Aston Martin has started testing the Valkyrie it will enter in the top categories of endurance racing in 2025. The company is working with an American team called The Heart of Racing to fine-tune the model, which is related to the limited-edition, V12-powered production car.
The car is called Valkyrie AMR-LMH to designate it as an entry into the Le Mans Hypercar (LHM) category. It's shaped just like the street-legal model it's based on, but it gains several features to make it quicker around a track, including a new body kit that includes a fin and a rear wing. Aston Martin also notes that it made changes to the carbon fiber chassis, though it hasn't detailed what they are yet.
Power comes from a racing-specific, lean-burning version of the regular Valkyrie's Cosworth-built 6.5-liter V12. The engine makes over 1,000 horsepower and revs to more than 11,000 rpm in its standard state of tune, but here again changes were made for homologation reasons.
Race car drivers Darren Turner, Mario Farnbacher, and Harry Tincknell are part of the team that started testing the Valkyrie AMR-LMH on the track. The testing phase started on the Silverstone track in England, and it will expand to other circuits in the coming months. Aston Martin and The Heart of Racing hope to finish homologation this fall, and the Valkyrie will race for the first time in early 2025.
Aston Martin and The Heart of Racing will enter the Valkyrie AMR-LMH in two series: the FIA's World Endurance Championship and IMSA's WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. That means the model will be eligible to compete in numerous races including the Rolex 24, the 12 Hours of Sebring, the 6 Hours of Fuji, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Aston Martin hopes to earn its first overall win at Le Mans since 1959.
