to return to Le Mans 24 Hours in 2025 with Valkyrie LMH". www.autosport.com. 2023-10-04. Retrieved 2023-12-02.
  11. ^ "Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR-LMH Completes First Shakedown Runs". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  12. ^ Euwema, Davey (2024-07-22). "Valkyrie AMR-LMH's First Runs an "Immensely Proud" Moment – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 2024-09-14.
  13. ^ Grace, Jonathan (2024-11-15). "James: Heart of Racing 'Hitting Milestones' With Valkyrie Testing – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 2024-11-18.
  14. ^ "Reborn to race: the Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR-LMH". Rush Magazine. Retrieved 2025-01-30.
  15. ^ "Aston Martin THOR Team confirms Riberas and Tincknell for 2025 Valkyrie world title assault". media.astonmartin.com. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
  16. ^ a b c d e f g Euwema, Davey (2025-02-04). "Heart of Racing Locks in Valkyrie LMH Lineups – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 2025-02-05.
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